Hi everyone, My name is Joss and Im new to the forum so just saying hi. I am researching my family history and recently discovered that my Great Uncle John (my Grandfathers brother) was a 21 year old ERA on HMS Gloucester when she was sunk in the Battle of Crete. Most of the ships 800 crew went down with the ship, with around 70-80 survivors. My Grandfather never spoke of the tragedy, nor did his parents to my mum, they were totally devastated by it. All we knew was that he was lost at sea. Years later when Grandad died, we found a box of about 20 perfectly preserved letters sent by John from the ship. At that time it was engaged in an active campaign in the mediteranean and the Battle for Crete and Ive got letters right up to a week before the ship sank. The letters were put in a box and by the look of it had only been read once as theyre in pristine condition. Im in the process of typing the letters up, which I can share later if anyone is interested? Ive also joined a memorial group of HMS Gloucester survivors & family members, details can be found online if any other family members of survivors come across this post. There is now only one survivor of HMS Gloucester still alive, South African Marine Melvyn Baker. I will post in the War at Sea forum too.
