Many know the city’s brush with World War I culminated in the raid by the German cruiser Emden .
A lesser-known fact is that it was the Australian ship HMAS Sydney that vanquished the vessel.
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of these landmark events, the Australian Consulate inaugurated the exhibition, ‘Centenary of the Emden Spirit: 100 years of shared Military History’, at Hotel Hyatt Regency, as part of Madras Week celebrations.
Open till the 7th of September, the exhibition showcases a range of photographs, portraits and artefacts curated from sources like The Hindu , Royal Madras Yacht Club, Australian War Memorial, and the Royal Australian Navy’s Sea Power Centre.
Sean Kelly, Australian consul general, underlined the fact that the Emden represented the shared history that bound Chennai and Australia. “The crushing of the Emden marked the first-ever victory of the Royal Australian Navy in the First World War in 1914.”
Being the only Indian city to have been under siege during World War I, the event was subsumed in public discourse in significant ways, S. Muthiah, chief guest at the function, explained. “Such was the impact that the term even found itself a place in Tamil lexicon. It is associated with somebody who is a daring challenger, prepared to take on anything, regardless of the odds.”
Apart from presenting the story of the Emden , the exhibition also highlights the longstanding defence and security links between India and Australia.
Many pictures also depict soldiers of the two countries fighting together in different theatres of the two world wars, peace-keeping missions and international security forums.
