Background
Events - January-May 1944
Air war on
Germany, Atlantic & Russian convoy battles,
Anzio landings ('Shingle'), Indian Ocean
operations, Battles of Cassino, Preparations for
D-day
1944
JANUARY
Friday,
7
January
Frigate
TWEED (Lt Cmdr Robert S Miller
RNR)
was sunk by U.305 SW of
Ireland in 48-18N, 21-19W. One rating was killed, Ty/Sub
Lt (E) G E Dunell
RCNVR, Ty/Sub Lt S M Oates RNVR and seventy five ratings
missing, and five
ratings died of wounds. Lt A J K
Ball RNR (First Lieutenant), Sub Lt T G Briggs
RNR,
Ty/Sub Lt N R W Dusting
RNVR, Ty/Sub Lt (E) G I Loucks RCNVR, Lt Cdr Miller and
Ty/M A Wilson RNVR
were wounded.
(Correction
with thanks to Ian Macleod)
Sunday,
23
January
Destroyer
JANUS (Lt Cdr W B R Morrison) was
sunk by a German aircraft glider bomb off Anzio. Two
ratings were killed,
and Cdr Morrison, Ty/Act/Sub Lt N Buchanan RNVR, Ty/Lt R
C S Glover, RANVR,
Lt J J Gresson, Ty/Midshipman G S Mallen RNVR, Sub Lt J
F D Marples, Gunner M
G Tribe and one hundred and fifty one ratings missing.
Destroyer JERVIS picked up 82 survivors, including
five
officers, and 11 more were rescued by other vessels.
_____
Destroyer
JERVIS
(Captain H P Henderson) was badly damaged by a German
aircraft glider
bomb off Anzio,
but sustained no
casualties. She was able to proceed under her own power
to Naples accompanied by tug WEASEL
and escorted by destroyer GRENVILLE
Saturday,
29
January
Light
cruiser
SPARTAN (Captain P V
McLaughlin) was sunk by German bombing at Anzio.
Act/Warrant Engineer J
Batty, nine ratings, and four Marines were killed, two
ratings died of
wounds, and Cdr G W MacN Ambrose, Ty/Sub Lt P F Bicknell
RNVR, Lt (E) J D
Burke, Warrant Electrician R S Cox, forty four ratings
and two Marines
missing. Lt D A R M Ramsay was
wounded and Seaman D Brindle (a post-war friend of Don
Kindell and
co-researcher) was among the survivors. Light cruisers
DIDO and DELHI departed Anzio on the 30th for Naples
with SPARTAN’s survivors.
Sunday,
30
January
Destroyer
HARDY (2) (Captain W G A Robson
DSO, DSC), covering convoy JW.56A, was torpedoed by
U.278 in 73-40N, 24-30E.
Destroyer VENUS took off the crew and scuttled the
damaged ship. Thirty three
ratings were missing, and two died of wounds.
Monday,
31
January
Minesweeping
trawler
PINE (Ty/Lt J Hird RNVR)
was sunk by a German S-boat of the 5th Motor Torpedo
Boat Flotilla SE of
Beachy Head. Ten ratings were missing. Lt Hird
and Ty/Sub Lt T M Colins RNVR were wounded.
FEBRUARY
Monday, 7 February
Midget
submarine X.22 was sunk in a collision with
submarine SYRTIS, which had turned to rescue a man
washed overboard in heavy seas.
Lt B M McFarlane RANVR, Lt W J Marsden RANVR, ERA C
Ludbrook and Able Seaman
J Pretty were lost.
Friday, 18 February
Light
cruiser
PENELOPE (Captain G D
Belben DSC, AM) was sunk by a U.410 off Anzio. Captain
Belben, Ty/Act/Lt L
A Tulk RNVR and twelve ratings were killed, and Lt (E) M
G B Carter,
Ty/Gunner (T) L C Chambers, Ty/Sub Lt C R Coltart RNVR,
Cdr (E) D W H
Coughlin, Lt H T Crispin, Ty/Schoolmaster J T Dickson,
Ty/Act/Sub Lt E E
Draper RNVR, Ty/Lt (E) F R Finigan, Ty/Act/Sub Lt J A
Hewitt RNVR, Warrant
Shipwright W C Holman DSC, Act/Surgeon Lt Cdr B F
Jackson RNVR, Act/Paymaster
Sub Lt M A Lee, Ty/Surgeon Lt H C Llewellyn RNVR,
Ty/Paymaster Lt N J Lock
RNVR, Lt P L Marrian
RNR, Py/Ty/Chaplain Reverend P A Munby RNVR, Lt (E)
P G Openshaw, Warrant Engineer L G Porter, Lt J P
Rathbone DSC, Ty/Paymaster
Lt R McI Robertson RNVR, Ty/Act/Lt S A Skinner RNVR,
Warrant Mechanician F R
Vaile, Commander the Hon. J M G Waldegrave DSC, three
hundred and fifty six
ratings, and twenty four Marines missing. Ty/Sub
Lt D Ellis RNVR and Ty/Act/Sub Lt A G H Smith RNVR were
wounded.
