Still here at HMAS Cerberus Establishment base Melbourne Australia.
February 23 Achilles 'home' Central Wharf Auckland.
March 13 HMAS Cerberus last day!
March 14-17 April TB Paton Acting Leading Stoker Achilles. Achilles has major refit while crew take leave.
March 27 Prime Minister Savage's funeral and burial at Bastion Point on the 31st. Some crew practise funeral routine and head the services escort at Bastion Point.
April 18 TB Paton Leading Stoker Leander
April 21 TB Paton Leading Stoker Leander
May 2 Naval Board placed Leander at C-in-C East Indies' disposal. Commodore Horan relinquished his rank to go away as Leander's Captain. Achilles sent her sister ship Leander wishes that she should have 'as good luck as we had' to which she replied...
'We will do our best'.
May 2 In company with the Australian cruisers, Leander escorted the 2nd Echelon troopship convoy to Middle East then joined Fourth Cruiser Squadron, Eastern Fleet.
Our convoy, what a stirring and spectacular sight! HMAS Sydney, HMAS Canberra and HMNZ Leander. Aquitania, Empress of Britain, Empress of Japan and Andes troop carriers of the 2nd Echelon. The convoy was joined off Sydney by the Queen Mary and Mauritania and in the Bass Strait by the Empress of Canada from Melbourne. Also, the Dominion Monarch and the Awatea. The Aquitania was the 'grannie' of the fleet so the convoy had to come down to her speed of 17 knots...
May 10 arrived Freemantle Australia
Indian Ocean, one ship ahead of us, one on each side of us, one well astern. We were following a zig-zag course, 25 degrees to starboard then back to port, a practise to confuse submarine packs lurking in the vicinity. Halfway between th Cocos Islands and the Chargos Arch. the Queen Mary after a sudden turn to starboard increased speed to 30 knots, left the convoy and headed off on her own. She was much safter alone as she could outrun any submarine pack.
May 16 halfway between Freemantle to Colombo. Convoy received orders to steer towards the Cape of Good Hope. Leander was detached and proceeded independently to Colombo, Aden then Alexandria.
May 26 arrived Alexandria to patrol the Red Sea and escort to convoy ships.
June 11 Leander senior ship of the Red Sea Force.
June 27 Leander holed Italian sub the Evangelista Torricelli.
September 6-27 Leander bombed by Italian aircraft while on convoy duty. A narrow miss!!!
October 19,21 Leander engaged Italian ships attacking convoys near Harmil Island.
November 29 Leanders walrus attacked canning factory and direction finding station on Banda Alula.
