36 NAVY NEWS, AUGUST 2010
Deaths
Mne Paul Warren RM. Charlie Company 40 Commando Combined Force Sangin. Killed in Afghanistan June 21. Aged 23. L/Cpl Michael Taylor RM. Charlie Company 40 Commando Combined Force Sangin. Killed in Afghanistan June 22. Aged 30.
Sgt Steven ‘Darbs’ William Darbyshire
RM. Alpha Company 40 Commando Combined Force Sangin. Killed in Afghanistan June 23. Aged 35.
Mne David Charles Hart RM. Charlie Company 40 Commando Combined Force Forward Operating Base Sabit Qadam and Patrol Base Sangin Tufann. Killed in Afghanistan July 8. Aged 23. Mne Matthew Harrison RM. Charlie Company 40 Commando Combined Force, Sabit Qadam. July 13. Aged 23.
Mne Jonathan David Thomas
‘Crooksey’ Crookes RM. Charlie Company 40 Commando. Killed on foot patrol near Sangin in Afghanistan. July 16. Aged 26. ■ More in-depth information about the
above serving members can be found on page 7.
The Reverend John Hill. Joined the Service 1994; his last ship HMS Ark Royal (2006-08) and last appointment as Chaplain to the King’s Chapel, Gibraltar (2008-10). June 15. Aged 54.
Cdr Henry Hatfi eld. Joined the monitor Erebus, used as a training ship in Portsmouth, in 1938 then early in the war was sent as a midshipman to warship Malaya in which he directed gunfi re for the fi rst time 1941 (Operation Grog), the bombardment of Genoa (but lacking training he directed a shell into Genoa Cathedral). Post-war, as a hydrographer, he surveyed the waters of Cyprus, the Persian Gulf, Oman, the South Pacifi c, Fiji and the Solomon Islands. Between 1956-63 he commanded three survey ships, Scott, Cook and Dalrymple. He completed a rewriting of Admiralty Manual of Hydrographic Surveying, and later was seconded to Naval Intelligence. He used his professional surveying and amateur photographic skills to make a Photographic Lunar Atlas in 1968, which was available to the Apollo missions in 1969; and later built a spectrohelioscope, one of only two in Britain. Secretary, treasurer and president of the British Astronomical Association. April 1. Aged 88.
John Zopara Leo ‘Shiner’ Wright RM
RVM. Served 40 years in the Royal Marines, 19 of these were as a musician aboard HMY Britannia. May 18. John Nicol. Shipwright 1st class. Served 1939-45 as a Shipwright 3rd class in Valentine (lost May 1940 during the retreat from Holland to Dunkirk) and Vanity where he was badly wounded during an east coast convoy (1941). He took part in the cutting out expedition of the Italian liner Duchessa d’Aosta from Fernando Po in January 1942 and remained with the captured liner until drafted as a Shipwright 1st class to the anti- aircraft cruiser Vindictive. V&W Destroyer Association. June 8. Aged 91. Robert ‘Bob’ A Dunningham. CPO PRI.
Served 1957-78 at Raleigh, Dryad, Centaur, Apollo, Duncan, Charybdis, Ashanti, Bulwark, Penelope, Naiad and FOST Staff, Portland, June 13.
Sydney ‘Sid’ Sibley. Ldg/Seaman. Served in Faulknor 1941-45 and a member of the Association. May 31. Albert Hawkins. PO Tel. Served in Faulknor 1939-41 then submarine service. HMS Faulknor Association. April 30. Aged 90.
Stan Mears. AB. Served in Bruce,
Glasgow, Whitesand Bay, Harrier, Wakeful and Wave. Full member of HMS Bruce Association. June 9. Aged 79. Christopher ‘Paddy’ Measey. CPO(S). Served in Eskimo, Naiad, Euryalus, London and Dryad. June 10. Aged 65. Thomas W Yeomans. Stoker. Served 1939-50 in Coastal Forces (1939-45) and Scorpion in Korea (1950). June 22. Aged 88. Ray Howarth. Served in Lochinch in the 1960s. April 19. Aged 67. Francis ‘Frank’ Wade. Able Seaman. Served 1942-45. Ganges boy (1942) and on a coastal survey vessel in the Mediterranean (1943-45). July 4. Aged 84. Peter Francis Guy. CPO FAA. Served 1947-70 in Albion, Terror (Singapore), Fulmar and RNAS Lossiemouth. July 2. Aged 80. Roger ‘Pedro’ Pearce. Able Seaman GL2. Served 1960-70. Famed and renowned Loch Fada piano player and star of the Singapore dockyard canteen Sods operas (1965-66); also served in Berwick, Bulwark and Cleopatra. Loch Fada Association. June 11. Aged 65.