Two hundred and six survivors were rescued by LST.165
and LST.430.
Sunday,
20
February
Destroyer
WARWICK (Cdr D A Rayner DSC RNVR)
was sunk by U.413 off north Cornwall in 50-27N, 5-23W.
Five
ratings were killed and Ty/Lt E J W Parson RNVR,
Ty/Surgeon Lt D L Sandes
RNVR, Sub Lt E P G Whinney and fifty eight ratings
missing. The survivors were picked up by a
British trawler and taken to Padstow.
Friday,
25
February
Destroyer
MAHRATTA (Lt Cdr E A F Drought
DSC), escorting convoy JW.57, was sunk by U.990 in
71-12N, 13-30E.
Ty/Midshipman W M Barclay RNVR, Ty/Lt K R Bowley RNVR,
Lt J Catchpole, Lt A J
Davidson, Ty/Lt A Hesketh-Smith RNVR, Act/Lt (E) W J
McCullagh DSC,
Ty/Surgeon Lt F M McRae RNVR, Ty/Act/Sub Lt B C Maccoy
RNR, Gunner (T) A R Talboys,
Gunner W N Wright and two hundred and eight ratings were
missing. One rating
died of wounds after rescue. Including
the rating who died, 17 crew were rescued by destroyer
IMPULSIVE.
MARCH
Tuesday,
1
March
Frigate
GOULD was sunk by U.358 in the North Atlantic. Lt
D W Ungoed and Lt J R A
Stickland RNVR were lost.
Thursday,
16
March
Submarine
STONEHENGE
(Lt D S McN
Verschoyle-Campbell DSC) was lost, probably on a mine
between the 2nd and
16th in the northern part of the Malacca Straits. Lt
Verschoyle-Campbell,
Ty/Lt P G M Clayton RNVR, Sub Lt R F Drake, Ty/Sub Lt R
E N Howes RNR, Lt P F J Radwell, Warrant
Engineer A B Uren and forty four ratings were lost.
Monday,
20
March
Submarine
P.715 (formerly GRAPH, formerly
German U.110) was wrecked on the Island of Islay while
in tow.
Saturday,
25
March
Destroyer
INGLEFIELD (Act/Cdr C F H
Churchill DSC) was sunk by a German glider bomb off
Anzio in 41-26N, 12-38E. Thirty
five ratings were killed, and 157 crew rescued.
Tuesday,
28
March
Submarine
SYRTIS (Lt M H Jupp DSC) was lost
in the Bodo area, probably to mining. Lt Jupp, Ty/Lt J M
Ainslie RNVR,
Temporry Lt D A Fryson RNVR, Warrant Engineer D H Lynch,
Lt F E Spratt and
forty three ratings were lost.
Thursday,
30
March
Destroyer
LAFOREY
(Captain H T Armstrong DSO, DSC) departed Naples on the
29th to join
destroyers TUMULT,
TUSCAN,
ULSTER,
URCHIN, BLENCATHRA and
HAMBELDON searching for a submarine NE of Palermo. LAFOREY
was sunk in 38-54N, 14-18E by U.223 which was in turn
sunk by TUMULT, HAMBLEDON and BLENCATHRA. Lt G A R Malet
RNR, Lt G W Smith and six
ratings were killed in LAFOREY, and Captain Armstrong,
Ty/Lt R G Addis DSC
RNVR, Ty/Lt F J Boyer RCNVR, Ty/Surgeon Lt G N Davison
RNVR, Ty/Lt W D P Gath
RNVR, Lt A C McCulloch DSC, Ty/Lt G L Ticehurst RNVR,
Ty/Paymaster Lt G C S
Whitcroft RNVR and one hundred and sixty six ratings
were missing. The survivors were picked up by
TUMULT and TUSCAN.
