Lieutenant Commander Mackenzie ‘Mac’ Gregory
By Rex Williams
Mackenzie ‘Mac’ Jesse Gregory was born in Geelong on 9 February 1922. His father was a steward in the Royal Australian Navy based at Osborne House, having previously served in the British Army during WWI. Mac's early childhood was spent in Toorak where he attended Christchurch Grammar. In later years the family moved to Coburg where he attended Coburg High School. Mac was accepted into the RAN Naval College then situated at Flinders Naval Depot, in 1936 aged 13. Due to graduate in 1939, Mac's class would not finish as normal but were sent to sea-going units instead, owing to the probability of war.
Promoted Midshipman on 1 September 1939, Mac was posted to the County Class Heavy Cruiser HMAS Australia (II). The early war saw Australia based on the Australian station engaged in convoy escort duties. September 1940 saw her in East African waters in support of Operation MENACE, the aim of which was to install a free French government in Dakar under General Charles de Gaulle. During the operation Australia took part in the bombardment of Vichy French targets and was also subjected to attack by Vichy French forces.
In October 1940 Australia was patrolling off the Azores and escorting troop ships between Gibraltar and the United Kingdom. On 29 October, in the Orkney/Shetland area, Australia succeeded in rescuing nine crew members of a Sunderland Flying Boat, despite Force 10 winds and very high seas.
Mac played a role in the rescue, throwing lines to four of the airmen that a swimming rescue team had been unable to reach. The horrendous weather meant that Mac's efforts would ultimately be in vain, and the remaining members of the flying boat were unable to be saved.
HMAS Australia's participation in the rescue of members of a Sunderland Flying Boat was captured in news articles and a painting by maritime artist TJ Callen.
The incident affected the crew deeply and Mac would later recall:
I can still visualise the joy on the faces of those we rescued, and remember the anger and sadness we all experienced at having to leave the remaining four airmen to a certain death.
The remainder of 1940 saw Australia docked in Liverpool undergoing refit to repair damage. During December the city was subjected to a period of heavy air raids. Australia was particularly vulnerable, her guns having been made safe during the maintenance and the dockyard being a prime target for German bombers. Disaster was averted when a large bomb narrowly missed the ship and slammed into the adjacent dock, miraculously, the bomb failed to detonate. Mac would later recall the role of the Midshipmen during these attacks was to man the upper decks and kick any incendiaries that may land on board over the side.
Mac was promoted Acting Sub Lieutenant on 1 May 1941, before proceeding back to the UK by troop ship to undertake a Sub Lieutenants’ course. Sections of this course took place in Brighton, which was subjected to heavy bombing. The threat of invasion was very real and at times members of the course were called upon to patrol the beaches overnight. Following his successful completion of course, Mac returned to Australia by troop ship via Halifax and the Panama Canal. Upon his arrival home, Mac became engaged to his childhood sweetheart Gladys.
Promoted Sub Lieutenant on 1 August 1941, Mac was then posted to the County Class heavy cruiser HMAS Canberra. Mac was serving in HMAS Canberra on the night of the Japanese midget submarine attack on Sydney Harbour on 31 May 1942. Mac later recalled:
It was a mad night in Sydney.
HMAS Canberra went on to form part of the bombardment force for Operation WATCHTOWER, the attack on Guadalcanal. The subsequent Battle of Savo Island commenced on 9 August 1942 resulting in Canberra being sunk by enemy cruisers, Mac would recall:
I was on her bridge as her Officer of the Watch when the Battle of Savo Island commenced on 9 August 1942, we were subsequently sunk, losing eighty-four dead, with another one hundred and ten wounded.
Following his return to Australia and a period of survivor leave, Mac was posted to the Modified Town Class cruiser HMAS Adelaide, which was based at Fremantle for convoy and escort duty in the Indian Ocean. On 28 November 1942, Adelaide, in company with the Netherlands cruiser Jacob van Heemskerck and the minesweepers HMA Ships Cessnock (I) and Toowoomba (I) sighted a strange ship and closed in to investigate. The ship made distress messages claiming to be Taiyang, a name that Adelaide could not accept, so 'Action Stations' was ordered at a range of 15,000 yards, pending identification.
