A BEAR FOR THE NAVY

The story of the Royal Australian Navy in the Great War 1914-1918 is shared in one of the most detailed and researched historic collector bears to be created by the Australia in the Great War centenary initiative.

Able (Bodied) Seaman Andy Miller, a 40cm teddy bear in the uniform of the R.A.N. during the war, is the result of painstaking research, in cooperation with Navy’s Sea Power Centre in Canberra.

The Navy bear is one of a series of Great War bears designed to help Australians of all ages find a connection to the Great War as part of the current 100 Years of Anzac centenary.

On the eve of the Great War the permanent strength of Australia’s new navy stood at 3800 personnel and 16 commissioned ships. By 1918 the force had grown to 37 ships and more than 5000 men. While far less than the numbers who served in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF), those in the R.A.N. had a proud sense of national and naval identity.

We enlisted the help of Sea Power’s Senior Naval Historical Officer, John Perryman, to ensure the historic details in the bear were correct and that the final design represented the history of the time. While there were a number of uniforms which could have been adopted, the final Number 1 Dress Blue Serge Uniform with blue seaman’s jumper and blue Class II cap was elected because it represented that worn by crew of H.M.A.S. Australia (I) which in February 1915 became flagship of the 2nd Battle Cruiser Squadron and served her war in the Northern Hemisphere.

Mr Perryman, who is author of Kit Muster, a definitive record of the R.A.N. uniform, said Navy’s uniform traces its origins to the Royal Navy of the late 1800s, and although minor refinements and name changes have been made over the years, the basics have carried forward through more than 100 years of service to Australia.

One of the key differences between the Great War uniform used on the bear and more recent uniforms was the inclusion of the blue cap. In the Great War this cap was reserved for men serving in the Northern Hemisphere only.

Details on AB Andy Miller’s uniform represent the white lanyard, which was used at the time to secure the sailors’ seaman’s knife; and the silk scarf which unfolded to a large multi purpose cloth. He wears a single chevron on the left sleeve to recognise three years long service and good conduct. On the right sleeve his ‘cuff rate’ indicates that he qualified as a Marksman 2nd Class.

Mr Perryman, who maintains a passion for sharing naval history, said of this project; “It has been one of the more unusual undertakings but I was very happy to have been involved.”

As part of the Great War limited edition collector bear series, profits from AB Miller will be used to support younger veterans who have been wounded, physically and mentally, by service in today’s wars.