Jonathan Rogers (GC)
Jonathan Rogers, was a Welsh-born sailor and an Australian recipient of the George Cross, awarded for the heroism he displayed on the night of 10 February 1964 during the sinking of.
Early life
Jonathan Rogers was born in Froncysyllte, near Llangollen, Wales on 16 September 1920. The fifth of seven children, he undertook schooling in Acrefair, before leaving at 14 to work at a local brickyard. He was a keen boxer and football player, before joining the Royal Navy at the age of 18 in 1938.Royal Navy service
Serving largely on coastal patrol vessels throughout World War 2, Rogers was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for the "coolness and leadership" he showed while serving as coxswain of Motor Torpedo Boat 698 in action off the coast of Dunkirk in May 1944.Discharging from the RN in January 1946, Rogers lived in Pen-y-cae, with his wife and four children, working at a local colliery and built houses, until he applied to join the Royal Australian Navy in 1950.
Royal Australian Navy service
Rogers was accepted into the RAN on 6 July 1950, being posted to the aircraft carrier HMAS Sydney. He would serve on multiple RAN vessels including Burdekin, Junee, Anzac, Warramunga, Barcoo and Tobruk. His posting to Tobruk coincided with the vessels deployment to Korea during the Korean War. In 1956 he was promoted to Chief Petty Officer.After a shore posting at Rushcutter in Sydney, Rogers would be posted to the destroyer Voyager in January 1963 as the ships coxswain. The coxswain was the senior sailor on the vessel, and responsible for discipline and good order of the ship.
George Cross
On 10 February 1964, was taking part in exercises with the aircraft carrier off the coast of Jervis Bay, when the two vessels collided, leading to Voyager being sliced in half by the much larger Melbourne.Rogers was operating a tombola game being played by over 60 men in the forward mess of the ship at the time of the collision. After the collision, the now separate forward half of the ship began to fill with water and heel over. Quickly taking command of the situation, he stopped the growing panic in the mess and began attempting to control the flooding. After trying to free a stuck escape hatch, he managed to orchestrate an escape into other compartments with working exits. Realising that he was too large to escape himself, he selflessly worked on getting the younger sailors out.
Rogers then began to lead the remaining sailors in prayer and hymn, encouraging them "...to meet death alongside himself with dignity and honour”. His wife would later state "It was typical of him, he never thought of himself". He would become one of the 82 men who would die in the sinking.
On 19 March 1965, Rogers would be posthumously awarded the George Cross, with his citation stating.
Personal life and legacy
Rogers was married in 1942, and had three daughters and one son.In 2013, during the renaming of initial entry sailor divisions at the RAN recruit school. "Moran Division" was renamed "Rogers Division".
Honours and awards
| Ribbon | Description | Notes |
| George Cross | gazetted 1965 | |
| Distinguished Service Medal | gazetted 1944 | |
| 1939–1945 Star | ||
| Atlantic Star | with FRANCE AND GERMANY clasp | |
| Italy Star | ||
| War Medal 1939–1945 | ||
| Australian Active Service Medal 1945–1975 | 23 January 2014 | |
| Korea Medal | ||
| United Nations Korea Medal | ||
| Naval General Service Medal | 23 January 2014 | |
| Australian Service Medal 1945–1975 | 23 January 2014 | |
| Australian General Service Medal Korea | 23 January 2014 | |
| Australian Defence Medal | 23 January 2014 | |
| Naval Long Service and Good Conduct Medal | ||
| Pingat Jasa Malaysia | 23 January 2014 |