The Navigating Officer of Adelaide quickly identified her as the German blockade runner Ramses and in the ensuing engagement, Ramses was sunk. Adelaide picked up the survivors and it was learned later that all hands had abandoned ship except the Captain, one officer and the W/T Operator, who completed the scuttling arrangements and sank the ship.
Mac saw action in each sea-going posting he experienced during WWII, including while serving in HMAS Adelaide (I).
Mac's next posting was to the heavy cruiser HMAS Shropshire, which he was appointed to join in December 1944 as a Lieutenant. Travelling to Brisbane by train he then flew to Manus Island in an American DC3, a two-day journey spent sitting on the floor amongst mail in an unheated plane. Upon arrival in Manus he had to wait several days before joining the ship on its arrival several days later. Mac was subsequently to write of his time in Shropshire:
I recall with affection the officers and sailors who formed the crew of HMAS Shropshire, at their peak 1280, the best ship, with the best ship’s company it was ever my privilege to serve in.
January 1945 saw Shropshire in action in the Lingayen Gulf in the northern Philippines. The Lingayen invasion force was subjected to a fierce onslaught by Japanese kamikaze suicide pilots who swarmed over the fleet exacting a heavy toll on Australian sailors in this extraordinary form of attack. Mac takes up the story:
During the last dog watch, at about 18:15, on January the 6th. I was Officer of the Watch on Shropshire's bridge. Looking into the sun I saw an aircraft at about 1000 feet diving straight for the bridge. We cleared the bridge, and flattened out on the deck of the wing of the bridge. There was a tremendous explosion. I believed we were hit by this Kamikaze, as liquid splashed all around me, I thought it was petrol and expected it to burst into flames at any moment. I reached out my hand to run it across the splash, and licked my fingers, salt water, not petrol after all.
What a relief, Roy Cazaly had quickly seen this attack, swung his Pom Pom around and onto the target, with a devastating burst of fire, he shot this Japanese aircraft in two, half falling close to our starboard side, where a bomb on board exploded. The bridge is 60 feet above sea level, and the force of the impact and explosion threw a wave of sea water up onto the bridge. The other half of this plane crashed close to our port side, adjacent to the bridge.
I was still in one piece, but it left me shaken but very grateful to the skill of Leading Seaman Roy Cazaly, who was awarded a Distinguished Service Medal for his efforts. It was indeed, a close run thing, and but for the Captain of the Port Pom Pom, I would not be alive today.
Mac credited the proficiency of Leading Seaman Roy Cazaly with saving his life. The gun captain of Shropshire's Port Pom Pom would later be decorated for his actions.
Mac remained on board Shropshire and was present in Tokyo Bay for the Japanese surrender ceremony on 2 September 1945. Upon Shropshire's return to Australia Mac and Gladys were married in December 1945.
Post-war
HMAS Shropshire was chosen to take the Australian Contingent for the Empire Victory celebrations in England, and Mac stayed on in the UK to participate in the first combined Torpedo Anti-Submarine Specialist course with the Royal Navy. Upon returning to Australia, and equipped with this new specialist qualification, Mac went on to serve in the Tribal Class destroyers Warramunga and Bataan. Some welcome shore time ensued when he served as Aide-de-Camp to the Governor-General, Sir William McKell at Government House, Canberra, from 1950 to 1953, being promoted Lieutenant Commander during that time.
Mac spent three years serving as Aide-de-Camp to the Governor-General, Sir William McKell following his posting to HMAS Warramunga (I), right.
