DEMS gunner losses

BALTIMORE (LORRAINE PARK) CEMETERY, United States of America

MEADOWS, Gunner, ERNEST CHARLES DOUGLAS, 1541360, 7 Bty. 4 Maritime Lt. A.A. Regt., Royal Artillery. (SS Euryades) 6 June 1942. Age 24. Son of Charles and Mary Meadows. Grave Ref. Lot 258. Sec. 1. Grave M. (Accidental death by shooting)

Regards
Hugh

 

Sunday 7th June 1942

MAHONEY, Donal J, Gunner, RA (5/3 Maritime Regt), 1534344, [MADRAS WAR CEMETERY, CHENNAI]

No obvious shipping incident to relate to Gnr Mahoney's death, so probably an accident/illness cause of death. Any ideas?

Regards,

Steve

 

MADRAS WAR CEMETERY, CHENNAI, India
MAHONEY, Gunner, DONAL JOSEPH, 1534344, 5 Bty., 3 Maritime Lt. A.A. Regt., Royal Artillery. 7 June 1942. Age 22. Son of Daniel J. Mahoney and Mary A. Mahoney, of Camberwell, London. Grave Ref. 1. C. 3. Died of wounds, Bangalore. Name of ship not known at this moment.

Regards
Hugh

 

Monday 8th June 1942

CAIRNS, Robert, Gunner, RA (1/1 Maritime Regt), 3253905, killed
MCDONOUGH, Andrew G, Gunner, RA (1/1 Maritime Regt), 3253829, killed

Probably were lost with the sinking of M.V. King Lud. Lloyd's says lost with 34 crew and 5 Army & Navy men. I've identified 14 Officers and 20 OR MN crew and 3 OR RN gunners, so I believe Gnr's Cairns and McDonough are the two missing gunners.

Regards,

Steve

 

Hi Steve, I can confirm that both were on KING LUD.

CAIRNS, Gunner, ROBERT, 3253905, 1/1 Maritime Regt., Royal Artillery. (SS King Lud) 8 June 1942. Age 34. Panel 71, Column 3.
McDONOUGH, Gunner, ANDREW GOURLAY, 3253829, 1/1 Maritime Regt., Royal Artillery. (SS King Lud) 8 June 1942. Age 31. Panel 72, Column 1.

Regards
Hugh

 

Thursday 11th June 1942

JONES, Ivor A, Gunner, RA (5/3 Maritime Regt), 6291320, killed [ChM]
PORTER, Reginald F, Gunner, RA (7/4 Maritime Regt), 1684050, killed [PlyM]

Two gunners lost on this date. One gunner was lost with the sinking of Lylepark. I believe a gunner may also have been lost with the sinking of Fort God Hope. Lloyd's says that the ship was lost with two crew, but CWGC only lists one Officer MN death. Any ideas?

Regards,

Steve

 

Hi Steve,
From my files -


JONES, Gunner, IVOR AUBREY, 6291320, 5/3 Maritime Regt., Royal Artillery. (SS Lylepark) 11 June 1942. Age 23. Husband of Daisy Winifred Jones, of Shepherd's Bush, London. 67, 2.

PORTER, Gunner, REGINALD FREEMAN, 1684050, 7/4 Maritime Regt., Royal Artillery. (SS Port Hunter) 11 June 1942. Age 28. Son of William George and Amelia Charlotte Porter; husband of Anne Lily Porter, of Ringwood, Hampshire. Panel 77, Column 3.

Only one killed on ss FORT GOOD HOPE. Second Engineer Cuthbert Hutchinson Jackson. The Chief Engineer was wounded and was admitted to hospital after rescue. All gunners saved.

Regards
Hugh

 

Hi Hugh,

Thanks as always for your encyclopedic reference/knowledge.

So the CWGC listing for Gnr Porter has him listed on the wrong date, 11th June v 11th July, when Port Hunter was actually lost. Sadly not the first time I've come across this kind of error.

Regards,

Steve

 

Yes, I have seen that too. I never actually noticed the typo in my database - I have changed it now, thanks. He is the only one written as 11 June instead of 11 July - all the rest of the casualties are correctly recorded so must have been an individual typo by CWGC that was not spotted.
Regards
Hugh

 

Indeed I guess they have a large number of losses to register and record and it stands to reason that human error will result in the occasional typo. A common occurrence I've encountered is the casualty being listed with the wrong year.