John ‘Smudge’ Smith. Seaman. Served 1953-64 in Implacable, Triumph, Daring, Tenby, Vigilant, Drake, Orion and Dolphin. HMS Tenby Association and Pendleton RBL. June 4. Aged 72. George Chew. L/Seaman on board Peacock 1951-53. April.
Cdr Hugh Clamp VRD RNR. First ship Magpie 1950-51 then London Division RNR Ton=class minesweepers. July 5. Aged 82. Thomas ‘Tom’ Stockton. ERA in Unicorn 1943-46. One of the fi rst members to join HMS Unicorn Association in 1987. June 17. Aged 89.
ROYAL NAVAL ASSOCIATION
Frederick Evans. Wireless Operator. Served 1941-46 at Royal Arthur, Victory V, Scotia, Mercury, Attack, St Christopher, Hornet, Braganza, Midge and Martello and on MTBs in India and in Coastal Forces also with the Air Sea Rescue units; he was invalided out in 1946. Founder member and chairman of Nuneaton branch of the Burma Star Association and member of Nuneaton RNA. May 16. Aged 88. Richard ‘Dick’ Bennett. Stoker. Served in the Far East during WW2; Drake and Scotia. West Ham RNA for 38 years. Aged 84. Arthur William ‘Bill’ Smithers. PO TO. Served 1927-45 at Ganges then Marlborough (1928-29), Rodney (1929-30), Vindictive (1933-34), Revenge (1937-39); also Malaya (1941-43) which was damaged by torpedo and took a list of seven degrees but safely reached Trinidad and after temporary repairs
Wren. Served 1950-54 at RNAS Eglinton, Vulture and Wetherby. Windsor RNA from 1973 also Association of WRNS. Aged 79. Louis Gordon Williams. Served in Fleet Air Arm at Sri Lanka air base and Formidable. West Bromwich branch secretary for over 50 years. April 9. Aged 84.
Ronald Leslie ‘Les’ Davies. POTGM. Served 1933-45 in Pembroke, Kent (1934), Sheffi eld (1937), Halcyon and Whitley (1938), Peregrine (1939), Hambledon (1941), Vernon (1942), Alecto and Dolphin (1943); and submarines Sealion, P511 and Strongbow. Recalled for Korea 1951. Middlesex branch of Submariners Association and Uxbridge RNA’s oldest member. June 24. Aged 96. Dave Perry. Leading Seaman RP2. Served 1949-54. Uxbridge branch. June 16. Alfred William ‘Alf’ Fishlock. PO Seaman. Served 1936-50 at Ganges, Drake, Duke of York, Victory, Orion, Excalibur, Slinger, Tamar, Camperdown, Newfoundland and Unicorn. Appeared as Button Boy at the Royal Tournament. Volunteer worker for SSAFA, member of HMS Ganges Association and Chairman Wolverhampton RNA. April 15. Aged 90.
Frank Gordon Short. CPO(GI). Served 1929-53 at Ganges and Berwick, Vivid, Drake, Carlisle, Cornwall, Forth, Excellent, Euryalus, Victorious and RNC Dartmouth in the Pacifi c and Russian convoys. HMS Victorious 1941-45 Association, honorary member of HMS Victorious Association and active member of the RNA. June 6. Aged 97.
Leslie Charles ‘Les’ Blackett. FAA. Served in Warrior, Hermes, Ark Royal and a number of overseas postings; he was among the fi rst draft to RNAS Culdrose. Falmouth RNA, Fleet Air Arm Association, Culdrose ex- Chiefs Association and a former chairman and later vice chairman of Penryn branch RBL. June 14.
Leslie John Sharp. Stoker Mechanic. Served 1945-48 on board Mull of Galloway, LST 50, BYMS 2043, Euryalus, Tyne and Carnarvon Bay. Henlow RNA. July 1. Aged 83.
Walter Joseph Bayley. Stoker. Served 1944-48 in Abercrombie, Aurora, Matchless and Steepholm. Soham & District RNA. July 2. Aged 83.
