Fleet Commander Rear Admiral Christopher Smith recently welcomed 100-year-old World War 2 veteran Valerie Ireland, née Blackett, back to Fleet Base East.

Rear Admiral Smith guided Ms Ireland through the Royal Australian Navy Heritage Centre, where she confronted a piece of history she once fought against in defence of Australia.

Ms Ireland was shown a part of a Japanese midget submarine, similar to one her gunnery unit engaged with more than eight decades ago.

“Seeing the M22 … it’s surreal. I never imagined I’d stand before one and it reminds me how small we all were in the greater scheme of war, yet how every action mattered,” she said.

During the 1940s, the then-18-year-old from Sydney joined the Australian Women’s Army Service, known as AWAS. She was part of Fortress Newcastle as an anti-aircraft gunner at Wave Battery, stationed at Stockton Beach, NSW.

“I always felt a fierce sense of duty,” Ms Ireland said.

“When I joined the AWAS, I didn’t want an office job. I wanted to be where things were happening.”

One memorable moment came in June 1943, when Ms Ireland’s unit opened fire on a Japanese midget submarine attempting to infiltrate Newcastle Harbour.

'Her courage and service are the foundation on which today’s Navy stands.'

The attack was made in the early hours of the morning, took less than 30 minutes, and came a year after the attack on Sydney Harbour.

It was one of the few instances during the war in which an Australian coastal fortification returned direct enemy fire.

“It was a tense moment. You felt the weight of responsibility, knowing that lives and lives at sea might depend on what we did,” Ms Ireland said.

“Walking up close to the centre section of the midget submarine again does bring it all back to me.”

Ms Ireland’s service as a gunner was cut short when a bullet lodged in her head.

“I was patrolling the fort perimeter and heard an explosion, then some blood dripped from my forehead. I went to the Newcastle Hospital, and the X-ray showed a bullet in my head,” she said.

“I was then sent to Greta Hospital for an operation to remove the bullet, but nobody knows where it came from.”

Rear Admiral Smith said it was an honour to meet the centenarian.

“Her courage and service are the foundation on which today’s Navy stands,” he said.

After the war, Ms Ireland returned to civilian life. She launched her own travel business, raised two sons and continued contributing to her community in the decades that followed.

At 99, she led the 2024 Anzac Day march – a testament to her enduring spirit and commitment to remembrance.