APRIL
Saturday,
29 April
Canadian destroyer ATHABASKAN
(Lt Cdr J H Stubbs RCN), covering minelaying
operation HOSTILE 26, was
sunk by German torpedo boat T.24 off St Brieux in
48-29N, 4-09W. Sub Lt (E) R
I L Annett RCNVR, Lt (sp) J D Mahoney RCNVR, Sub Lt R A
Nash RCN, Lt Cdr J H Stubbs RCN and thirty eight ratings
were killed and later
buried in France. Paymaster Lt T L
Brandson RCNVR, Lt (E) T D Izard
RCN, Lt R M Lawrence RCN, Gunner (T) H F Sigston RCN, Lt
(E) E O Stockman RCNVR, Lt (sp) L Ward, RNCVR
and eighty ratings were missing. Act/Lt
J W Scott RCNVR and forty three ratings
were rescued by Canadian destroyer HAIDA. Meanwhile Lt
W Clark RCNVR, Surgeon
Lt J G Fyfe RCNVR, Lt R B Hayward
RCN,
Lt Cdr D Lantier RCNVR, Lt
R H Stevenson RCNVR and seventy nine ratings, one dying
of wounds shortly after arrival in port, were
picked up by the German ships and made prisoners of war
- 47 by T.24 and the
rest by two minesweepers of the 24th Minesweeper
Flotilla.
MAY
Sunday,
7 May
Canadian
frigate VALLEYFIELD (Lt Cdr D T English RCNR,
SO Escort Group with Cdr J Byron DSC RNR (ret) aboard),
which had
been detached from convoy ONM.234 for St John's, was
sunk by U.548 southeast
of Cape Race. Cdr Byron, Lt Cdr English, Lt J C Flath
RCNVR, Act/Ty/Paymaster
Lt Cdr G A Maclachlan RCNVR, Sub Lt I P MacLaren RCNVR,
Sub Lt S C Mason
RCNVR, Lt W G Ridout RCNVR, Sub Lt L J Sanger RCNVR, Lt
(E) J E Storey RCNVR,
Paymaster Lt K R Sutton, Sub Lt (E) J C Watson RCNVR and
one hundred and
twelve ratings, including five RN ratings were lost.
Also lost was Surgeon Lt
C E Irvine RCNVR of HMCS HALIFAX, was was temporarily on
board. Lt F C
Reynolds RCNVR and four ratings died after being rescued
by corvette GIFFARD.
Ty/Lt J H Warren RCNVR, Ty/Lt C I P
Tate RCNVR and thirty six ratings, including one RN,
survived.
Background Events -
June-August 1944
Invasion
of Normandy ('Overlord'),Capture of
Rome, V-1's on
England, Saipan landings & Battle of
Philippines Sea, Attacks on 'Tirpitz', S of
France landings ('Dragoon')
JUNE
Tuesday,
6
June
NORMANDY
INVASION
Norwegian
destroyer
SVENNER (Lt Cdr T Holthe
RNorN) was sunk by German torpedo boats T.28, MOEWE,
JAGUAR, and FALKE off Normandy. Thirty two Norwegian
crew
and two British liaison crew were killed, and
the survivors picked up by destroyer SWIFT
Thursday,
8
June
Netlayer
MINSTER (Act/Lt Cdr W Jackson RNR) was sunk by a
mine in Seine Bay. Two ratings were killed,
one died of wounds, and Ty/Lt (E) J Catto RNR, Ty/Lt E H
Crump RNR, Ty/Boatswain E C Hearn and
fifty one ratings were missing. Ty/Lt
F G Creswell RNVR, was wounded.
Tuesday,
13
June
Destroyer
BOADICEA (Lt Cdr F W Hawkins), escorting
a convoy to Normandy,
was sunk by German aerial
torpedoes off Portland Bill. Cdr Hawkins, Lt E Hoyes,
Act/Lt (E) F J
Schroder, Ty/Sub Lt K Robinson RNR, Ty/Sub Lt E R Barker
RNVR,
Ty/Lt J S Cartwright RNZNVR, Ty/Sub Lt J A Rennie RNVR,
Ty/Act/Sub Lt (E) L
Featherstone RNVR, Ty/Surgeon Lt W H C Donald MB, ChB
RNVR and one hundred
and sixty one ratings were lost. Twelve
survivors were rescued.
Friday,
16
June
Submarine
SICKLE (Lt J R Drummond DSO, DSC)
was lost, probably on a minefield in the Kithera Channel
around this date. A
surviving rating had been rescued earlier on the 4th
when he was blown
overboard during an action with German auxiliary patrol
vessels GA.76 and
GA.91. Lt Drummond, Lt A D Sinclair DSC, Ty/Warrant
Engineer G Francis, Ty/Lt
P D Goodman RNVR, Ty/Lt P B Jakeman RNVR, Ty/Lt V P
Walker RNVR and the
entire crew of forty two ratings on board were lost.
