 On 15 March 1946 , Waller was awarded a posthumous mention in despatches for " gallantry and resolution " aboard HMAS Perth . His younger son John followed him into the Navy , entering the RANC in 1947 . Graduating as chief cadet captain , John Waller became a weapons electrical engineer and attained the rank of commander in 1967 , before transferring to the Emergency Reserve as a senior Navy research scientist . 
