Remembering Today Casualty Ordinary Seaman COLLINGS, PERCY JABEZ Service Number D/JX 157573 Died 22/05/1941 H.M.S. Gloucester, Royal Navy Commemorated at PLYMOUTH NAVAL MEMORIAL Location: Devon, United Kingdom Number of casualties: 23228 Cemetery/memorial reference: Panel 49, Column 1.
According to the website WW2 Cruisers, Gloucester was a town-class cruiser, and during the battle for Crete she was part of Force B; she was sunk by air action with the loss of 732 out of 807. The attacks were so sustained that she reported only 18% ammunition by 0931 that morning, and by the time she was hit at 1550 had run out of high-angle ammunition and were apparently firing star shells at their assailants. HMS Fiji ran along side her and dropped Carley floats, but then withdrew. At 1715 the ship was finally abandoned, and sank shortly afterwards.
UK, British Army and Navy Birth, Marriage and Death Records, 1730-1960 Name: Percy Jabez Collings Event: Death Birth Date: 5 Oct 1922 Birth Place: Polruan, Cornwall Death Date: 22 May 1941 Death Age: 18 England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007 Name: Percy J Collings Registration Date: Oct-Nov-Dec 1922 Registration district: Liskeard Inferred County: Cornwall Re-registration Year: 1922 Mother's Maiden Name: Tippett Volume Number: 5c Page Number: 75 TD
Marriages Dec 1914 COLLINGS Jabez C P Tippett Liskeard 5c 121 TIPPETT May S Collings Liskeard 5c 121 1939 REGISTER TRANSCRIPTION Collings Household (4 People) No 10 Council House, Liskeard R.D., Cornwall NAME DOB OCCUPATION Jabez Collings 27 Jan 1890 Farm Labourer May (Smith) Collings 04 Jun 1895 Unpaid Domestic Duties Sorry, this record is officially closed. Sorry, this record is officially closed.
Thank you for posting this. I am this 'young man's' niece! I have been trying to get the correct information to the Cornwall Family History website (CFHS) "Cornwall's War History"... they have got the WRONG man and the wrong details! They have put his Father's details (My Grandad)and his Birth, and Age instead. My dear Uncle did not die age 53 he died age 18. I sent these people a detailed e-mail with the correct details, and a lovely back-story but have not been acknowledged. On the Lanteglos by Fowey War Memorial my Uncle's name is next to his friend J.A.Curtis (Tony) who died on the same day, same ship. So very sad.
Thank you. These are Percy's parents (My Grandparents). Percy's only remaining Sibling, his sister, Sheila is still with us. She is 87 years old. She was born at No 10 Council House, Polruan. Sheila is my Mum. She still misses her brother very much.