Regards,

Steve

 

Tuesday 16th June 1942

TUFFNELL, Jack, Gunner, RA (3/2 Maritime Regt), 4855801 [SWINESHEAD (ST. MARY) CHURCHYARD]

No obvious ship lose to associate with the loss of Gnr Tuffnell and a shore burial, so I would assume that his death is accident/illness related. Any ideas?

Regards,

Steve

 

Hi Steve, I don't have him in my database and he does not show up in any of the online sources so I can only conclude your assumption would be correct.
Regards
Hugh

 

Friday 19th June 1942

HAVERLEY, Henry G, Gunner, RA (7/4 Maritime Regt), 1605894 [ALEXANDRIA (HADRA) WAR MEMORIAL CEMETERY]

No obvious shipping incident on the 19th to relate to his death. With a shore burial presumably an accident/illness related death (though considering the location and the date their exists the possibility he was casualty onboard one of the merchant vessels taking part in the recently concluded ill-fated Operation Vigorous). Any ideas?

Regards,

Steve

 

Hi Steve, yes Operation Vigorous.

HAVERLEY, Gunner, HENRY GEORGE, 1605894, 7 Bty., 4 Maritime Lt. A.A. Regt., Royal Artillery. (SS Aagtekerk) 19 June 1942. Son of Elsie Maud Haverley, of Eton, Buckinghamshire. Grave Ref. 1. G. 26.

The Dutch Aagtekirk, was hit and caught fire, ships were sent from Tobruk but could only pick up survivors by 2:30 p.m. and the ship ran aground and burned out.

Gunner Haverley was noted as wounded on 14th June but died of his wounds on 19th June.

Regards
Hugh

 

Sunday 28th June 1942

NUGENT, James J, Lance Serjeant, RA (4/2 Maritime Regt), 3532948 [PoM]

Possibly lost with the sinking of S.S. Memas. That ship is recorded as being lost with 7 crew and 1 gunner. Was L/Sjt Nugent the lost gunner? Any ideas?

Regards,

Steve

 

Hi Steve,


NUGENT, Lance Serjeant, JAMES JOSEPH, 3532948, 4/2 Maritime Regt., Royal Artillery. (SS Queen Victoria) 28 June 1942. Age 22. Panel 72, Column 1.

QUEEN VICTORIA
28.6.1942: Torpedoed and sunk by Japanese submarine I-10 (Kayahara), in the Mozambique Channel S of Beira, in position 21.15S 40.30E while sailing independently on a voyage from the Tyne to Aden via Cape Town, with a cargo of military stores. All aboard were lost. (48).

Regards
Hugh

 

Hi Hugh,

Thanks for that. I had six other gunners from 4/2 Maritime Regt, plus 5 OR RN. I see Lloyd's says 33 crew and 15 gunners lost, any idea who the other three gunners were?

Regards,

Steve

 

Hi Steve,

I had to do some more research work on this as there were only 12 gunners (7 Army and 5 Royal Navy) in my database but I have found the other three gunners. They are all commemorated at Brookwood but I have found them in my copy of the Deaths at Sea Register where they are noted as Deck Hands which is another term used for DEMS gunners when assigned to military personnel.

Serjeant HENRY SAMUEL CRUSE

Service Number: 6282603
Regiment & Unit/Ship
The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment)
2nd Bn
BROOKWOOD 1939 - 1945 MEMORIAL
Panel 8. Column 3
United Kingdom

Serjeant MICHAEL FERRERO

Service Number: 6288357
Regiment & Unit/Ship
The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment)
2nd Bn.
BROOKWOOD 1939 - 1945 MEMORIAL
Panel 8. Column3
United Kingdom

Serjeant JOHN ALBERT THOMAS CURTIS

Service Number: 6346488
Regiment & Unit/Ship
Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment
4th Bn.
BROOKWOOD 1939 - 1945 MEMORIAL
Panel 13. Column 1
United Kingdom

Regards
Hugh

 

Hi Hugh,

Thanks for that. Curious that they were gunners listed under their original regiments and hadn't been transferred to the Maritime Regiment.

Regards,

Steve

 

Saturday 4nd July 1942

SCOTT, Victor, Gunner, RA (7/4 Maritime Regt), 1512271, killed [PlyM]

No obvious shipping incident to relate to Gnr Scott's loss. Navarino was lost on this date, but that sinking is recorded as resulting in death of one crew member and no gunners. Any ideas?

Regards,

Steve