Sheryl Lowe, Naracoorte Community News
Eighty years ago, a tragedy occurred on the shores of Beachport. It took the lives of two young sailors, Able Seaman Thomas William Todd aged 30 years and Able Seaman William Leonard Edward Danswan aged 23 years.
This week, the Millicent and Robe Sub-Branches of the RSL hosted the 80th Anniversary Service of the Sea Mine Explosion at the Beachport Mine Memorial.
The two Australian seaman who lost their lives 80 years ago were members of a Rendering Mines Safe party from the Port Adelaide Navy Depot. They were called back from leave to assist in the defusing of a German mine found floating in Rivoli Bay.
They are believed to be the first Australian servicemen to die on Australian soil as a result of enemy action, in the Second World War.
The naval party, consisting of AB Todd, AB Danswan and LCDR Greening, were dispatched to Beachport to deal with the German sea mine that had been sighted floating off the shore, by local fishermen.
The mine was one of several that had broken free from its mooring and drifted towards land. Others were reported to be washed ashore at Kingston, Robe, Port McDonnell, Kangaroo Island and the Eyre Peninsula.
The mines had been laid around the coast of Southern Australia by a German commerce raider, the Pinguin, in November 1940, to disrupt shipping in the area.
On Sunday, 13th July, the mine was located and towed into the bay in the early afternoon. It was pulled ashore, between the jetty and the Lake George outlet, with the intention of defusing it. After examining the mine, the naval party decided instead to demolish it with an explosive charge.
On Monday morning, July 14th, it was towed across the bay and taken ashore a further distance away from the town. A demolition charge was attached, connected by a long cable stretching up to where the railway used to run.
Upon ignition, the demolition charge failed to explode. The three men returned to the beach to investigate and the demolition charge was removed from the mine. The two sailors were only a few feet away when the mine exploded unexpectedly. The officer escaped the full force of the explosion. He was still on the sand.
Thomas Todd was killed instantly. William Danswan died of his wounds soon after. It was later reported by a Naval Board of Inquiry that the likely cause of the explosion was the movement of the mine by a wave, rolling it on to one of its detonating horns.
Thomas Todd was taken to Adelaide for burial. William Danswan was buried in Beachport cemetery, but his remains were later exhumed and reburied in his hometown of Junee NSW.
Members of Able Seaman Todd’s family, sisters Debra and Michelle, attended the Beachport Mine Memorial service. They told the 80 strong crowd they were proud of their grandfather Thomas Todd, but his death at such a young age, had been a huge cost to their family.
“We never met our grandfather, our grandmother suffered poor health for the remainder of her life and our father lost the opportunity to know his father.”
Commander Alastair Cooper ADC, RAN, the Commanding Officer of Navy Headquarters in South Australia and members of the Royal Australian Navy Band attended the service.
“The Navy still carries out Mine Sweeping Operations around Australia, searching for mines still unaccounted for from World War ll,” Commander Cooper said.
“The fact that a wave caused this one to detonate is understandable. The continuous movement of the sea may have dislodged components and caused the detonation.”
The service was conducted by Millicent RSL President Chris Matthias and Chaplain Paul Hales.
The poem Sea Fever by John Mansfield was shared, the Navy Hymn sung and The Last Post was played by Leading Seaman Sean Hickey.
This article appeared in Naracoorte Community News, 21 July 2021.
