Lieutenant Commander (Surgeon) William Edward John Paradice
By John Broadhead
By all accounts it was a lovely Thursday afternoon on Sydney Harbour on 3 November 1927. The sun was shining, there was little breeze and the weekday afternoon commute was just beginning.
After departing Circular Quay just after 1600, the small steam ferry Greycliffe made her first stop at the northern end of Garden Island, embarking a number of Royal Australian Navy personnel and dockyard workers for the half hour run along her usual picturesque route to Watsons Bay. Among them was Surgeon Lieutenant Commander Jack Paradice, RAN who was heading home to his pregnant wife Kate and their young son John, waiting for him at their Vaucluse home.
His career was progressing with great promise. He had recently been promoted, following two years at sea in HMAS Geranium and his duties as the Sydney establishment’s base Medical Officer had expanded commensurate with the additional responsibility that came with his rank. Balanced alongside his naval career was a fascination and passion for voluntary work at the Australian Museum. Paradice was a man whose career was on the rise, but fate was to intervene.
Underway on the harbour that afternoon was the Royal Mail Steamer Tahiti. At 7000 tons, the former WWI troop ship had reverted to her passenger service role and was outbound for San Francisco. Tahiti was making ground on Greycliffe from the ferry’s port quarter and was intending to overhaul her at a close but otherwise safe distance. As the two vessels were adjacent to Shark Island, Greycliffe appeared to suddenly alter course to port with an apparent steering problem crossing Tahiti’s bows. Despite desperate attempts to take avoiding action, Tahiti’s stem struck Greycliffe amidships on the port side, where the ferry remained wedged for some seconds being pushed beam-on through the water. Greycliffe rolled quickly onto her starboard beam until the gunwale was awash, whereby the pressure caused her to break in two. Passengers on the upper decks were thrown into the water but those inside the ladies and smoking saloons had little chance of escape as the shattered ferry quickly sank and the steam boiler exploded. Of the estimated 120 passengers, 40 lost their lives, including Jack Paradice. To this day it remains the worst loss of lives on Sydney Harbour.
Jack Paradice early years
William Edward John (Jack) Paradice was born in Chatswood on 21 February 1897, the eldest child of William Henry and Lily Paradice. William was a senior accountant at AMP. Jack attended Sydney Grammar School for his primary education (as did his father) and through hard work he gained selection for the prestigious Fort Street High School. There he proved an accomplished scholar, a noted sportsman in shooting and swimming, and had a particular fascination with biology, in particular that of fish. Like many of his age, he enthusiastically complied with the Government policy of undertaking three years of compulsory military training for boys aged 12-14 joining the Cadets of the 17th Rifles, effectively a youth militia unit, based in North Sydney.
His timing was fortuitous, for in 1911 it was decided that Australia would send a large contingent of Cadets to England for the Coronation of King George V and Queen Mary. NSW sent 170 boys and Paradice was fortunate to be one of the 40 Junior Cadets selected. The adventure lasted for four months, commencing in April with a 43 days ocean passage onboard the near-new steamer Themistocles. Travelling in third class accommodation they were kept busy throughout the transit participating in fire drills, rifle exercises, and recreational activities such as quoits and tugs-of-war to keep them fit. A highlight was a stopover in South Africa, where guided tours were undertaken to some of the Boer War battlefields. On arrival in London they formed part of the 45,000 strong military contingents from across the Empire that either participated in the parade or lined the route to Westminster Abbey on the 22 June 1911. On completion of the Royal commemorations the Cadets took part in a series of military and sporting competitions with their international counterparts at Bisley, south west of London. The NSW contingent arrived home in October and were awarded the Coronation Medal by the then Governor-General, Lord Denman, in a ceremony in held in January the following year.
Jack graduated from Fort Street in 1914 and it is interesting to note that the school’s list of ‘Distinguished Fortians’ specifically lists his occupation as being a Marine Biologist. Upon graduation Jack commenced a Bachelor of Medicine at Sydney University. This was proceeding quite well despite the country being drawn into WWI and it must have impacted on him to see so many of his former cadet colleagues signing up to do their duty, particularly as he had excelled in rifle shooting exercises. Eventually he succumbed to either the desire or the pressure to enlist applying to join the AIF. He was accepted in July 1918, however, the Armistice was declared before he was to reach the operational theatre. Following his discharge he completed his medical studies at Sydney University, graduating on 12 May 1920 with a Bachelor of Medicine and a Masters in Surgery.
