Enlisted HMS Mildura 07MAY1904 as Ordinary Seaman
Henry Wright was the fourth burial in the Catholic Naval Section and one of the more interesting to research. Henry did not join the RN in the UK, he joined in Australia under the terms of the 1903 Naval Agreement between the Australia and the UK, making him a member of the Australian Naval Force (ANF). The period 1901 to 1911 is a complex one in Australian Naval History the old Colonial Navies had been drawn together as the Commonwealth Naval Forces (CNF) but their ships for the main part were obsolete and unsuitable to take on the training of seaman for a modern navy. During this period several suggestions for suitable modern ships were put forward but the final form that an Australian Navy, if indeed a ocean going Australian Navy at all, would take had not be decided upon. In order that Australian men could be trained without going to the UK, it was arranged that men could join the RN here and be trained in Australian waters ready for transfer to Australian vessels should/when they were built. These men were enlisted in the RN under the Terms of 1903 Naval Agreement and are known today as the Australian Naval Force. They were not members of the CNF and had to transfer to the Royal Australian Navy upon formation of its Fleet as the Australian Fleet was built and the ships commissioned.
Henry Wright was born 28 Feb 1876 at Liverpool, England. He joined the ANF on 9 May 1904 on the HMS Mildura. He was enlisted as a ordinary seaman which suggests he had merchant navy service and only needed to learn the ropes on a warship, not start from scratch with seamanship. His record states he had no previous experience in Her Majesty’s Forces or any Colonial Force. It also states” Length of residence in Australia immediately preceding this date: as 12 years. Henry is described as 5ft 4,” light” coloured hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion. Record for the ANF are not extensive and the next we know of Henry is his death on the 26 Sep 1908. No death notices or newspaper reports have been found.
Sources
ANF Engagement AWM266 1/1/30
Australian Naval Forces
