Souvenir felt naval pennant - HMAT Duntroon

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1945

Overview

World War Two era triangular souvenir naval pennant in horizontal orientation made from a dark blue felt base with printed gold and orange detailing.
The graphics and text on the pennant are screen-printed using oil-based paint or thick lacquer ink.
The wide end of the pennant would have had two fabric ties attached to the edge for hanging, but these are missing.
On the left of the pennant is a depiction of an island with three palm trees surrounded by water. To the right of this is a detailed roster of regions and campaigns where the ship transported troops and supplies (India, Africa, New Guinea, New Britain, Dutch E.I. (East Indies), Pacific Isles, The Solomons & Singapore).
Below this text is a gold silhouette map of mainland Australia.
The name of the ship 'H.M.A.T. DUNTROON' (His Majesty's Australian Transport) is printed in gold letters parallel with the top edge of the pennant, while the year '1945' is printed at the far right in the tip.
Underneath this, the central motif features a profile silhouette of the H.M.A.T. Duntroon traveling from left to right through water.
The colouring on the pennant grades from an ochre orange at the bottom through to gold at the top.
The reverse is plain and there is no maker's tag.

Historical information

M.V. Duntroon was built as a luxury passenger motor vessel for the Melbourne Steamship Company in 1935. She ran coastal passenger services around Australia, making her maiden voyage from Sydney to Fremantle in October 1935.
In February 1942, the vessel was formally requisitioned by the Australian Army for conversion into a dedicated troop transport. Her first major deployment involved sailing to the Middle East to repatriate battle-hardened troops of the Second Australian Imperial Force (AIF) back home to defend against threats in the Pacific. She then commenced regular, high-frequency troop shuttles across the South West Pacific, specifically running routes to Darwin and Papua New Guinea.
She was involved in two fatal sea collisions - the first in 1940 when she sank the minesweeper HMAS Goorangai, and the second in 1943 when she sank the USS Perkins. In both cases, the Duntroon was deemed not to be at fault.
Following the Japanese surrender in late 1945, Duntroon was one of the primary vessels dispatched to Southeast Asia to bring home Australian prisoners of war (POWs) released from captivity at Changi Prison in Singapore.
In July 1946, the ship’s Army service concluded, and she was chartered by the Royal Australian Navy. She carried the very first contingent of Australian occupation troops to Japan, serving as a vital transport link for the British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) until 1949.

Felt naval pennants were highly popular wartime souvenirs throughout the British Commonwealth—most notably across New Zealand and Australia - during and post WWII.
They were frequently purchased by service members, merchant mariners, or civilians as patriotic keepsakes, homefront memorabilia, or gifts for family members to commemorate maritime service.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-119-RoW01117

Item type

Collectibles

Ephemera

Pennants

Souvenirs

Themes

Defence > Navy

Social History

Transport