The North Head Spy

The Manly Daily reported on 4 August 1978 the discovery by Australian Army gunners on exercises at North Head of human remains in a cave. The cave is under an overhanging ledge on the ocean side of the headland, and is not visible from the cliff-top. Inside it, the soldiers discovered two-way radio equipment, a typewriter, a shotgun, a 50-foot length of copper wire which could have been a radio aerial, and the remains of a watch. They also found a Japanese yen. The human bones found did not include a skull. One theory was that they belonged to a World War Two spy, who may have blown his head off with the shotgun; or the skull could have been removed by scavenging wildlife.

Dick Reynolds of Balgowlah told the Daily that he had been stationed at the North Head Fort during the war, and that a mystery prowler was spotted one night. The guards gave chase, but the spy eluded his pursuers in the dark. On another occasion, Dick saw a lamp flashing from the American liner Mariposa, as it steamed out of the Heads, in breach of the tight blackout conditions: it could have been signalling to someone on the cliffs. If there was indeed a Japanese spy on North Head during the war, might he have been involved in the attack on Sydney Harbour by midget submarines on the night of 31 May 1942?

Traffic, what traffic?

Recently, we were allowed to make a copy of this nice photo from 1918, which will appeal to tram enthusiasts. It shows ‘A busy day at Manly Pier’. In the photo are several Manly Tramways employees – from left to right, J Welfare, G May, J Gibbons, C Knowles, R Dobson, and J Dewhurst. On the left of the photo, an O class tram, no 885, sits in the Eustace Street depot. The tall white block of flats are the Savings Bank Flats, erected in 1915, with the Government Savings Bank on the ground floor. Adjacent to them is Rushbrook Flats – it’s not clear what the business on the ground floor of these flats is. Adjacent to Rushbrook is Mansion Flats, built probably late 1917 or early 1918, with Mrs G A Colquhoun’s Esplanade Café on the ground floor. A good place to have a café, ready to catch visitors off the ferry, or people waiting for a tram to arrive. The small building to the left of the photo is probably the NSW Tramway Office. To the right of the Savings Bank Flats is the small premises of P Carew, Estate Agent. To its right is the Pier Hotel. The ABC Bank beyond, at the foot of the Corso.
The Savings Bank Flats survived into the 1980s, but were demolished not long after the Hotel Manly came down. The Grande Esplanade apartments are now on the site. It would be good to know their architect was, as they are some of the earliest apartments built in Manly.

A Secret Passage

The following article has puzzled me for some time. Writing in the Sunday Times, 25 June 1916, ‘Dorothy’ stated: “About 1860 there was an old renegade who lived in a ramshackle hut on the corner of Belgrave and Raglan Street, Manly, NSW, the site now being occupied by a small grocery business. In destroying his hut after his death, it was found to cover a cellar which was the start of a subterranean passage. This passage ended, it was found, in a dark fissure in the cliff some 200 yards from the start, and half-way along was a widening out of the tunnel, which formed a room, evidently used for storing etc. The fissure can still be seen by the observant in the lane opposite the oval entrance. Undoubtedly he was a smuggler, but what he smuggled is still in the dark. The proprietor of the shop would be interested to know that his cellar forms the original cellar, as I have been in it, and have seen traces of rough stonework put unskillfully together.” Presumably the lane opposite the oval entrance is Kangaroo Lane. In 1915 E H Millett’s grocer’s business was in Raglan Street adjacent to the Central Hall and Manly Methodist Church, roughly 200 yards from Kangaroo Lane. (It can be seen in a State Library photo, PXA 635/548-559.) This would have meant that the passage ran under the Belgrave Street/Raglan Street intersection, which seems pretty unlikely. Does anyone have any additional information about this secret passage?

1908 photo

This image dates from circa 1908, and shows Manly Ocean beach from the high ground above Marine Parade. On a second glance, it's possible to make out at the foot of the picture the boys diving from a makeshift plank diving-board extending out from one of the trees. This has always been a rocky corner, and they must only just have cleared the rocks with their dives. No public liability worries then.

Click on photo for more detail.

Cyclopedia

Manly Library subscribes to the Ancestry.com database, which can be viewed on terminals in the library. Among the items in the database are frequently consulted resources such as the NSW Electoral Roll for 1930; Sands’ Directories of Sydney; and Who’s Who in Australia from the 1920s and 30s. Recently, the database has added the Cyclopedia of Australasia (1907), which can be searched by keyword. A search under ‘Manly’ brings up potted biographies and photographic illustrations of several influential citizens of the day, including Charles Hayes, Fred Trenchard Smith and Owen Carroll (pictured), who were all Aldermen of Manly at one time or another – Hayes, in fact, was Manly’s first Mayor. Also featured are the architects Charles Harding, who was responsible for the design of the Aquarium building on the Corso, of which only a fragment survives of the façade; and Messrs Sheerin and Hennessy, who were the architects of St Patrick’s Seminary.

The Stennett Girls

Ralph Stennett was the popular Manager of the Gentlemen’s Baths at Manly from 1893 to 1900. He was energetic and imaginative, and made the Baths into a paying concern. His three young daughters were taught the techniques of life-saving, and their fame spread to England, where the following article about them appeared in the magazine The Sketch, on 7 June 1899: “These little girls come of a remarkable family. The Stennetts of New South Wales, are known throughout the world for their prowess in the water, and they have greatly distinguished themselves as life-savers. Mr R A Stennett and his three daughters have between them rescued over twenty persons. Only recently, Miss Rettie V Stennett, who is scarcely fifteen years of age, acted the chief part in a most successful and plucky rescue of a visitor to Manly, who got out of his depth when bathing, and, as he was unable to swim, soon gave signs of distress. The other bathers thought the man was only making believe, and therefore did not take the matter seriously, and eventually he sank, and cries for help were raised. This was heard by Miss Rettie Stennett, who, when shown where the man had gone down, promptly dived into the water, fully apparelled, and at the first attempt brought him to the surface and then to shore. After the unconscious man had been landed, she at once rendered first aid, and, after an hour’s labour, her efforts were rewarded by seeing the man restored to animation. On a previous occasion this plucky swimmer was the means of rescuing three girls, who became frightened, clutched each other, and sank, and, but for the timely aid of Miss Stennett, all would have been drowned. Mr R A Stennett also has a splendid record. His first attempt was made at sea, when his favourite cat sprang overboard after a gull. All the family are members of the Life-Saving Society, and take a great pleasure in teaching the art of life-saving in the various schools in the locality. Both Rettie and Bessie, as well as their father, have passed the tests of the Life-Saving Society for proficiency in the rescue of the drowning, and have been awarded medallions and certificates of merit. Little Connie, who is only six years of age, is also most expert in the water, and, on account of her ability, has been honoured with the title of “Baby Champion of Australia”.

Bombing of Darwin

John Morcombe wrote a commemorative article in the Manly Daily on Anzac Day about the Spitfire ace Raymond Thorold-Smith, DFC. Thorold-Smith, born in Manly, who lived on North Steyne and was a standard-bearer for Queenscliff SLSC before the war, flew with the RAAF's No 1 Wing in the defence of Darwin in 1943. Among the photos in the collection of memorabilia assembled by his mate Fred Woodgate and donated to Manly's Local Studies Collection are several rare images of bomb damage in Darwin. These photos would not have been published during the War, as efforts were made to suppress news of the heavy damage sustained by Darwin at the hands of the Japanese. Click on this image to see the Darwin branch of the Bank of New South Wales. Sqn Ldr Thorold-Smith was shot down on 3 March 1943, during the last big raid on the city.