Object numberM2004/017:073
DescriptionCertificate issued to Petty Officer Edward Lane from HMAS Sydney for crossing the equator, 27 February 1925..
Crossing the equator marked the change from the northern hemisphere to the southern hemisphere. This was often celebrated at sea by crossing the equator' ceremonies. The tradition began with the Navy over 400 years ago as a ritual to inaugurate Equator-crossing virgins. The initiation rite required sailors who had never crossed the equator to appear before King Neptune and undergo physical tests to prove they could endure the hardships of life at sea. These rituals often resulted in hazing, harassment and oppression. Equator-crossing ceremonies, typically featuring King Neptune, are commonly carried out for entertainment on civilian ocean liners and cruise ships, devised as fun activities to break up a boring voyage.
Part of a collection of around 200 objects, uniforms, letters, documents and photographs donated by Reuben Lane, related to his father, Edward Alexander Lane (1902-1984).
Edward Lane gave his birth date as 3 April 1901 though it was actually 3 April 1902. Most likely because he was only 17 when he enlisted in June 1919 (post-war enlistments continued for the ongoing protection of Britain) and he was required to be 18. Born in London's East End, he attended the Jewish Free School. In 1918, aged 16, he ran away and joined the British Merchant Navy, serving as a baker's apprentice aboard the troop ship Wyreema. At the end of WWI he immigrated to Australia, joining the Royal Australian Navy, serving aboard the HMAS Encounter. He remained in the Australian Navy until the mid-1930s at which point he started a business, Lane's Fibrous Plaster Works in Hurstville.
Edward met Catherine Jonas (Kitty). They married in 1925 at the Central Synagogue. Edward was a prolific inventor; he invented a prototype of the Ramset, an electric nail gun. Around 1937, he took up flying lessons and attained his pilot's licence. At the outbreak of World War II, Lane was told by an acquaintance that "Jews don't fight". This prompted him to enlist in the Royal Australian Navy in 1940. He was shipped to England and served as a pilot in the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm, flying combat missions off carrier ships, leaving his wife and three children behind. During the war, to calm his nerves, Lane had developed an interest in Palmistry, an interest he kept up until he took up photography in the 1960s. He continued Palmistry (palm readings) when he returned to Australia and became quite a celebrity with a regular column in the newspaper and appearing on television. He won both local and international trophies and medals for his photography, and he continued to take photographs until his death in 1984.
Crossing the equator marked the change from the northern hemisphere to the southern hemisphere. This was often celebrated at sea by crossing the equator' ceremonies. The tradition began with the Navy over 400 years ago as a ritual to inaugurate Equator-crossing virgins. The initiation rite required sailors who had never crossed the equator to appear before King Neptune and undergo physical tests to prove they could endure the hardships of life at sea. These rituals often resulted in hazing, harassment and oppression. Equator-crossing ceremonies, typically featuring King Neptune, are commonly carried out for entertainment on civilian ocean liners and cruise ships, devised as fun activities to break up a boring voyage.
Part of a collection of around 200 objects, uniforms, letters, documents and photographs donated by Reuben Lane, related to his father, Edward Alexander Lane (1902-1984).
Edward Lane gave his birth date as 3 April 1901 though it was actually 3 April 1902. Most likely because he was only 17 when he enlisted in June 1919 (post-war enlistments continued for the ongoing protection of Britain) and he was required to be 18. Born in London's East End, he attended the Jewish Free School. In 1918, aged 16, he ran away and joined the British Merchant Navy, serving as a baker's apprentice aboard the troop ship Wyreema. At the end of WWI he immigrated to Australia, joining the Royal Australian Navy, serving aboard the HMAS Encounter. He remained in the Australian Navy until the mid-1930s at which point he started a business, Lane's Fibrous Plaster Works in Hurstville.
Edward met Catherine Jonas (Kitty). They married in 1925 at the Central Synagogue. Edward was a prolific inventor; he invented a prototype of the Ramset, an electric nail gun. Around 1937, he took up flying lessons and attained his pilot's licence. At the outbreak of World War II, Lane was told by an acquaintance that "Jews don't fight". This prompted him to enlist in the Royal Australian Navy in 1940. He was shipped to England and served as a pilot in the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm, flying combat missions off carrier ships, leaving his wife and three children behind. During the war, to calm his nerves, Lane had developed an interest in Palmistry, an interest he kept up until he took up photography in the 1960s. He continued Palmistry (palm readings) when he returned to Australia and became quite a celebrity with a regular column in the newspaper and appearing on television. He won both local and international trophies and medals for his photography, and he continued to take photographs until his death in 1984.
Production date 1925-02-27
SubjectHMAS Sydney, Jews in military
Object namecertificates
Materialpaper
Techniqueprinted
Dimensions
- whole width: 229.00 mm
whole height: 284.00 mm
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Reuben Lane