Twitter is like a box o’
choc’lates; you never know what you’re gonna find. This came across my feed
yesterday, and even though it’s on the Internet and therefore de facto true, I did a bit
of digging.
Also on the Internet, but
still…
So, it turns out that, yes
indeed, there was a ship’s cat named Red Lead serving on HMAS Perth at the start of WWII. This was not an unusual
circumstance, as—aside from providing purrs and other morale emoluments—cats
were often a very practical addition to a ship’s complement, because they kept
the vermin down.
But evidently after his first
foray into a battle on the light cruiser, off Java in February 1942, Red Lead
rethought the seafaring life and tried several times to abandon ship when Perth pulled into port for resupply. He
was put back aboard, as it was considered bad luck to lose your ship’s cat, but
he definitely wasn’t happy about it.
The ship’s log noted, “Red
Lead, ship’s kitten, endeavoured to desert, but was brought back on board,
despite vigorous protests.”
Sadly, both the crew and Red
Lead were right, because shortly after Perth
put back out to sea in the company of USS
Houston, the Allied ships engaged with the Japanese fleet off the coast of
Java, and Perth was sunk. More than half the ship’s company went down with her,
including poor little Red Lead.
Well, I don’t know if there are ship’s
cats any more, in anyone’s navy. But I do like that the Aussies have added
tributes to Red Lead on every ship that has borne the name HMAS Perth. Viz.:
So thanks for an interesting
bonbon, Twitter. I’ll just have a poke around and see if you got any
Bordeaux in that box.
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