Life as a doctor in the civilian world was not to last long though and the following year Jack was accepted into the RAN as a probationary Surgeon Lieutenant. Quickly confirmed in that rank, he was posted initially to HMAS Penguin on 1 August 1922, which was at that time the former cruiser Encounter, living out her days moored at Garden Island as the base depot ship. The following March he was posted to the boys’ training ship Tingira for a period of four months.
Tingira was moored close inshore in Rose Bay with sick-bay support provided from Kent Hall located on the site of what is presently the Rose Bay RSL. The boys trained and paraded ashore at the adjacent Lyne Park, and it seems likely that Jack may have met his future wife through a mutual Navy acquaintance at either a social gathering or when playing tennis at the adjacent courts during this period. After the brief sojourn in Tingira he returned to Penguin.
Jack’s first and, as it turned out, only sea posting came in April 1923 when he was attached to the ex- Royal Navy Arabis Class Sloop turned RAN survey vessel HMAS Geranium. Given his strong interest in marine biology it is hard to believe he did not have some hand in influencing that outcome. Geranium’s Commanding Officer was Commander Henry Thring Bennett, DSO, RN, who would stay with the ship for the remainder of its RAN service, and the Navigator was another whose name would later become part of RAN folklore as the Commanding Officer of HMAS Parramatta (II), Lieutenant Jefferson Hirst Walker, RAN.
Left: Sydney Coronation Cadets 1911. (Australian War Memorial collection) Centre: King George V, Queen Mary Coronation Medal. Right: Private WEJ Paradice 1918. (Paradice collection)
HMAS Geranium
HMAS Geranium steamed north in April 1923, arriving in Darwin three weeks later. Embarking VADM Sir William Clarkson, KBE, RN, who was to conduct an agricultural assessment of the McArthur River area, and six Indigenous sailors as spare hands, the ship sailed for the southern-most point of the Gulf of Carpentaria and commenced a survey around the Sir Edward Pellew Group of islands. This work continued throughout May, with resupply runs being conducted through Darwin.
After returning in June to survey one of the smaller islands Geranium ran aground on an uncharted reef. Of immediate concern was that that water was coming in faster than the pumps could handle. After considerable effort involving the ship’s boats, manually repositioning the anchors and with the crew of 160 men jumping up and down in unison on the quarterdeck to create a whipping motion, the ship finally slid off the reef at high tide whereby Bennett settled her on a mud flat to effect temporary repairs. Using collision mats and cement and with the eventual assistance of HMS Fantome, an RN survey ship that happened to be operating in the same waters, Geranium was made seaworthy enough to return to Sydney for repairs to her badly buckled keel.
Left: Extract from letter written during temporary repairs after grounding. (Paradice collection) Right: Engraved silver platter presented to WEJ Paradice on posting from HMAS Geranium. (Paradice collection)
The Indigenous sailors concluded that this bad luck was brought about after an Aboriginal artefact, found to contain Indigenous remains, was brought on board the ship. Calling at Thursday Island the warning was heeded and the artefact was turned over to the Indigenous sailors and landed.
On returning to Sydney, repairs were completed in Fitzroy Dock at Cockatoo Island and the ship was back in northern waters by September. Geranium completed her survey of the Pellew Group the following month and returned to Sydney on 8 December. Two days later, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that:
Remarkable success has attended the biological research carried on by Dr WEJ Paradice on HMAS Geranium during the vessel’s survey operations in the northern Australian waters.
He had brought back more than 2000 specimens for the Australian Museum, predominantly comprising fish and crustaceans. The most important object was a large rock fossil, containing a portion of an Ichthyosaurus Australis, a dolphin like marine reptile found, but not identified, by the Director of the Darwin Botanical Gardens. Such was the volume of material collected, his museum colleagues noted that it may take some years to fully classify them. Paradice had also been working on his own report, which was eventually published in August the following year under the title ‘The Sir Edward Pellew Group of Islands. With special reference to Biology and Physical Features’.
