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Hector Macdonald Laws (Hec) Waller, DSO and Bar (4 April 1900 – 1 March 1942) was a senior officer in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). In a career spanning almost thirty years, he served in both world wars. At the helm of HMAS ''Stuart'' in the Mediterranean from 1939 to 1941, he won recognition as a skilful ship's captain and flotilla commander. He then transferred to the South West Pacific as captain of the light cruiser HMAS ''Perth'', and went down with his ship against heavy odds during the Battle of Sunda Strait in early 1942. Born in Benalla, Victoria, Waller entered the Royal Australian Naval College at the age of thirteen. After graduating, he served with the Royal Navy (RN) in the closing stages of World War I. Between the wars, he specialised in communications and was posted as signals officer to various British and Australian warships. He gained his first seagoing command in 1937, as captain of HMS ''Brazen''. In September 1939, he took charge of HMAS ''Stuart'' and four other obsolete destroyers that together became known as the "Scrap Iron Flotilla". In 1940, these were augmented by other ships to form the 10th Destroyer Flotilla, supporting Allied troops in North Africa. Waller was awarded the Distinguished Service Order and Bar, and twice mentioned in despatches, for his achievements in the Mediterranean. He assumed command of HMAS ''Perth'' in October 1941, taking part in the Battle of the Java Sea shortly before his final action in Sunda Strait. He received a third mention in despatches posthumously, and in 2011 came under formal consideration for the award of the Victoria Cross (VC) for his performance as ''Perths captain. The submarine HMAS ''Waller'' is named in his honour. ==Early life and World War I== Born on 4 April 1900 in Benalla, Victoria, Hector MacDonald Laws Waller was the son of William Frederick Waller, a grocer, and his wife Helen Waller (née Duncan).〔Lewis (2004), "The Navy's Finest Fighting Leader", p. 1.〕 Hec Waller was named in honour of General Hector MacDonald, hero of the Boer War, and a forebear called Laws who was an admiral and a contemporary of Nelson.〔McKie (1953), ''Proud Echo'', p. 25.〕 The youngest of ten children, of whom eight survived infancy, he attended Benalla Higher Elementary School.〔〔 Waller entered the Royal Australian Naval College (RANC) as a cadet midshipman on 31 December 1913, aged thirteen.〔 He gained recognition as a rugby player and became cadet captain.〔Eldridge (1949), ''A History of the Royal Australian Naval College'', p. 438.〕 In 1917, his final year at the college, he was raised to chief cadet captain and won the King's Medal, awarded for "gentlemanly bearing, character, good influence among his fellows and officer-like qualities".〔〔Eldridge (1949), ''A History of the Royal Australian Naval College'', pp. 79–80.〕 Promoted to midshipman on 1 January 1918, he was posted to Britain where, in April, he was appointed to serve in the Royal Navy's (RN) Grand Fleet with the dreadnought HMS ''Agincourt''.〔〔Dennis et al. (2008), ''The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History'', p. 563.〕 The ship did not see combat while he was on board.〔Lewis (2004), "The Navy's Finest Fighting Leader", pp. 2–3.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Hector Waller」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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