COLLINGE W.

Stoker 1st Class D/K 55357 Walter COLLINGE.

Royal Navy H.M.S. Courageous (S50).

17 Sep 1939 aged 38.

Plymouth Naval Memorial, Panel 34, Column 2.

Walter was born in 1901 the son of Samuel and Elizabeth Collinge. He married Nellie Maggs at St.Thomas's, Stockport and they had two children a boy and girl.

On the 17 Sep 1939, H.M.S. Courageous (Captain W.T. Makeig-Jones) was on anti-submarine patrol about 350 miles west of Lands End, escorted by H.M.S. Inglefield, H.M.S. Ivanhoe, H.M.S. Impulsive and H.M.S. Intrepid. At 14:45 hours, the group picked up a distress call from S.S. Kafiristan being attacked about 350 miles west of Cape Clear.

The destroyers H.M.S. Inglefield and H.M.S. Intrepid were detached and the carrier launched four aircraft, one of the Swordfish forced the U-boat to dive without damaging it at 17:00 hours. About 18:00 hours, Type VIIA U-29 (Kapitänleutnant Otto Schuhart) spotted the carrier group and began chasing it, but couldn't get into an attack position until the carrier turned into the wind to recover the four returning Swordfish. H.M.S. Courageous was now on a straight course at 18 knots towards the U-boat. At 19:50 hours, U-29 fired a spread of three G7e torpedoes at Courageous and hit her with two of them on the port side rear of the the bridge. She immediately took a heavy list to port and sank after 17 minutes about 190 miles southwest of Dursey Head, Ireland.

The commander, 17 officers and 501 ratings were lost, including 36 R.A.F. service crewmen and there were 741 survivors. All Swordfish aircraft of 811 and 822 Sqdn. F.A.A. were lost with the ship. 

H.M.S.Courageous (photo from Uboataces)