1924 was a more varied year for Geranium beginning with survey work around Northern Tasmania. Jack’s work ethic must have been appreciated by his Commanding Officer for he was given the role of Assistant Surveyor. A minor grounding and damage to the upper deck resulting from a storm off Flinders Island (which left the Captain, Doctor and other officers marooned ashore for a number of days) necessitated further repairs and the ship put into Sydney between April and June.
It was at that time that a decision was made to embark a RAAF detachment and Fairy IIID seaplane. This required extensive modifications around the quarterdeck, as well as additional accommodation for the aircrew and additional scientists. Initial trials indicated the ship lacked stability in the open ocean with the aircraft embarked and henceforth it was deployed independently to await Geranium’s arrival on station.
Left: HMAS Geranium was a Flower Class Sloop that went by the motto: Pelargonium Nil Desperandum – Geraniums Never Despair. Right: Men of HMAS Geranium taking a break.
Operating from Townsville, the remainder of the working year was spent conducting embarkation trials and surveying operations with the aircraft. In all, 19 reefs were photographed to accompany the more traditional survey reports, and Commander Bennett commented on how Geranium’s ability to safely navigate within the uncharted reefs was enhanced by having keen eyes above the ship. It would appear the ship’s doctor had little to do with regards to personnel medical emergencies and therefore spent his time studying the reef, collecting specimens and documenting his observations. This led to another paper on the coral growth formations of the Outer Barrier Reef. It also facilitated membership of the Great Barrier Reef Investigation Committee, set up by the Queensland branch of the Royal Geographical Society and partially funded by his alma mater, Sydney University.
A brush with a coral reef north of Palm Island on the way home resulted in no major damage and Geranium arrived safely in Sydney on 13 December. Paradice was to remain onboard until April 1925 but his seagoing career had come to an end.
Family
In January 1925, Jack married Kate (Kitty) Carlyle Houston of Double Bay, at St Marks Anglican Church at Darling Point. ‘A Woman’s Letter’, a column in the Bulletin Magazine, wrote it up as the “society wedding of the week, attended by over 100 guests, nearly all belonging to the King’s Navy”. Kate’s Scottish-born family, consisting of her mother and two sisters, had emigrated from London in 1921. They were living at Gladswood House, a now heritage listed baronial style mansion at Double Bay, owned by Spencer Brunton, a well-to-do member of Sydney society who had made his fortune in flour mills and racehorses. The connection was via Kate’s uncle, James Brown Milne, a lifelong bachelor and successful businessman who had been financially supporting the family in England after Kate’s father had died, and who had assisted their relocation to Australia.
The newlyweds moved into a unit in The Crescent at Vaucluse where Jack would commute by ferry to work at Garden Island for his remaining time in Geranium and during his third posting to Penguin, which commenced in April.
The next 12 months appear to have been relatively quiet while he attended to his duties at Garden Island, although it appears likely that he was working on a multitude of scientific papers and had become involved in a number of committees, including the Microscopical Society of NSW and the Marine Section of the Royal Zoological Society. There are various references to his collecting and heartfelt thanks for his donations listed in the Australian Museum annual reports and quarterly journals across the period, significantly for his efforts in procuring specimens from his colleagues onboard HMS Herald and HMA Ships Geranium and Moresby. At times he could be found taking budding university science students out in his small boat to go exploring and collecting around the harbour.
Left: WEJ Paradice surveying at Gunnamatta 1926. (Australian Museum) Right: After the untimely death of WEJ Paradice, an aquatic invertebrate bryozoan was named after him (Phylactella Paradicie).
On 2 July 1926, Kate gave birth to their first child, William John Houston Paradice. This was quickly followed by Jack’s promotion to Surgeon Lieutenant Commander in August. Somehow, he also found the time to undertake a hydrographic survey of the Gunnamatta mudflats at Port Hacking with Anthony Musgrave, a renowned entomologist and one of the more prolific early photographers on the Australian Museum staff.
WEJ Paradice's son would also serve in the RAN. Left: Sub Lieutenant William 'John' Houston Paradice, RAN, circa 1945. (Paradice collection) Right: William 'John' Houston Paradice with his father’s sword and telescope, circa 2020. (Paradice collection)
In February 1927, Paradice’s formal duties were expanded to include Sydney Naval Establishments and the Naval Wing of the Prince of Wales Hospital at Randwick. He also began a new personal project, a study into the Life of the Commoner Fishes of Port Jackson. Perhaps some of Musgrave’s enthusiasm for photography had rubbed off on him, as it was noted in the Australian Museum’s Annual Report that he had presented them with a number of micro slides and x-ray photographs of fish and had “otherwise contributed materially to the collection”. He was rewarded with being anointed as an Honorary Correspondent to the Australian Museum.
