The Honor Roll
On 27 March 1916 the club unveiled its World War I Honor Roll: 149 names of sailors from the Sydney Flying Squadron and Sydney Sailing Club. A six-name extension tablet in Illawarra cedar was added later. One hundred and ten years on, the Roll still hangs in the clubhouse at 76 McDougall Street, Kirribilli.
155
names on the Roll: 149 on the original board and 6 on the extension tablet
109
lives researched and published in the club's book, Setting Sail for the Great War
40
stories still open. If one of these men is your family, you may hold the missing piece
27 · 49 · 9
died on active service · wounded · died of wounds or war-related illness
Setting Sail for the Great War
Launched by the Governor-General on Easter Sunday 2016, one hundred years to the day after the Roll was unveiled, the club's book records the lives and service of 109 of the 149 men: some decorated, some scallywags who found serious disciplinary trouble, and every shade between. Researched and written by three club volunteers, it sold out on launch day and has been reprinted. Copies are available from the club.
"Thank you, I would never have known about this part of my father's life if not for you. And the book is so great, I love reading about all these other men, who I have never heard of but sound so wonderfully Australian."
Marie Thompson, daughter of a sailor on the honor roll, on setting sail for the great war
"The book is an excellent reference and so well organised. I have been involved with the production of several books and Setting Sail for the Great War covers all aspects of a great book."
Gwen Grimmond, great niece of ER Brown, on setting sail for the great war
Searching for a name?
The individual entry pages for the 155 men, searchable by surname with tolerance for the spelling variations of 1916, are being prepared from the club's verified research register: names on a war memorial deserve exactness, so they are published from the checked register rather than from a scan. Until then, the club's historian answers name enquiries directly, usually within two weeks.
Can you help us finish the record?
Forty of the 149 lives are still unresearched. If you hold photographs, letters, service papers or family stories touching any man on the Roll, the club would be honoured to record them, with your permission and on your terms. The club never publishes details of living descendants.