HMAS Sydney sinks SMS Emden

From an album compliled by C W Burnett

Original layout of glass plate negative. NRS 4481, ST3298 A-B_pos

This series of images is from NRS 4481 Government Printing Office, glass plate negatives. The Government Printing Office (GPO) took a series of photos of what appears to be selected pages from an album that the Australian War Memorial states was compiled by Charles William Burnett, of the Eastern Extension Telegraph Company. The AWM has attributed the photos in this album to J S Triggs and R Cardwell, which were taken on 9-10 December 1914 when a landing party from the SMS Emden came ashore and destroyed the telegraph station on Direction Island, in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. The images show a German raiding party (led by First Lieutenant Hellmuth von Mücke), ashore on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands to attack the wireless station. The Germans then had to watch on as HMAS Sydney arrived and began to attack the Emden. The German officers then commandeered a boat and supplies to escape back to Germany.

: Emden on beach Cocos Island. NRS 4481 Glass plate negatives ST3298_A

: Boat returning to [HMAS] Sydney. NRS 4481 Glass plate negatives ST3298_B

: German officer being directed to wireless station. NRS 4481 Glass plate negatives ST3298_C

: HMS Sydney off Cocos Islands. NRS 4481 Glass plate negatives ST3298_D

: Destruction of cable station. NRS 4481 Glass plate negatives ST3298_E

: German sailors collecting stores. NRS 4481 Glass plate negatives ST3298_F

: German officer and the destroyed wireless ariel [sic]. NRS 4481 Glass plate negatives ST3298_K

: Germans landing at Cocos Island to destroy wireless station and cable. NRS 4481 Glass plate negatives ST3298_L

: Germans and local residents watching the fight. NRS 4481 Glass plate negatives ST3298_M

: Germans and local Islanders. NRS 4481 Glass plate negatives ST3298_N

: Stores commandeered and ready for shipment. NRS 4481 Glass plate negatives ST3298_O

: Boats from Sydney preparing to return to ship. NRS 4481 Glass plate negatives ST3298_P