This year’s History Week printed program features images of people: South Australians at home, at work, at play, abroad – and a few visitors passing through the State. One image in particular has been the topic of much discussion; that of W King featured on page 25. This image comes from the South Australian Maritime Museum’s photographic collection, and is from a series of images of the crew of the Pamir, a Finnish windjammer. The photograph of K Lieuwendahl and D Smyth on page 9 and F Gardiner on page 74 are also from this series. The Maritime Museum understands that these photographs were taken in 1949 on the Pamir's last voyage as part of the grain trade. The Pamir sailed to Port Victoria to load grain and then journeyed on to the UK. Very little else is known about these photographs.
Throughout the week at History Week events across the State, we have been asked repeatedly about this photograph of W King. Many have asked if we know any details about W King or his work on the sailing ship. Even his first name has become a source of speculation – what does ‘W’ stand for? There has also been some gentle ribbing about including this photograph because of his ‘poster boy’ good looks, with one event organiser describing him as ‘chin-wiping’.
All joking aside, we thought we should see if we could track down some information about W King or the Pamir crew generally. And through the novel, The last time around Cape Horn: the historic 1949 voyage of the windjammer Pamir by William F. Stark; introduction and in memoriam by Peter Stark, we have discovered a bit more information that may unravel some of the mystery.
Starks notes that the Pamir crew on this voyage included eight New Zealanders, seven Australians, three Scots, two Canadians, two British, one Welshman and one American (Stark). In describing the crew in his diary, he commented that ‘There are several things I have noticed among the crew of the Pamir, that I have never seen on any other ship. First of all, with the exception of the officers, not one man onboard is over thirty. Secondly, and even more noticeable, is the feeling the men have for the ship. They are from all parts of the world but are on this ship not so much because they want a job, steamers pay better and the work is far easier, but they are on the wind-jammer because they want to be at sea in sail’ (pg 86). Under ‘Pamir’s Personnel Aboard Ship 1949’ there is a crewman listed as Wally King. King’s citizenship is recorded as ‘British’ and his position as ‘A.B.’ or Able Seaman. Stark also notes that King ‘stayed at sea for many years, retired Cheshire, England. Died 1997’.
So in fact the initial W is for Wally.
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