CRIMES S. G.

Lieutenant Samuel Geoffrey CRIMES

Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve H.M.S.Sarawak (K591).

31 Mar 1945

Belfast City Cemetery, Glenalina Extn. Sec. B.S. Grave 132.

One of five who drowned in Belfast Lough on 31 Mar 1945 whilst serving on H.M.S. Sarawak (Lieutenant Commander Francis Harden Gray).

H.M.S. Sarawak (photo from Forces War Records)

MILLS E.

Leading Seaman P/JX 256985 Ernest MILLS

Royal Navy H.M.S. Laforey (G99).

30 Mar 1944 aged 33.

Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Panel 81, Column 2.

Son of David and Agnes Mills.

Husband of Edith Mary Mills, of Reddish, Lancashire.

On 29 Mar 1944, Type VIIC U-223 (Oberleutnant Peter Gerlach) was located by asdic from H.M.S. Ulster, which was carrying out a routine Anti-Submarine sweep together with two other destroyers of the 14th Flotilla, H.M.S. Laforey (Capt. Harold Thomas Armstrong, DSO, DSC) and H.M.S. Tumult. The U-boat was heavily depth-charged, but carried evasive manoeuvres in an attempt to evade destruction.

In the early morning on 30 Mar, the U-boat was forced to surface and was attacked by the destroyers with gunfire, which now included H.M.S. Hambledon, H.M.S. Blencathra and H.M.S. Wilton, which had replaced H.M.S. Ulster. Shortly before being sunk, U-223 fired a Gnat and hit H.M.S. Laforey which sank about 60 miles northeast of Palermo, Sicily.

H.M.S.Laforey (photo from Imperial War Museum) 

YATES T.

Able Seaman C/JX 168689 Thomas YATES.

Royal Navy H.M.S. Dasher (D37).

27 Mar 1943 aged 24.

Chatham Naval Memorial, 70, 1.

Son of Thomas and Mary Ann Yates, of Adswood, Cheshire.

Husband of Elsie Yates.

On 27 Mar 1943, H.M.S. Dasher (Capt. Lennox Albert Knox Boswell, DSO) was in the Firth of Clyde with one of her Swordfish planes practicing take-offs and landings. Suddenly a violent internal explosion occurred, sending her aircraft lift 60 feet in the air. H.M.S. Dasher went to the bottom in only 5 minutes, stern first in. Aviation fuel and fuel oil from the ship caught fire and spread across the water to the survivors. In total 379 men drowned and 149 men were picked up by rescue vessels.

H.M.S. Dasher (photo from The Scotsman)

CONWAY J.

Marine PLY/X 105763 James CONWAY

Royal Marines R.M.B.P.D.

23 Mar 1943 aged 20

Plymouth Naval Memorial, Panel 102. Column 3.

Son of Thomas Conway, and of Mary Ann Conway, of Stockport, Cheshire.

On 7 Dec 1942, at 07:17 H.M. Submarine Tuna surfaced near the mouth of the River Gironde off the coast of Occupied France.The aim of Operation Frankton, consisting of 6 Cockle two-man collapsible canvas boats, led by Major Herbert (Blondie) Hasler, was to row up to Bordeaux to blow up ships known as blockade runners. 

Cuttlefish was crewed by Lieutenant John MacKinnon and Marine James Conway. They had to abandoned their canoe after  it hit an underwater obstacle. Both swam to shore. MacKinnon was treated in hospital in France following a leg injury. The German's found them and were both interrogated and then executed.

The other cockles were.

Coalfish. Sergeant Samuel Wallace and Marine Robert (Bobby) Ewart. Surrendered after swimming ashore but were shot.

Conger. Corporal George Jellicoe Sheard, and Marine David Gabriel Moffatt. Both drowned.

Crayfish. Corporal Albert Laver and Marine William Mills. Managed to plant limpet mines, but were captured and later executed.

Catfish. Major Herbert 'Blondie’ Hasler and Marine Bill Sparks survived the raid.

Cachalot.  Marine W. A. Ellery and Marine E. Fisher. Their canoe was damaged and didn't take part in the raid.

James Conway Memorial Stockport (photo by Chris Gleave)

ROBERTS F.

Stoker 1st Class D/KX114267 Fred ROBERTS.

Royal Navy H.M.S. Exeter (68).

22 Mar 1945 aged 32.

Ambon War Cemetery, Indonesia, 28. F. 5.

Son of Fred and Mary Ann Roberts, of Stockport, Cheshire.

Husband of Lilian Roberts, of Heaton Norris, Stockport.

On 1 Mar 1942 H.M.S. Exeter (Captain Oliver Loudon Gordon, MVO) was sunk in the East Indies, north west of Surabaya in Java Sea, by torpedoes and 8-inch gunfire from a Japanese cruiser force.

The Japanese rescued 652, including the captain, who became prisoners of war. Fred was one of 152 who died in captivity.

H.M.S. Exeter (photo from naval-history.net)

BLACK A. & GOODGER J. A.

Stoker 2nd Class D/KX 179142 Arthur BLACK.

Royal Navy H.M.S. Lapwing (U62).

20 Mar 1945.

Plymouth Naval Memorial, Panel 94, Column 3.

Son of Mr. and Mrs. A. Black, of Stockport, Cheshire.

Gunner John Arthur GOODGER

Royal Navy H.M.S. Lapwing (U62).

20 Mar 1945 aged 30.

Plymouth Naval Memorial, Panel 93, Column 3.

Son of Frederick William and Clara Goodger.

Husband of Ethel Ruth Goodger, of Tivington Heights, Somerset.

In the afternoon of 20 Mar 1945, Type VIIC U-968 (Oberleutnant Otto Westphalen) attacked Arctic convoy JW-65 north of Murmansk. H.M.S. Lapwing (Commander J.A. Binnie) was hit amidships by a T5 homing torpedo at 13:25 and broke in two, with the stern section remaining afloat for about 20 minutes. There were 158 killed and with 61 survivors who were rescued by H.M.S. Savage.

H.M.S.Lapwing (Photo from Imperial War Museum, FL-9971)

HALLOWELL C. G.

Engineer Officer Clifford Goodison HALLOWELL

Merchant Navy S.S. Empress of Canada (London)

14 Mar 1943 aged 21

Tower Hill Memorial,Panel 47.

Stanley Hallowell and Ethel Wood were married at the Mount Tabor Church on Wellington Road, in 1919 with Clifford being born three years later in 1922

  

On 13 March 1943, the S.S. Empress of Canada was sailing from Durban in South Africa to Takoradi, Ghana carrying Italian prisoners of war along with Polish and Greek refugees. The S.S. Empress of Canada was torpedoed at midnight and sunk by the Marconi-class submarine Leonardo da Vinci (Lieutenant Gianfranco Gazzana-Priaroggia) approximately 400 miles south of Cape Palmas, Liberia.

Of the approximate 1800 people on board, 392 died. Nearly half of the fatalities reported were Italian prisoners. British rescuers saved 800 of those aboard.

S.S. Empress of Canada (photo from wikipedia)