Eric Pollard by Lara Braithwaite
ERIC HENRY POLLARD
Merchant Navy Radio Officer
1898 - 1942
All lay quiet in the radio room of the MV Neptuna. For 3
minutes Eric would wait for any sign of distress through his wireless. Distress
from any neighbouring ships that may require assistance. Once these anxious 3
minutes were over, for the next hour it was back to normal radio traffic.
This is just an insight as to what life was for Eric Pollard
during his 20-year career aboard Australian naval ships. During these 20 years
he travelled across the world on countless ships as a radio officer.
He was born in St Peters, NSW in 1898, the fourth son of
John Henry Pollard and Isabella Mary Crowley. The family later moved to
Hurstville where they lived for the duration of their lives.
His career in the navy began in 1921 when Eric was just 23.
He trained as a radio officer for Amalgamated Wireless Limited. Whilst working
for this company he would be contracted out on various voyages that required
his expertise. As a ship could not set sail without at least one qualified
radio officer, he would often be away from home for long periods of time
sometimes months at a time.
Between journeys, Eric spent time in his hometown of
Hurstville. On a break in 1925 Eric married his wife Sarah Perkins who, while
Eric was away, would live alone on their Hurstville home not too far from
Eric’s parents.
His main role aboard the ships were to listen out for
distress signals and share the latest information on the war to the rest of the
crew. As radio was the only form of communication from the land to the sea,
sharing this information to everyone aboard was a vital part of his role.
The days before the bombing of the Neptuna, it was berthed
in Darwin awaiting its unloading and re-fuelling. At the time, the Neptuna was
holding 52 989 explosives that needed to be unloaded. With these explosives
onboard, as the Japanese bombs rained down on the ships, the boys didn’t stand
a chance.
At 10 am, on the 19th of February 1942, the first
of the Japanese air raid planes were seen flying over the harbour. As the first
of the bombs dropped, and the Neptuna was hit, Eric and his 2 colleagues are
said to have run down into the smoking room where First officer Jack Gillies
and Second Officer Jack Forman were also taking shelter. The minute they
entered, a bomb landed directly above them, and the five men were killed
instantly.
Eric’s remains were never found so a grave has not been able
to be placed in his memory. Although, a dedication to his naval service has
been placed at Adelaide River Northern Territory Memorial.
Information Sourced from: https://allenhancockfamilyhistory.wordpress.com/pollard-eric-henry-1898-1942/ and https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/47250
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