Robert ‘Bobby’ Foulkes. Gunner DEMS. Served 1940-46. Torpedoed and sunk three times within 72 hours whilst on convoy duty returning from Middle East 1941; fi nished the war in Cape Town. Keen sportsman and footballer. Llandudno RNA and committee
continued to the New York Navy Yard for four months of repairs. Leaving for UK in July with an urgent fast convoy in which no ships were lost thereafter Malaya escorted convoys from UK to Malta and Cape Town until summer 1943. Resident of Pembroke House, Gillingham. RNA Chatham and former member of RNA Maidstone. Second oldest member of the Ganges Association. June 15. Aged 98. Leonard Lawrance. Soham & District branch, formerly of Blandford RNA. June 4. Aged 87. Margaret Park (née Osmond). Air Stores
member Conway British Legion. June 29. Aged 88.
Penelope ‘Our Pen’ Mortimer. Associate member Letchworth & Hitchin branch. Tireless collector with husband Les for numerous charities for more than 20 years. June 16. Aged 73. John Corby. Fleet Air Arm. Former president Bourne RNA. July 10. Aged 71.
SUBMARINERS ASSOCIATION R L ‘Les’ Davies. PO TGM. Submarine service 1943-45 in P235, P511 and Strongbow. Dolphin and Middlesex branches. Aged 95.
W J N ‘Bill’ Dobson. CERA (MID). Submarine service 1940-45 in Tigris, Tribune, Unbending and Unrivalled. Blyth and Sunderland branches. Aged 95. J ‘Joe’ Irvine. CPO Rel (MID). Submarine service 1941-53 in Tribune, United, Trident, USS Beaver, P S Dzik, Black Panther, U1105, Tradewind and Spiteful. Gosport branch. Aged 88. G ‘Gordon’ Jesson. AB ST. Submarine service 1944-47 in Clyde, Vivid and Tantivy. Beds and Herts branch. Aged 84. J ‘John’ Jones. Sto1. Submarine service 1942-44 in L26, L27, H43, P555, Thrasher and Trenchant. Merseyside branch. Aged 86.
J J ‘John’ Marett. LM(E). Submarine service 1959-63 in Seraph, Seascout, Alliance, Ambush, Tactician, Token and Ocelot. Hull branch. Aged 71. J T ‘Jeff’ Powis. CPO MEM(M). Submarine service 1954-82 in Alliance, Sleuth, Truncheon, Oberon, Sealion, Otter and Ocelot. Gosport branch. Aged 76. R ‘Algy’ Preston. ERA1. Submarine service 1953-61 in Sentinel, Talent, Seadevil, Tabard, Grampus and Trenchant. Medway Towns branch. Aged 78. Lt J B ‘John’ Rae. Submarine service 1944-49 in Urtica, Templar, Auriga, Artful and Andrew. East Kent branch. Aged 85. J ‘Jim’ Sowerby. AB ST. Submarine service 1941-46 in Sportsman, Thrasher and Trenchant. Hull branch. Aged 88. A J ‘Arthur’ Williams. L/Sea TD1. Submarine service 1948-53 in Alcide, Sirdar and Scorcher. Merseyside branch. Aged 88. R A ‘Ron’ Williams. Tel. Submarine service 1943-46 in Safari, Seadog and Taku. Merseyside branch. Aged 85. J ‘Jack’ Woodhams. AB ST. Submarine service 1944-46 in Virulent, Urtica, Tireless and Tapir. Gosport branch. Aged 85.
Welcome. June 4. Aged 92. Ken Taylor. AB. Served in Magicienne. July 5. Aged 83. John Dunphy. AB. Served in Magicienne and Rowena. July 7. Aged 85.
ALGERINES ASSOCIATION Surg Lt William Naunton. Served in
THIS solid silver model of a roebuck – Trophy 24075 – was originally presented to the fifteenth HMS Roebuck, the recently de-commissioned survey ship, in 1986.
In 1704 the eighth vessel of that name – an almost new 5th-rate 42-gun ship – was part of a fleet under the command of Admiral Sir George Rooke.
capture of Gibraltar in July, Rooke received intelligence that a Franco-Spanish Fleet under Admiral Comte de Toulouse was approaching Gibraltar.
Less than a month after the
engagement took place. The British had suffered the higher number of casualties and worse damage to their ships – particularly to masts and rigging, with Rooke’s flagship Royal Katherine having lost a mast – and the French mistakenly interpreted the British fleet’s prudence as an overall victory. A British squadron under Admiral Byng had expended so much ammunition in the earlier bombardment of Gibraltar that he was obliged to quit the line.
