DEMS gunner losses

Thursday 1st June 1944

WILSON, Frank, Gunner, RA (3 Maritime Regt), 11423343, MPK (ChM)

No obvious shipping incident to associate with the death of Gnr Wilson, so I believe that his death is due to an illness/accident. Any ideas?

Regards,

Steve

 

Hi Steve,
WILSON, Gunner, FRANK, 11423343, 3 Maritime Regt., Royal Artillery. 1 June 1944. (SS City of Sydney) – poop of ship off Gibraltar – gunshot wounds]

Date of reported death from the Merchant Navy side was 31 May 1944.

Regards
Hugh

 

Sunday 4th June 1944

FUDGE, Ernest T, Bombardier, RA (2/1 Maritime Regt), 803813 [NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE (ALL SAINTS) CEMETERY]

No obvious shipping incident to associate with the death of Bdr Fudge and a shore burial, so I believe that his death is due to an illness/accident. Any ideas?

Regards,

Steve

 

Hi Steve,

Re your #5 and my #7 of 2021, I can now confirm that gunners' Scott and Stephens were both lost as I suspected from the Dutch ship TRITO lost in the English Channel SW of Portland after being attacked by the Luftwaffe. The other two gunners were RN and names known. Hope that helps.

Regards
Hugh

 

Friday 9th June1944

BRUINES, Ernest, Gunner, RA (3 Maritime Reg), 1078830, MPK [ChM]

No obvious shipping incident on the 9th to associate with the loss of Gnr Bruines, so was his death due to an accident/illness? Any ideas?

Regards,

Steve

 

Hi Steve,

BRUINES, Gunner, ERNEST, 1078830, 3 Maritime Regt., Royal Artillery. 10 June 1944. 80, 1.
Killed in action, shrapnel wounds to head during enemy air attack – FORT PIC.

My sources indicate the date of death of DEMS Gunner Bruines and the other merchant seamen killed in the attack was 10 June 1944.

Regards
Hugh

 

Hi Hugh,

Thanks for that. CGWC list him on the 9th, but the four crew deaths for Fort Pic are listed on the 10th. I haven't been able to find any more information regarding the attack, Lloyd's Vol II doesn't list it and the ship isn't listed in the damaged UK M/V & F/V list. With two of the MN crew being buried at Southampton, I presume the attack took place in the Channel/off Normandy, but do you have any more details?
Regards,

Steve

 

Saturday 10th June 1944

BAKER, Thomas, Gunner, RA (5 Maritime Regt), 11000743, MPK [ChM]
CROMACK, Edward J, Gunner, RA (5 Maritime Regt), 4807666, MPK [ChM]
HUGHES, William, Gunner, RA (5 Maritime Regt), 914145, MPK [ChM]
POUND, William E, Gunner, RA (5 Maritime Regt), 4200502, MPK [ChM]
SHERBORNE, Percy F, Lance Bombardier, RA (5 Maritime Regt), 6471772 [BAYEUX WAR CEMETERY]

I believe all the above gunners were lost with the sinkings of coasters Ashanti, Brankenfield and Dungrange after Convoy ETC.4W was attacked by German MTB's in the English Channel.

Casualties are reported by Lloyd's as being the following
Ashanti- 10 crew and 7 gunners lost
Brankenfield- 10 crew, 6 gunners and 1 RE passenger lost (and 2 survived)
Dungrange- 13 crew and 5 gunners lost (and 1 crew and 1 gunner survived)

From CWGC I've identified
Ashanti- 4 Officers and 6 OR crew and 4 OR RN gunner deaths
Brankenfield- 3 Officers and 7 OR crew and 5 OR RN gunner deaths
Dungrange- 4 Officers and 8 OR crew and 3 OR RN gunner deaths

Any idea if Lloyd's figures are in error (they record one more crew member and one more gunner than are noted as being lost by CWGC) and any idea which ships the five Army gunners were lost with?

Regards

Steve

 

Hi Steve,

Cargo ship FORT PIC, 7,130grt, (MOWT, J.&C. Harrison mgrs) loaded with a cargo of war stores and 567 troops bound for the D-Day Landings sailed from Southend on the 8th June 1944 in the 14 ship Convoy ETM-3, arriving at Gold Beach, Normandy the following day. On the 10th June off the beachhead the ship was attacked by German aircraft and strafed with cannon fire and suffered slight bomb damage and the ships Second and Third Radio Officers and one DEMS gunner were killed by shrapnel. Two other crew members died later from wounds the same day and are buried at Southampton (Hollybrook) Cemetery. The ships Master died in 1947 and was granted full war grave status.

