ABSTRACT
The relationship between Australia and Britain is a complex one. The relationship is perhaps more endlessly fascinating from an Australian perspective, as Britain was, and in many ways remains, the frame of reference from which Australia has developed its own national character. One institutional example is the Royal Australian Navy, which has often been described mainly in terms of its links to the Royal Navy and Britain. A documentary source that does illustrate the tensions and complexities of the relationship is the correspondence between the professional heads of the Royal Australian and Royal Navies, the First Naval Member and the First Sea Lord. The first Chief of Naval Staff after the Second World War was Admiral Sir Louis Hamilton, RN. He was the last British officer loaned to the Australian Navy to be its professional head.