In his final posting Mac served as Fleet Torpedo Anti-Submarine Officer on the staff of the Flag Officer Commanding the Australian Fleet, in the aircraft-carrier HMAS Vengeance. Vengeance was part of the escort which accompanied the Queen during her visit to Australia in 1954 and members of the crew formed the Queen’s Guard of 120 sailors who accompanied her Majesty throughout her visit.
In September 1954, after 20 years of service and at age 33, Mac resigned his commission.
Post-RAN
Following his retirement from the RAN, Mac entered the private sector, but maintained a passion for naval affairs and history, becoming a highly prolific author, researcher and historian.
When the USS Canberra visited Melbourne in the 1960s, Mac arranged for his son, Raymond, to be christened in the ship’s bell, with the Commanding Officer of Canberra proudly standing in as godfather.
Mac and his first wife Gladys raised their children and enjoyed a happy life together, until, sadly Gladys passed away. Mac found happiness again some years later when he met Denise while on a cruise.
In 2001, following extensive lobbying by Mac and associates, the US Navy decided to present USS Canberra’s bell to Australia as an act of friendship and to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the signing of the ANZUS Treaty. The ceremony took place on 10 September 2001 while Prime Minister John Howard was visiting Washington DC. Mac and his second wife, Denise were invited to attend. President Bush and Prime Minister John Howard both mentioned Mac in their speeches, and spoke with him afterward. Mac and Denise were due to fly home the following day, however this was postponed due to a request from John Howard to accompany him to Arlington Cemetery in order to pay homage to the only Australian buried there. This request from the Prime Minister actually saved Mac and Denise’s lives as the flight they had been due to take was American Airlines Flight 77, the aircraft that was crashed into the Pentagon without any survivors on 11 September 2001.
In 2009 Mac was given the honour of leading the Anzac Day march in Melbourne, a just recognition of his tireless efforts in promoting the history of the Royal Australian Navy and Australian Defence Force.
Lieutenant Commander Mackenzie ‘Mac’ Jesse Gregory passed away on 27 August 2014, aged 92. His family scattered his ashes from the end of Station Pier, Port Melbourne, as per his wishes. He was survived by his wife, children and grandchildren.
Legacy
Following his passing, Mac received tributes from around the globe. The countless people he assisted, advised, and supported felt his loss sorely. A project initiated by Mac and his friend Don Boyle to establish a Naval Memorial in Port Melbourne came to fruition on 27 November 2015 when the then Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Tim Barrett AO CSC, RAN, unveiled and dedicated a bronze statue of a lone sailor, ‘Answering the Call’. The statue is situated on the foreshore at Port Melbourne, opposite Dow Street, and across the road from the former RAN shore establishment HMAS Lonsdale. The statue commemorates the men and women of the RAN who have served, from colonial times, through war and peace, and serve today and into the future. He is looking out to sea, towards the entry of Port Phillip Bay at the Rip, no doubt dreaming of adventures to come.
A longstanding dream of Mac's was realised on 27 November 2015 with the unveiling of the ‘Answering the Call’ statue at Port Melbourne, Victoria. The final line inscribed on the statue states “Created from the vision of Lieutenant Commander Mackenzie J Gregory RAN Rtd.”
Notes from the Author
Mac Gregory was my close friend and colleague. Truly an officer and a gentleman, always anxious to help in any way he could. Generous to a fault, he happily spent hours researching families requests for information on a loved one’s Naval service. He was an excellent speaker and author, ever ready to promote our Navy and her people. Fiercely loyal to the concepts and objectives of our Naval Historical Society, he was a past President of the Victoria Chapter, and at the time of his death was Vice President and Historian, offering advice and support when requested.
His ‘Ahoy’ website is treasure trove featuring 2881 articles on naval, maritime Australian historical subjects and more. My purpose in writing this treatise is to encourage you to explore his website: http://ahoy.tk-jk.net/index.html. Mac also wrote the books: WWII. The war at Sea; War in the Pacific 1941-1945; and Fighting Sailors and Famous Sea Battles Down the Ages.
