Miscellaneous

Lot 3868    SESSION 19 (4.30PM FRIDAY 1ST APRIL)    Miscellaneous

Estimate $100
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $60

RMS MOOLTAN, ship memorabilia, a souvenir EPNS spoon with flag shield attached etc inscribed S.S. Mooltan (11.82 g) (illustrated); together with a small loving cup EPNS inscribed flag shield inscribed RMS Mooltan with three handles (45.08 g) (illustrated). Toned, very fine and very rare. (2)

The ship named SS Moolton, was built by Caird & Company of Greenock, Yard No 306 and launched on 3rd August 1905, Mooltan was powered by two steam quadruple expansion steam engines, giving her a service speed of 17 knots. She had accommodation for 348 1st and 166 2nd class passengers with a tonnage of 9621 grt, length 520 feet and breadth of 58 feet. Completed on 4th October 1905, she made her maiden voyage to Bombay. In 1906 she transferred to the London - Colombo - Melbourne - Sydney service and in 1911 took part in the Coronation Naval review at Spithead. SS Mooltan, like many steamships carrying the Royal Mail, and were contracted to carry the mail between Australia and Britain. On occasion, parts of the ship were booked by the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) to carry troops and cargo. The 3rd Australian General Hospital, AIF, was set up in response to a request from the British War Office by Thomas Henry Fiaschi, (a well-known Italian surgeon). On 15 May 1915, RMS Mooltan departed from Circular Quay, Sydney, on board were the 273 nurses of the 3rd AGH all from the Australian Nursing Service, that was formed only one month after its formation had been requested.

The RMS Mooltan arrived at Plymouth on 27 June 1915 and the nursing unit travelled to London. There, preparations were made for their service in France at Etaples. However, on 1 July, 3rd AGH received orders to proceed to Mudros on the island of Lemnos in the Aegean Sea near Gallipoli.

3 A.G.H. first started admitting patients, where the majority were wounded men from the August offensive, and it was these patients the hospital had been set up for, with operating theatres and surgeons on the staff. In later months, nearly all the patients were ill with either dysentery or para typhoid. Some of the staff of the hospital also fell ill, though the nurses suffered less, probably by practising better hygiene. In late November and December, the casualties changed again as troops were caught in freezing weather on the Peninsula without adequate clothing, and many were admitted to the hospitals on Lemnos suffering from severe frostbite. The last Australians were evacuated from Gallipoli on the night of 19/20 December, and many spent Christmas on Lemnos while waiting for further orders. The whole evacuation of allied troops took three weeks. In spite of earlier predictions that up to half the remaining forces could be killed, the evacuations were so well planned that there were minimal casualties, which was a relief to the hospital staff who had been prepared for casualties. With the end of the Gallipoli campaign, the hospitals on Lemnos were disbanded.

On 25th July 1917, RMS Mooltan left Malta en route for Marseilles with the Messageries Maritimes steamer Lotus and two escorting Japanese destroyers, Kusonoki and Ume.

The following evening she was torpedoed, forward on the starboard side at 1915 hrs by the German submarine UC27, (in fact been UC27s first target). All but two of the 554 aboard had been taken off by 2015hrs, when RMS Mooltan was abandoned, about 100 miles south of Sardinia, to be sunk two hours later by a second torpedo.

The importance of these two souvenir pieces are the links with the transportation of Australian nurses to the war theatre and its use at Gallipoli and its loss in the Mediterranean Sea while on service.