JULY
Thursday,
6
July
Frigate
TROLLOPE was badly damaged by German
motor torpedo boat off Cap d'Antifier. Lt Cdr H
Westacott, Lt F R G
Battersby, Ty/Sub Lt J E Auvache RNVR, Ty/Sub Lt T J
Brasier RNVR, Ty/Sub Lt
A J Michie RNVR, Ty/Sub Lt D H Montgomery RNVR and fifty
seven ratings were
lost. TROLLOPE was not repaired.
Thursday,
20
July
Destroyer
ISIS (Lt Cdr H D Durrell) was sunk
on a mine off
Normandy
in 49-27N, 00-41W. Ty/Sub Lt
H V F Woram RNVR and four ratings were killed, twenty
four ratings died of
wounds, and Cdr Durrell, Ty/Lt L M D Apperley DSC RNVR,
Ty/Sub Lt E R Bailey
RNVR, Ty/Gunner (T) J H Burfitt, Ty/Lt (E) D G
Drakeford, Ty/Surgeon Lt C J S
Green RNVR, Midshipman J G Nicholson, Ty/Sub Lt J
Roberson RNVR, Midshipman E
M H Ryland, Lt F H Seymour and one hundred and fifteen
ratings were missing.
AUGUST
Thursday,
3
August
Destroyer
QUORN (Lt I Hall) was sunk by a
German explosive boat off the Normandy beaches. Sub Lt G
G Guy, Lt
(E) J R Dight, Ty/Lt L M D Apperley DSC RNVR, Ty/Sub Lt
H G Sumner RNVR and
one hundred and twenty six ratings were lost.
Naval
trawler
GAIRSAY (Act/Ty/Lt Cdr C H
Homer-Lindsay RNR) was sunk by a German explosive boat off the Normandy
beaches. Ty/Lt J P Russell
RNVR, Ty/Sub Lt C R Weaver RNVR and Ty/Sub Lt G H
Buckley RNVR were lost.
Tuesday,
8
August
Canadian
corvette
REGINA
(Lt J W Radford RCNR), escorting
convoy EBC.66, was sunk off Trevose Head by U.667. Lt C
H Swalm and twenty
nine ratings were lost, and 66
survivors rescued by LCT.644 and trawler JACQUES MORGAND
Monday,
21
August
Canadian
corvette
ALBERNI (Act/Lt Cdr I H
Bell RCNVR) was sunk by U.480 southeast of the Isle of
Wight in 50-09N, 00-41W. Ty/Sub Lt
H C Fulton RCNVR, Act/Ty/Lt M S Grant RCNVR, Act/Ty/Lt J
P Hamilton RCNVR,
Surgeon Lt H M Henderson RCNVR and fifty five ratings
were lost. Three officers and 28 ratings were
rescued by MTB.469 and
MTB.470.
Tuesday,
22
August
Minesweeper
LOYALTY (Lt Cdr J E Maltby RD RNR) was sunk by
U.480 southeast
of the Isle
of Wight in 50-09N, 00-41W. Cdr Maltby and three ratings were killed, sixteen
ratings missing.
_____
Frigate
BICKERTON (Cdr D G F W MacIntyre
DSO) was severely damaged by U.354 in the Barents Sea,
and scuttled by destroyer
VIGILANT. Four ratings were killed, and Ty/Sub Lt J H
Jarman RNVR and thirty
three ratings missing.
Sunday,
27
August
Minesweepers
BRITOMART,
HUSSAR, SALAMANDER and JASON of the 1st Minesweeping
Flotilla were
sweeping mines off
Le Havre
to allow battleship WARSPITE
and monitors EREBUS and ROBERTS to move near Le Havre
for bombardment.
Minesweeping trawlers COLSAY and LORD ASHFIELD were
performing dan buoy
duties. The minesweepers were attacked in error by
allied aircraft off Cap
d'Antifer
HUSSAR
(Lt J R Nash MBE) was badly
damaged. Lt R A N Cox DSC
RNR,
Ty/Lt H Roberts RNVR and
six ratings were killed and Ty/Lt (E) N M Beeching RNR
and forty six ratings
missing. Lt Nash, Ty/Sub Lt R A A
Gross RNVR, Ty/Sub Lt A H Hodson RNVR and Ty/Sub Lt T
Pickup RNVR were
wounded, and survivors picked up by trawler COLSAY
BRITOMART
(Lt Cdr A J Galvin DSC RNR) was badly damaged. Cdr
Galvin, Ty/Sub Lt K M Ware RNVR and twelve ratings were
killed. Lt Cdr H Johnson OBE RNR was wounded.