A date with destiny
Jack Paradice’s promising future was extinguished on that fateful day in November 1927. In a matter of a few minutes Surgeon Lieutenant Commander Paradice was transformed from being a popular, well-known base surgeon to a name on the list of missing passengers. His body was found two days after the disaster following a difficult recovery operation by divers. The Coroner noted that he had only a few small abrasions on his head and that he showed “signs of drowning”. Such was the case with many of the victims who were trapped within the cabin when the Greycliffe sank, there simply was no escape from the crowded interior spaces.
Left: RMS Tahiti. (Australian National Maritime Museum) Right: Ferry Greycliffe raised after collision. (City of Sydney Archives)
In the days following the accident, Vaucluse was in mourning with many residents directly impacted by the disaster. South Head Cemetery alone held 12 funerals on Saturday 5 November.
Surgeon Lieutenant Commander Paradice was buried with full naval honours, accompanied by the band from the then Flagship HMAS Melbourne (I). The Governor of NSW sent his Aide-de-camp, the firing party was under the command of Lieutenant Dowling, RAN, and a large number of officers and seaman from the Sydney naval bases and vessels in port were in attendance, as well as family and many associates. His former Commanding Officer and Geranium wardroom mess-mates were also there as, in a cruel twist of fate, the ship sailed into Sydney Harbour on the very day of the collision and had actually launched her motor boat to assist with the rescue efforts. One can only imagine how it must have felt when they realised their former shipmate was one of those presumed lost. As is tradition, Jack’s funeral service concluded with the firing of three blank volleys over the grave and the sounding of the Last Post.
Aftermath and legacy
After Jack’s death, Kate’s uncle James stepped up once again to ensure the family was supported, a legacy that continued for the remainder of his life and beyond. Kate gave birth to a daughter Jacqueline in June and the family later moved to Bellevue Hill the early 1930s.
Jack’s premature death was felt across a broad spectrum of people beyond his family, with glowing tributes forthcoming from the Australian Museum, the Zoological Society and other organisations. He had provided them with extensive Ichthyological and Echinodermata collections which they would be able to work on for years ahead. He left detailed written reports, including his papers on the Pellew Group, the Great Barrier Reef, Northern Territory Fishes, photographs of fish, details of a new genus of sea snake and a number of more general natural history observations. He has an aquatic invertebrate bryozoan named after him (Phylactella Paradicie) and a bay in the Pellew Island Group.
All this aside, his real legacy lies in the example he set through his enthusiasm for adventure, his unending thirst for knowledge, his quest for exploration and his belief in the importance of the work undertaken by the Navy’s survey branch. Without doubt he had the intelligence, drive and potential to become a modern-day Daniel Solander, Robert Brown, or more. The Navy and the Australian scientific community alike were the poorer for his untimely passing.
Notes
a. Jack’s best man was Lieutenant Tom Taylor, RN, who, as the Commanding Officer of HMS Broadway and in company with HMS Bulldog, captured U-110 and with it the first Enigma machine. For this action he was awarded the DSO. Taylor served in the RN over the period covering both World Wars. A week after Jack’s wedding, Tom proposed (successfully) to Kate’s sister Mona. After WWII they settled in Armidale.
b. Two other RAN personnel were known to have died in the Greycliffe disaster: CPO William Edwin Renton, Chief Shipwright, HMAS Penguin; and PO Henry Thomas Thompson. A number of Garden Island Dockyard workers were also killed including two employed in HMAS Kurumba.
c. Jack’s son John followed his father into both medicine and the Navy, serving as a junior officer in the corvette HMAS Warrnambool and then as Executive Officer of HDML 1329 during the latter stages of WWII.
d. HMAS Geranium decommissioned one week after Jack’s death and was scuttled off Sydney Heads in 1934.
Acknowledgments
A special note of thanks to the Paradice family, specifically John, Bobbie, Wej and Amanda for kindly providing their time and access to personal family information during the compilation of this article.
WEJ Paradice headstone, South Head Cemetery, Vaucluse NSW. (Naval Graves Project)