LST & LANDING CRAFT ASSOCIATION J E Winter. Served with LCA Flotilla 513 and on board LSI(H) Brigadier and LSI(L) Reina del Pacifi co. R S Clay. Served with LCI(L) Flotilla 250.
April 12. H Webb. Served on board LST 340 and
with Task Force 31. January. HMS BELFAST ASSOCIATION
April 12.
board 1950-52. A founder member of the Association. April 11. Bernard Hissey. ME1 on board 1961-62.
Murray Ward. Stoker Mechanic on
crew member 1939. May 14. Ernest Smith. Regulating PO on board 1961-62. June 19.
Ask Jack Japanese surrender in HMS London:
The ceremony of Japanese surrender took place on board HMS London in 1945 at Sabang; Gordon Bruty of HMS London Association is looking for photographs of the historic signing on the London captain’s table. Can you help? Contact: Gordon Bruty, 6 Elmswood Close, Glenholt, Plymouth PL6 7JY, or tel: 01752 695516. Malta: Does anyone remember seeing,
reading about or just remember the rocket launchers on Corradino Heights in Malta between April and June 1942. Do you have pictures of the guns or rockets? I have a photo of the missiles fl oating down on parachutes over the harbour. I have only found one shipmate who saw them in Tobruk and two Maltese that can remember them in Malta. I have the log book of HMS Corradino (stone frigate) of that time given to me by Cdr Sanderson. The rest of the crew were Lt Gee, Lt Lambton Burn RNVR, AB P W Brown, Bullard, Anderson, W Salmon, E S Williamson, F G Bromham, T W White, D Buglar, D E Reeve-Tyler, G C Patience, J Softey, J Vermuyten and G Hart. If anyone has any information contact J A Rose on 01603 050 4179.
HMS Cleopatra Old Shipmates Association is actively seeking new members to join us from both the cruiser and the frigate. Wives/partners are also welcome. We have over 280 members and the subscriptions are only £6 per year. If you are interested in joining then contact the secretary Warwick Franklin at
warwick_franklin@hotmail.com or tel: 01752 366611.
Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association: Many new members were welcomed to the Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association with the ‘Amber Nectar’ on our stand at the recent HMS Collingwood Open Day. This raised lots of questions from passers-by about the Rum Issue, the measure, language and ‘currency’ etc. Our plans for next year are to give a demonstration of Rum Issue and we are looking for a Lower Deck Rum Fanny and a Grog measure. Offers with condition and
Swap drafts AB(CIS) J Poulter-Ward would like to
swap from Faslane WMO to Portsmouth WMO. AB Poulter-Ward is due to be posted to the Faslane WMO from February 2011. Contact: AB(CIS) J Poulter-Ward, WHSS, RN Gibraltar, BFPO 52; or tel: 003 505 401 9546.
LET(ME) Chenneour of HMS Chatham would consider swap with any Devonport- based ship, deploying or not. Contact:
253-letme10@a.dii.mod.uk.
prices etc please to Mike Crowe at mike@
rneba.org.uk or 7 Heath Road, Sandown, Isle of Wight. PO36 8PG. Pictures and credit will be put on our website
www.rneba.org. uk. Many thanks. Coming to the Open Day next year? Come on round! Port Dickson: Seeking anyone who served in the Royal Navy and was in Port Dickson in the 1940s, 50s and 60s, including members of the LST Club. I welcome photographs of their ships and Port Dickson during this period. Contact Poopalu Nagiah, 18 Main Road, Port Dickson, Negri Sembilan, 71000, West Malaysia. RNAS Cowdrey Park: We are currently
organising a reunion later this year for veterans of RNAS Cowdray Park, near Midhurst, or any WRNs from the Payroll Section of HMS Daedalus stationed at nearby Selham/Graffham from 1944-45. Please contact Tania Pons at selham. airfi
eld@yahoo.co.uk or tel: 01730 812720 for further information. HMS Lagan/Loch Fada: I am trying to trace any crew members of HMS Lagan and HMS Loch Fada who may have served with my late father, Temporary Lt Hubert ‘Hugh’ Boler DSC RNVR. I am researching my father’s wartime naval career. If you can help contact David Boler at
david.boler@
googlemail.com or tel: 01732 770168. HMS Wilkieston 1963-65 FE: Seeking A/B George Ward (aged 68-70 from Nottingham perhaps, his wife was Freda) my sea-daddy, whose oppo was LRO Dave Eggars. Please contact Richard Gleed-Owen at
richardgleedowen@yahoo.co.uk or tel: 01623 631086. MTB 622: Now that Harry Leader DSM
has crossed the bar, I think I may now be the only living survivor of MTB 622 when the boat was sunk by gunfi re on March 10 1943. The only names I remember of the other nine survivors are the CO, Lt Frank Carr DSC and Ldg Tel ‘Dolly’ Gray, who were prisoners of war. Alfred Solomon would be grateful to learn the names of any other survivors. If you can help, call me on 020 8647 7174. SS Volendam: In August 1940, I was a
Assignments Cdr Thomas G Sharpe to HMS St Albans
as CO from September 2. Lt Cdr Christopher M Baldwin to become Superintendent of Diving at Horsea Island from July 6.
