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) 

WADE F. H.

Signalman C/JX 225304 Frank Hildred WADE.

Royal Navy H.M.S. Veteran (D72).

26 Sep 1942.

Chatham Naval Memorial 58, 3.

Son of Granville Nicol Wade and Alice Wade, of Stockport, Cheshire.

On 26 Sep 1942 whilst escorting convoy RB-1 south of Iceland, H.M.S.Veteran (Lieutenant Commander Trevor Henry Garwood) was hit by two torpedoes from Type VIIC U-404 (Kapitänleutnant Otto von Bülow) and sank immediately with all hands. Also on board were 47 survivors from S.S. Boston, 28 survivors from S.S. New York also the chief officer of the British steam merchant New Bedford.

H.M.S. Veteran (photo from uboat.net)

CAMPBELL H.

Able Seaman C/JX 266516 Harry CAMPBELL.

Royal Navy DEMS Gunner on S.S. Petrel.

26 Sep 1941.

Chatham Naval Memorial, 42, 2.

Harry Campbell served as a Defensively Equipped Merchant Ship (DEMS) gunner on the British steam merchant Petrel.

At 02:34 hours on 26 Sep 1941 the Petrel (Master John William Klemp) part of convoy HG-73 enroute Oporto to Bristol was hit amidships by a torpedo from Type IXB U-124 (Korvettenkapitän Johann Mohr) and sank by the bow north-northeast of the Azores.

17 men were picked up by S.S. Lapwing which was torpedoed at 06:34 by Type VIIC U-203 only one man from Petrel survived but later died of wounds in a lifeboat. Only the master, seven crew  and one passenger who had been picked up from a raft by the lifeboat of Lapwing survived, landing at Slyne Bay, Co. Galway on 9 Oct.

S.S. Petrel (photo from wrecksite)

RIGBY W.

Able Seaman D/JX257050 William RIGBY

Royal Navy H.M.L.C.T. 125, H.M.S. Dinosaur

25 Sep 1942 aged 34

Stockport Borough Cemetery, Sec. J.A. Grave 439.

Son of Paul and Sarah Rigby, of Stockport

Husband of Mary Rigby (nee Bates), married at St.Pauls, Portwood 1939.

Died of injuries received during a training accident whilst based at H.M.S.Dinosaur in Troon, Ayrshire.

Grave of William RIGBY (photo by Chris Gleave) 

WILSON A.

Ordinary Seaman D/JX 349948 Arthur WILSON.

Royal Navy H.M.S. Itchen (K227).

23 Sep 1943 aged 27.

Plymouth Naval Memorial, Panel 80, Column 3.

Son of Arthur and Alice Wilson, of Stockport, Cheshire.

At 01:56 hours on 23 September, Type VIIC U-666 (Kapitänleutnant Herbert Engel) fired a G7es “Gnat” torpedo which detonated in the wake of H.M.C.S. Morden. At 02:01 hours the U-boat fired another Gnat that struck H.M.S. Itchen (Cdr C.E. Bridgman, DSO). The frigate blew up after the hit. Debris from the vessel was later found on the conning tower of the U-boat and on H.M.C.S. Morden. 

H.M.S. Itchen had picked up 81 survivors from H.M.C.S St.Croix, sunk by U-305 on 20 Sep and one from H.M.S. Polyanthus, which had been sunk by U-952 on 21 Sep. Only two men from Itchen and one from St. Croix were rescued by the Polish steam merchant Wisla.

H.M.S.Ballinderry the same type as H.M.S.Itchen (photo from Maritime Quest)