Protector I HMAS - Gunboat formerly South Australian Ship
Service 3
Colonial - Naval Forces of South Australia
Service Period
1884-
Service 4
RAN - Royal Australian Navy
Service Period
1911-1919
Cemetery Details
Cemetery Name
Cheltenham Cemetery, High St & Port Rd, Cheltenham SA 5014
Cemetery Address
Cheltenham, SA
Section
N
Row
Drive C Path 33
Grave Number
407N
Grave Type
Burial - Grave
Notes
RAN Documents DOB 1858-10-25 Note there are other differences in Edwin's source material.
The RAN would not have come into being as it did without the vision, experience, skill, and drive of William Creswell. However, Creswell’s leadership would not have been as successful without many other Royal Navy sailors and officers who brought their experience, skill and commitment to the fledgling colonial navies and then the RAN.
One such “unsung” hero was Edwin Argent.
Edwin Argent was born in Falmouth, Cornwall on 18 May 1856. He joined the RN as a Boy 2nd Class on 18 November 1872. Following early postings in HM ships Archilles and Royal Adelaide, he undertook further specialized training in gunnery and torpedo, at which he excelled. Evidence of his meteoric rise through the ranks can be seen in his promotion to Chief Petty Officer within 12 years of enlistment Not bad from Boy 2nd Class! Argent was wounded in action during the Soudan campaign in HMS Woodlark. Invalided on return to England, he immediately joined the newly commissioned HMCS Protector as Quartermaster and sailed for Adelaide. He was commissioned as Gunner in 1887 and promoted to Chief Gunner in 1894. He was assistant transport officer for South Australian naval forces at the commencement of the Boer War before returning to England for advanced gunnery training. Returning to Australia, he was appointed Chief Gunner in Protector and sailed for China with Creswell during the Boxer rebellion. On 1 July 1911, he enlisted in the RAN as Chief Gunner and was appointed to the training staff in Sydney. In 1914, he was promoted to Lieutenant and was appointed as sub-district Naval Officer in South Australia. He also fulfilled the same role during WW1 on Thursday Island. He retired in April 1920 and was promoted to Lieutenant-Commander in the retired list in January 1922. In September 1923, he was admitted to Parkside Mental Hospital suffering from dementia. His condition deteriorated and he died 6 weeks later. Argent is buried in Cheltenham Cemetery with his wife. His grave is marked and records that he had served in the RAN.
One of Argent’s lasting gifts to Australian naval history was the leather bound journal he kept during Protector’s deployment to the Boxer Rebellion. Donated to the South Australian Archives, the journal has been digitalized and can be easily accessed. It includes hand written instructions on the duties of sailors and policy instructions in early part of book, lists of gunners stores received follows, then at the back of the book are eight pages of rough journal relating to the voyage to China of PROTECTOR to serve with the Admiralty during the Boxer Rebellion. The Archive Reference is HT 2010.0700.
