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The information below is an edited version of
material to be found on the
Lady Denman Association website and which
refers to "A Collection of Shoalhaven History" by
A. Clark (1994).
The Walter Hood Monument Walking Trail to
Monument Beach, in the Cudmirrah Nature Reserve,
lies within the Conjola State Forest. Access to
the memorial cairn (pictured above right and
below) is via Bangalay Road, Bendalong.
The 937 tonne Aberdeen White Star wooden
clipper, 'Walter Hood', named after her builder,
was (in 1853) the largest ship ever built in
Scotland. The ship had an over-all length of 41
metres, beam 9.2 metres, and depth 6.4 metres,
and provided accommodation for some passengers as
well as the crew. She became a regular and much
respected trader between London and Port Jackson
for 17 years.
On January 20 1870 she left London skippered by
Captain Andrew Latto and with a crew of 32 and
three passengers, Joshua Haynes, John Smith and
James Smith. Along with a full cargo which
included lead, machinery, railway lines, wire,
salt, tiles for St Mary’s Cathedral in
Sydney and many barrels, hogs heads and bottles
of beer and wine to the total value of 27,440
pounds sterling.
On the evening of April 26 1870 the Walter Hood
ran into a fierce gale, the ship began to labour
heavily and was in great trouble. The rigging and
most of the sails had been torn from the ship by
the wind and, with no means to control the
vessel, she was blown out to sea. The next
morning land was sighted, but the storm still
raged and the 'Walter Hood' crashed into rocks
about two hundred yards from the shore on the
southern side of Wreck Bay.
Captain Latto was injured and later perished as
the ship began to break up. Seaman James Davis
was washed over board and died. On the following
day boatswain James Sinclair, passenger Joshua
Haynes and seaman Joseph Ashton, being able to
see the shore through the storm, attempted to
swim for the beach but all were drowned in the
swell. Later that night Edward Harvey, the ships
cook, died of exhaustion.
The next day, during an attempts to swim for
shore, Charles Bransonwas drowned but Robert
Williams made it to the beach. Fifteen year old
Charles Pritchard, First Officer William Hewison,
Second Officer Cullen, seaman McPherson and
apprentice Henry Gale also made it to
shore.
On the fourth day the survivors still left on
board were suffering from exposure, hunger and
thirst. They killed the ships dog and drank its
blood in an attempt to survive until they were
rescued. That same day James and John Smith along
with seaman Croy made it to shore.
On the fifth day of the ordeal the steamer
Illalong rescued the remaining survivors on the
'Walter Hood'. Six of those lost on board were
buried on the shore. In 1927 their remains were
moved to higher ground. A cairn with an inscribed
marble tablet (below) marks the graves
today. The wreckage now consists of some
recognisable machinery, railway lines, coils of
wire, barrels and pieces of tiles and bottles,
all lying in approximately six metres of water.
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