COOPER N.

Electrical Artificer 4th Class D/MX 62530 Norman COOPER.

Royal Navy H.M.S. Orion (85).

29 May 1941 aged 21.

Plymouth Naval Memorial, Panel 54, Column 3.

Son of William and Hannah Cooper, of Heaton Norris, Cheshire.

On 29 May 1941, during the evacuation of Crete, H.M.S. Orion (Capt. Geoffrey Robert Bensly Back) was torpedoed by an Italian aircraft and badly damaged. At the time she was transporting 1900 evacuated troops, around 100 members of the ship’s company were killed and 260 troops. After extensive damage control had been undertaken she limped to Alexandria.

H.M.S.Orion (photo from wikipedia)

WHALLEY G. E.

Stoker LT/KX 107311 George Edward WHALLEY.

Royal Naval Patrol Service H.M.T Arctic Pioneer (FY167).

27 May 1942 aged 21.

Haslar Royal Naval Cemetery, E. 62. 1-18 Coll. grave.

Son of Edward and Elizabeth Whalley, of Heaton Norris, Stockport, Cheshire.

Husband. of Doris Whalley, of Higher Hillgate, Stockport.

H.M.T. Arctic Pioneer (Skr. George Bryan) was sunk by a bomb, dropped from a German Ju-87 Stuka dive bomber in the Cowes Roads outside of Portsmouth Harbour. 18 were killed and are buried in Haslar Naval cemetery in Gosport, with 16 survivors picked up.

Grave of George WHALLEY (photo from billion graves)

GOOSTREY P. L. D.

Stoker 1st Class C/KX 108170 Philip Leonard Davies GOOSTREY.

Royal Navy H.M.S. Kelly (F01).

23 May 1941 aged 31.

Chatham Naval Memorial, 47, 3.

Son of James and Margaret Goostrey

Husband of Annie Goostrey, of Stockport, Cheshire.

James and Margaret (Davies) were married in Denton at St Lawrence’s in 1913. They had two children a boy and a girl. Philip went on to marry Annie Daniels at St.Georges in 1940.

22 May 1941 H.M.S. Kelly (Captain Lord Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, DSO, RN)  was deployed with H.M.S. Kashmir and H.M.S. Kipling to patrol north of Crete to intercept German invasion craft. H.M.S. Kelly also shelled Maleme airfield, which had just been captured by German airborne troops. 

On the 23rd H.M.S. Kelly and H.M.S. Kashmir came under heavy and sustained air attacks by Ju87 Stukas during which ship was hit, split in two and sank within two minutes south of Gavo, Crete. H.M.S. Kashmir was also sunk in these attacks. The remainder of the two crews were picked up by H.M.S. Kipling.

H.M.S. Kelly (Navy Photos/Mike Pocock)

CLARKE L.

Able Seaman D/JX 176093 Leonard CLARKE.

Royal Navy H.M.S.Gloucester (62).

22 May 1941.

Plymouth Naval Memorial, Panel 46, Column 3.

Light cruiser H.M.S. Gloucester (Capt. Henry Aubrey Rowley) came under a series of heavy air attacks with H.M.S. Fiji, H.M.S. Greyhound and H.M.S. Griffin during withdrawal from Kithera Channel, by dive bombers west of Crete.

Rescue of survivors with H.M.S. Fiji was prevented by the intensity of air attacks and by the depletion of stocks of A.A. ammunition. H.M.S. Gloucester hit by three bombs which caused internal explosions and major flooding. Fires broke out and could not be controlled so the disabled ship had to be abandoned. H.M.S. Fiji was then ordered to withdraw because of the continuing air attacks but left rafts and boats for survivors. She sank after ninety minutes with the loss of all but 82 of the ship's company. The commanding officer, 45 officers and 648 men were killed when she sank.

H.M.S.Gloucester (Photo from world-war)

HIBBERT S.

Petty Officer  D/J 91876 Sidney HIBBERT.

Royal Navy H.M.S.Juno (F46).

21 May 1941 aged 40.

Plymouth Naval Memorial, Panel 45, Column 2.

Son of Joseph and Lucy Hibbert

Husband of Harriet A. Hibbert, of Edgeley, Stockport, Cheshire.

Destroyer H.M.S. Juno (Cdr. St. John Reginald Joseph Tyrwhitt) was deployed with Cruisers H.M.S.Naiad and R.A.N Perth also Destroyers H.M.S. Nuban, H.M.S. Kandahar and H.M.S. Kingston to intercept German invasion craft around Crete.

