HARROP J.

Able Seaman D/JX 266378 Joseph HARROP

Royal Navy H.M.S. President III, DEMS Gunner M.V. Aldington Court

31 Oct 1942 aged 31

Plymouth Naval Memorial, Panel 65, Column 2.

Frank Harrop and Maud Young were married at St.Thomas's in 1908 having two children with Joseph being the eldest. Joseph married Nellie Hodder at Brinksway, St Augustine in 1931 and they lived in Edgeley with their two sons. His Father is probably the F. Harrop on Stockport's war memorial who was killed 9 Apr 1916 whilst serving with 8th Cheshires in the Middle East.

At 22:21 hours on 31 Oct 1942 the unescorted Aldington Court (Master Alfred Stuart) was hit below the bridge and just forward of the engine room, by two G7a torpedoes from Type IXC U-172 (Kapitänleutnant Carl Emmermann) west of Port Nolloth, South West Africa.

Of the 44 on-board 34 died with 10 survivors (7 crew and 3 gunners) who were picked up by The City of Christiania on the 13 Nov after 13 days afloat.

M.V.  Aldington Court (photo from Uboat.net)

WILSON B.

Able Seaman P/JX 171004 Bernard WILSON.

Royal Navy H.M.S. Aurora (12).

30 Oct 1943 aged 19.

Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Panel 76, Column 1.

Son of William Charles and Sarah Wilson, of Adswood, Cheshire.

While escorting British destroyers reinforcing troops on the island of Leros on 30 Oct 1943, H.M.S. Aurora (Captan Sir William Gladstone Agnew) was attacked by German Ju.87 and Ju.88 aircraft south-east of Castellorizo, sustaining a 500 kg bomb hit abaft the after funnel. The explosion and subsequent fire killed 47 crew and injuring 30.

H.M.S. Aurora (photo from Naval-History.Net)

SWINDELLS W. H.

Able Seaman D/JX 249544 William Henry SWINDELLS

Royal Navy H.M.S.President III DEMS Gunner on S.S. Bic Island

29 Oct 1942 aged 29

Plymouth Naval Memorial, Panel 66, Column 3.

Son of Frank and Sarah Swindells. of Stockport, Cheshire.

At 00:15 hours on 29 Oct 1942 the Bic Island (Master James Brown), a straggler from convoy HX-212, sailing New York to Liverpool, was torpedoed and sunk by Type VIIC U-224 (Oberleutnant Hans-Karl Kosbadt) southwest of Rockall. The ship was struggling after picking up 44 survivors from Gurney E. Newlin, which had been sunk by U-606 the previous day and 77 survivors from Sourabaya, sunk on 27 Oct by U-436. The master, 35 crew members, eight gunners and all 121 survivors were lost.

Bic Island under her former name Capo Noli (photo from naviearmatori.net)

CHADWICK T.

Able Seaman P/J 46739 Thomas CHADWICK.

Royal Navy H.M.S. Royal Oak (08).

14 Oct 1939.

Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Panel 33, Column 2.

Thomas was the only son of three children to Thomas Chadwick and Rose Maud Stephenson, who were married at St.Mary's in Reddish.

At 01:16 hours on 14 October 1939 Type VIIB U-47 (Korvettenkapitän Günther Prien) fired a spread of three torpedoes at H.M.S.Royal Oak (Captain W.G. Benn) and the British seaplane tender H.M.S.Pegasus lying at anchor in the harbour of Scapa Flow, then turned around and fired a stern torpedo at 01:21 hours. Prien claimed a hit on the seaplane tender, misidentified as H.M.S. Repulse, but one of the torpedoes apparently hit the starboard anchor chain of the battleship and both targets were undamaged.

At 01:23 hours, the U-boat fired a second spread of three torpedoes which hit H.M.S. Royal Oak on the starboard side and caused a magazine to blow up. The battleship rolled over and sank in 19 minutes. 386 of the survivors, including the commander, were rescued by the drifter H.M.S. Daisy II which had been tied alongside as tender.

H.M.S.Royal Oak

TWIGG A. F.

Able Seaman D/JX 345118 Arnold Francis TWIGG

Royal Navy H.M.S.President III DEMS Gunner on S.S. Stornest

13 Oct 1942 aged 28

Plymouth Naval Memorial, Panel 66, Column 3.

Husband of Emily Twigg, of Heaton Norris, Cheshire.

At 04.05 hours on 12 October 1942, Type VIIC U-706 (Kapitänleutnant Alexander von Zitzewitz) fired a torpedo at the unescorted Stornest (Master Henry Ottey Smith) west of Ireland and observed a hit under the aft mast after 34 seconds. The ship was a straggler from convoy ONS-136 due to heavy weather. The master, 38 crew members and ten gunners were lost.

S.S. Stornest (photo from uboat,net)

POLLITT S.

Able Seaman P/SX395557 Sydney POLLITT.

Royal Navy H.M.M.L. 193.

9 Oct 1945.

Kranji War Cemetery, Singapore, Plot 7. Row E. Grave 5.

James Pollitt was married to Ethel Harding at St.Matthews in Stockport in 1913. Sydney was one of nine children they had. 

He died in an accident with Stoker 1C Donald L NASH on 9 Oct 1945.

H.M.M.L 192 (photo from navyphotos)

MAY W. E.

Able Seaman D/JX 172522 William Ernest MAY

Royal Navy H.M.S. Drake IV

3 Oct 1942

Plymouth Naval Memorial, Panel 66, Column 1.

Died of wounds

HULME H. & MARTIN J. P.

Steward C/SR 8756 Harry HULME.

Royal Navy H.M.S. Curacoa (D41).

2 Oct 1942 aged 24.

Chatham Naval Memorial, 64, 3.

Son of Robert and Jane Hulme, of Davenport, Stockport, Cheshire.

Able Seaman C/SSX 25559 John Patrick MARTIN.

Royal Navy H.M.S. Curacoa (D41)

2 Oct 1942 aged 21.

Chatham Naval Memorial, 55, 2.

Son of Joseph and Mary Martin, of Stockport, Cheshire.

H.M.S. Curaccoa (Captain John Wilfred Boutwood) was deployed with H.M.S. Bulldog H.M.S. Bramham, H.M.S. Cowdray, H.M.S. Skate and Polish destroyer Blyskawica as escort for R.M.S. Queen Mary during the final stage of passage with troops to the Clydes north west Approaches.

H.M.S. Curaccoa was rammed and sunk by Queen Mary in North Channel caused largely by lack of judgement of course changes by the liner to avoid submarine attack. Only 101 of her complement of 439 survived this disaster. 

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