The following sailors from HMS Hornet are listed by CWGC as dying on this date. BALLARD, Leonard F, Act/Chief Motor Mechanic 4c, P/MX 125167, MPK [PoM] BARDSLEY, Victor, Act/Chief Motor Mechanic 4c, P/MX 116826, MPK [PoM] QUY, Arthur J W, Leading Motor Mechanic, P/MX 501468, MPK [PoM] ADM104 lists them as 'missing, death on war service presumed'. I cannot identify any shipping incident to associate with their losses, any ideas on where or how they were killed? Regards, Steve
Good morning Steve. Indomitable? Pure guesswork on my part given the "MPK" side of things. Good luck in cracking it. Kind regards, always, Jim.
Hi Jim, Cheers, but with HMS Hornet being a coastal forces base, it's unlikely they'd have been anyway near an aircraft carrier. Plus HMS Indomitable was damaged on the 16th so I think we can strike that possibility (plus HMS Cleopatra and HMS Queen Emma which were damaged on the 16th and 17th respectively). The only RN vessels I've identified as being damaged on the 18th are three MTB's, but they all only sustained minor damage and it seems unlikely three relatively senior mechanics would have been killed in these incidents. Edit: Looking at the other casualties during the day I wonder if I might have found something. One sailor (Stoker 2c Edmund Fowler) is listed as drowning after an accident involving LCP(L)1 in Stokes Bay. This location is close to the Gosport base of HMS Hornet, so I wonder if they were related. It seems I might find an answer at the TNA, because document ADM 358/4242 refers to a 'Landing Craft Personnel (Large) 1: 18 July 1943; training accident in Stokes Bay, Lee-on-Solent'. So one more to add to my list for when I next get over to Kew. Regards, Steve
Steve, scroll down to the post dated 17th December 2010 (link below) Needs confirmation still I guess. Kind regards, always, Jim. 430718 - Unaccounted airmen - 18-7-1943
Steve, above has your chaps listed as passengers on a Sunderland, shot down. Kind regards, always, Jim.
Hi Jim, Thanks for that link. I had the two HMS Cormorant casualties as being lost in an RAF plane, but hadn't connect them to the three HMS Hornet losses. It would indeed seem that they had the misfortune of being in the wrong plane at the wrong time. Edit: Looking Chris Goss's Bloody Biscay the 18th July was a bad day for the RAF in the Bay. As well as the 204 Sqn Sunderland mentioned, the Luftwaffe also shot down a 53 Sqn Liberator and a 10 OTU Whitley Regards, Steve
Hi Steve I was interested to read your post. I have just started to search for records as my uncle, Kenneth Wilkinson(Able Seaman) died during that training accident on the 18th July 2023. Myself & my cousins had been discussing his death recently and my dad, his brother and his other siblings have now passed away & dad told us the full story but I can't remember all the details now! I know uncle Kenneth could swim & died needlessly and it was my poor dad aged 21 who had to go and identify his body with his dad as my grandmother was so devastated by his death. I have applied for his service records but I've been trying to find something relating to the actual accident. We know that he died on 18th July 1943 at Stokes Bay while on the LPC(L) 1 Do you have any more information? Thank you Vivien
Hi Vivien, Unfortunately at the moment the only information I have regarding LCP(L)1 is what I mentioned above. I haven't yet been able to visit TNA to see the related document. I hadn't picked up on the loss of your uncle being related to the loss of the LCP, because his death is listed by the CWGC as being associated with a different landing craft. HM LCG(L)15 WILKINSON, Kenneth M, Ordinary Seaman, D/JX 250377, killed [MOSTON (ST. JOSEPH'S) ROMAN CATHOLIC CEMETERY] However I see from looking at ADM104, that the CWGC seem to be be in error and indeed he was lost with LCP(L)1 in Stokes Bay. Hopefully a future visit the National Archives will provide some more information on the incident. Regards, Steve
Thanks Steve Are the records accessible online? Would you mind keeping me posted if you do get any info please
Hi Vivian, No sadly the ADM358 collection is not available to see online. The only way to see what it contains is to make a visit to TNA at Kew. It's on my list of documents to look at, but I'm not sure when I'll next be able to visit. Regards, Steve
Hello Vivien and Steve, I happened to come across this thread and, since I was visiting the National Archives to do some research on a naval talk I will be giving in the near future, I booked out the file ADM 358/4242. I realise that either/both of you may have seen this file since the last posting in this thread -- but in case you have not, I list below the key information in this quite small file, since it might add hopefully to your knowledge base The LCP (L) 1 was based at HMS Tormentor which was a coastal forces base in the nearby Solent. The craft was lost during a training accident while it was exercising in Stokes Bay. There is no further information e.g. was the craft involved in a collision with another vessel or was live firing involved in the training scenario. Three of the crew were killed: Kenneth M. Wilkinson - Ordinary Seaman, service no. D/JX250377 Edmund G. S. Fowle - Stoker 2nd Class, service no. C/KX 125579 (His body was recovered from the water a few days later and he was identified by his name on clothing) James A, Larkman - Stoker 1st Class - service no. C/KK 105318 (The surname Likman was given on another entry - but two of the documents in the file stated Larkman) Two further crewmen were listed as injured and were hospitalised at very nearby Haslar. They were: George Jones - AB Seaman, service no. C/JX 354164 A.M. Tomlin - Leading Seaman, service no. P/JX 149122 The names/service numbers of Kenneth Wilkinson's crewmates just might provide a basis to investigate the actualities of the incident - a long shot being Coastal Forces records. Regards Rattler