Trawler LORD
ASHFIELD, which had sustained six casualties of her own,
picked up the
BRITOMART survivors.
Both
HUSSAR and BRITOMART were scuttled by destroyer PYTCHLEY
which arrived on the
scene to assist in the rescue of survivors.
SALAMANDER
(Lt Cdr H G King RNVR) was
badly damaged, and taken in tow by JASON to Arromanches.
She was later towed
by tug DESTINY to
West Hartlepool
and declared a constructive
total loss.
JASON
(Cdr
T Crick DSC) was strafed with two ratings killed and
five wounded, but
repaired at Portsmouth
from 9 to 25 September.
A
total of seventy eight officers and ratings were killed
and one hundred and
forty nine crew wounded.
Background
Events - September-December 1944
Western
Allies
cross into Germany, U-boat's British
Inshore campaign, V.2's hit London, Russians
reach Eastern Europe, Battles of Leyte Gulf
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
Wednesday,
25
October
Canadian
destroyer
SKEENA
(Lt Cdr P F X Russell) was
lost when she dragged anchor in a storm and was wrecked
on Videy Island, near Reykjavik. Fifteen ratings were
drowned attempting to reach shore.
NOVEMBER
Wednesday,
1
November
Frigate
WHITAKER (Lt G P W Edwards) was
torpedoed by U.483 off Malin Head in 55-30N, 7-39W, the
explosion detonating the
forward magazine and blowing away everything forward of
the bridge. All
officers, Lt Edwards, Lt J Jackson, Ty/Lt (E) J A Low
RNR, Ty/Lt W W Ricketts RNVR,
Ty/Act/Lt J A Schwarz RCNVR, Ty/Act/Lt L J MacLachlan
RCNVR, Ty/Sub Lt J A
Forrest RNVR, Ty/Act/Sub Lt M G Clark RNVR and eighty
four ratings were lost.
She was towed to Londonderry, then on to Belfast,
but found to be a total
loss.
Wednesday,
22
November
Submarine
STRATEGEM (Lt C R Pelly DSC) was
sunk by Japanese surface craft near Malacca.
Lt
Pelly, Lt B Benz, Lt F W L Winterbottom, Warrant
Engineer F S Rayner, Ty/Sub
Lt C E Prentice RNVR and forty ratings were lost. Lt
D C Douglas and seven ratings were rescued and taken to
Singapore, but only Douglas and two ratings survived
captivity as Japanese prisoners of war. The fate of the
other five is not
known, but it is speculated that they were executed.
Saturday,
25
November
Corvette
SHAWINIGAN
(Lt W J Jones RCNR), on
independent patrol, was sunk by U.1228 in Cabot Strait.
There were no survivors,
with Lt W J Jones RCNR, Ty/Lt W E Callan RCNVR, Ty/Lt D
F French RCNVR, Ty/Lt
J C Lawrence RCNVR, Ty/Sub Lt H F Baird RCNVR, Sub Lt D
J Morrow RCNVR,
Ty/Act/Warrant Engineer D B McNeil and eighty three
ratings lost.
DECEMBER
Thursday,
14
December
Destroyer
ALDENHAM (Cdr J G Farrant) was sunk
by a mine in the Adriatic 45 miles SE of Pola. Four
ratings were killed, one
died of wounds, and Ty/Lt W D H Amy RNR, Ty/Lt (E) J N
Campling MBE,
Ty/Sub Lt A W Little SANF (V), Ty/Surgeon Lt L McLachlan
RNVR, Ty/Lt A Watson
RNVR and one hundred and eleven ratings were missing.
Five officers and 58 ratings were picked up by
destroyer
ATHERSTONE
Sunday,
24
December
Canadian
minesweeper
CLAYOQUOT (Act/Lt Cdr
A C Campbell RCNVR), escorting convoy XB.139, was sunk
by U.806 near Halifax three miles from the Sambro
Light Vessel. Lt W J Munro RCNR, Ty/Lt P W Finlay RCNVR,
Ty/Sub Lt A W
Colbeck RCNVR, Lt (E) W J Neill and four ratings were
lost. Seventy three survivors were
rescued.