Cdr Nicholas C Cooke-Priest to HMS
Iron Duke as CO from November 2. Rear Admiral Philip Mathias to be appointed Director Strategic Defence and Security Review Nuclear Programme Workstand from June 7.
six-year-old evacuee on the SS Volendam, sailing from Liverpool to Canada. To begin with we were in convoy with the Royal Navy (I would like to know the names and types of these RN ships). The Volendam was torpedoed by U-boat 60 after the convoy departed. The Volendam later became a troopship after she was towed to safety, where a second unexploded torpedo was found. If you can help contact Sandra Van Eeden (née Hidson) on 023 9275 4818 or write to 1 Artillery Terrace, Old Canal, Southsea, PO4 8JB. HMS Sikh: My father Able Seaman
Edward Walters was a survivor of HMS Sikh at Tobruk and a member of the association until he crossed the bar in 2006. Did any of the Ordinary Seamen write an account of what it was like when Sikh sank or about life in the POW camp in Italy? I believe he was in Campo PG70 or PA70, I have some cuttings from his local Burnley newspaper from his repatriation. I know my dad was sent to Cholmondely Castle in Cheshire to recover from the starvation. If anyone can provide me with more information could they contact Mrs Marion Bateson on 01772 822767. Royal Naval Engineroom Association: is open for membership to all ranks, ratings, offi cers of the Mechanical and Electrical branches of the Royal Navy, past and present. Details from Bob Styants at bobstyants@
btinternet.com or tel: 0121 422 4115. Pussers Chefs: Old and new (or whatever they call you now). Could any serving Chef or retired Chef please send me the recipe for the delicious curry sauce I used to enjoy. Apart from the many curries consumed at sea, my family and I enjoyed a decent curry on a Sunday lunchtime at the Senior Rates messes at both Lee-on-Solent and Portland. Was it a special mix, secret blend, or did it come as powder from a catering size tin? If it was the latter, can anyone remember the name of the manufacturer? Hope you can help. Please contact philhillson@hotmail. com or write to 10 Cintra Place, Casebrook, Christchurch, 8051, New Zealand with more details.
Talking Navy News goes digital
Navy News is available free of charge as a digital file on memory stick or email from Portsmouth Area Talking News for those with difficulty reading normal type. Contact 023 9269 0851 and leave a message with a contact number, or email patn-rec@hotmail. com. A speaker that will take a USB plug is required but this can be obtained from the Talking News, or the file can be played back through a computer.
board 1949-53. May 11. Henry ‘Harry’ Cooper RM. An original
Alexander Thomson. Able Seaman on
Leaving half his Marines to defend the newly-won prize, Rooke immediately set off with his combined English- Dutch fleet of 51 ships of the line to engage the enemy. The outcome of the action that followed on August 13 1704, the Battle of Vélez- Málaga, was indecisive even though it was the largest naval battle of the War of the Spanish Succession.
Indeed, the Crown’s decision to not grant Byng any future command reflected the view that the outcome of the battle was other than in favour of the British. The French returned to
Not a single vessel was sunk and only three French vessels were captured but the mutual battering sustained during a seven-hour battle left many ships barely seaworthy and casualties on both sides were high.
approached each other later in the month but no further
The two fleets subsequently
Toulon and claimed a great naval victory. However, the reality was that by retreating to Toulon they turned what had been a tactical stalemate into an Allied strategic victory; after the Battle of Vélez-Málaga the French Navy never again emerged from Toulon in full strength and no further attempts were made to recapture Gibraltar.
The Roebuck not only survived the battle but also lasted in service until 1725 when she was dismantled and rebuilt in a larger form at Woolwich Dockyard.
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