Juno sustained a high level attack by five Italian CANT Z1007 Alcione three engined bombers from the 50° Gruppo. She was hit by three bombs splitting her in two abaft of the bridge, sinking her in less than two minutes. 116 of ship’s company lost their lives with 96 survivors rescued, by H.M.S. Kingston, H.M.S. Kandahar and H.M.S. Nuban. Five of those rescued later died.

H.M.S. Juno (photo from Wikipedia)

HETHERINGTON W. H.

Leading Airman FAA/JX. 259395 William Howard HETHERINGTON.

Royal Navy H.M.S.Victorious 817 Sqdn.

20 May 1942 aged 24.

Lee-on-solent Memorial, Bay 3, Panel 2.

Son of William Arthur and Grace Lilian Hetherington, of Cheadle Heath, Cheshire.

Died when Fairey Albacore Mk.I  X9137 crashed at sea. The Observer Ty/Sub Lieutenant (A) Leslie ROWSBY was also missing, only the pilot survived.

Fairey Albacore Mk.I (photo from Wikipedia) 

BIRD E.

Third Radio Officer Eric BIRD.

Merchant Navy M.V. Harpagus (London).

20 May 1941 aged 20.

Tower Hill Memorial, Panel 55.

Son of Albert and Sarah Bird, of North Reddish, Stockport, Cheshire.

At 04.58 hours on 20 May 1941 the Norman Monarch in convoy HX-126, sailing from Halifax to Liverpool, was torpedoed and sunk by U-94. The Harpagus (Captain James Valentine Stewart) was the designed rescue ship for the column and dropped back to rescue survivors. After picking up the whole complement of 48 men, she set course to regain convoy.

At 23.20 hours on 20 May 1941 the Harpagus, having almost regained position, was struck by two torpedoes from Type IXB U-109 (Korvettenkapitän Hans-Georg Fischer) in the starboard side and sank very quickly about 250 miles south-southeast of Cape Farewell, Greenland. 26 crew members, four gunners, three passengers and 26 survivors from the Norman Monarch were lost. The master, 17 crew members and 22 survivors were picked up by H.M.S. Burnham and landed at Reykjavik. 

M.V. Harpagus (photo from pinterest)

EDWARDS F.

Ordinary Seaman P/JX 175469 Frederick EDWARDS.

Royal Navy H.M.S. Valentine (L69).

15 May 1940 aged 20.

Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Panel 39, Column 3.

Son of William Charles. and Sarah Ann Edwards, of Reddish, Lancashire.

On 15 May 1940 H.M.S. Valentine (Commander Herbert James Buchanan) was one of four destroyers deployed to the Scheldt estuary to support demolition operations and the evacuation of shipping from Antwerp. While providing Anti Aircraft cover to Allied troops, H.M.S. Valentine was damaged by dive bombers, and beached near Terneuzen. 31 of H.M.S. Valentine's crew were killed, and a further 21 injured.

H.M.S. Verity of same class as Valentine (photo from naval-history.net)

LAVELLE T.

Able Seaman D/JX 212944 Thomas LAVELLE.

Royal Navy H.M.S. Lively (G40).

11 May 1942 aged 22.

Plymouth Naval Memorial, Panel 65, Column 3.

Son of John and Mary Josephine Lavelle, of Edgeley, Stockport, Cheshire.

H.M.S. Lively was deployed with Destroyers H.M.S. Jervis, H.M.S. Jackal and H.M.S. Kipling to intercept a convoy sailing towards Benghazi from Crete.

On 11 May 1942 H.M.S. Lively (Lt.Cdr. William Frederick Eyre Hussey, DSO, DSC) was sunk by German Ju-88 bombers about 150 nautical miles north-west of Mersa Matruh, Egypt. 77 of Lively’s crew were reported lost.

H.M.S.Lively (photo from I.W.M.)

PAKEMAN L.

Petty Officer Stoker P/K 46187 Leonard PAKEMAN.

Royal Navy H.M.S. Victory.

8 May 1944 aged 44

Gosport (Ann's Hill) Cemetery, Plot 32. Grave 12.

The eldest of three children, of Son of Albert Edward and Lois Pakeman, he was born in Heaton Norris. Leonard married Milly Eleanor Frances Embling in Alverstoke, Hampshire in 1926, and died on 8 May 1944 in Gosport, Hampshire.

Grave of Leonard PAKEMAN (Photo from findagrave added by Steve Ellis)