HEGARTY, Third Radio Officer, NORMAN WOOD, S.S. Fort Pic (London). Merchant Navy. 10th June 1944. Age 18. Son of John Patrick and Kate Beatrice Hegarty, of South Shields, Co. Durham.
GRIFFIN, Seaman, RONALD ERNEST, S.S. Fort Pic (London). Merchant Navy. 10th June 1944. Age 20. Son of Robert Henry and Florence May Griffin, of Finchley, Middlesex.
OWEN, Second Radio Officer, JAMES, S.S. Fort Pic (London). Merchant Navy. 10th June 1944. Age 33. King's Commendation for Brave Conduct. Son of Ernest Owen, and of Sarah Jane Owen, of Blackley, Manchester.
SMITH, Able Seaman, GEORGE EDWARD, S.S. Fort Pic. (London). Merchant Navy. 10th June 1944. Age 31. Son of George Edward and Eva Smith; husband of Phyllis Naomi Smith, of Nottingham.
UNCLES, Master, HOWARD, D S C, S.S. Fort Pic (London). Merchant Navy. 18th May 1947. Age 59. Son of William and Sarah Uncles; husband of Vera Beatrice Uncles, of Beverley.



Regards
Hugh

 

Steve, you are correct with the gunners being lost from those three ships and I have names against each of them but I am still working on hard proof and I don't have it yet - its on my list. Note* typo in ship name it is BRACKENFIELD not BRANKENFIELD.

Regards
Hugh

 

Steve,
Re your #45 and some others.

I can now confirm that the DEMS casualties for ss ALGARVE were as follows:

All the gunners joined the ship on 17 February 1941 at Southend and were killed two days later. RIP.

COTTON, Leslie, Corporal, Army, 4612306, age 26, Duke of Wellington Regt, killed 19 February 1941, (ALGARVE)
HIGHAM, James, Private, Army, 4618948, age 21, Duke of Wellington Regt, killed 19 February 1941, (ALGARVE)
LUCAS, Mostyn R, Private, Army, 6098461, age 25, Queen’s Royal Regiment, killed 19 February 1941, (ALGARVE)
MANSFIELD, Thomas, F, Private, Army, 6098466, age 24, Queen’s Royal Regiment (West Surrey), killed 19 February 1941, (ALGARVE).

Regards
Hugh

 

Tuesday 13th June 1944

LUND, Henry, Gunner, RA (5 Maritime Regt), 4540037, MPK [ChM]
SMITH, Eric, Gunner, RA (1 Maritime Regt), 3456484 [LE PETIT LAC CEMETERY]

Two Army gunners losses on this date. Gnr Smith is buried in Algeria, so I believe his death was due to an accident/illness. There is no shipping incident on this date to associate with the loss of Gnr Lund (just as there isn't for two RN gunners who also died today)

HMS President III, S.S. Leias
BERRY, Norman, Act/Able Seaman, P/JX 289568, killed [PoM]

HMS President III, S.S. Reias
WALKER, Horace J, Act/Able Seaman, C/JX 315637, killed [ChM]

Does anyone have any ideas on the cause of their deaths?

Regards,

Steve

 

Hi Steve,
Gunners’ Norman Berry and Horace John Walker both lost their lives while serving as DEMS gunners aboard the Norwegian REIAAS.

The Norwegian cargo ship REIÅS had loaded vehicles and other military equipment in London for the Normandy invasion. On 5 June 1944, she embarked 200 British soldiers. On 6 June 1944, twenty minutes after the soldiers had disembarked on the British sector "Sword" in Normandy, she dropped anchor and began unloading cargo.

On 7 June 1944, REIÅS departed for Portsmouth to reload similar cargo for "Sword". She returned to "Sword" on 12 June, unloading her cargo that night. As darkness fell, at around 01:00 on 13 June 1944, she collided with the British ship "FOLDA". The impact struck her starboard bow, where the gunners' quarters were located. The ship began taking in water. The gunners, despite attempting to escape using an axe, were unable to get out and perished. The rest of the crew evacuated in lifeboats and reached safety, with the forepart of the ship already submerged.

The majority of the crew were rescued by the British ship "ROWANSFIELD" and landed on the French coast. They were then transferred to a British naval vessel, which brought them to England on 15 June 1944.

Regards
Hugh

 

Wednesday 14th June 1944

PRATT, Leslie J, Gunner, RA (5 Maritime Regt), 1679053, MPK [ChM]

The only shipping loss I can see on this date was the French flagged Saint Basile, but I believe they wouldn't have had British Army gunners onboard, so I don't believe it's related to the loss of Gnr Pratt.

So does anyone have ideas on the cause of his death?

Regards,

Steve

 

Hi Steve,

LUND, Gunner, HENRY, 4540037, 5 Maritime Regt., Royal Artillery. (SS Empire Tugela) 13 June 1944. 80, 2. (Died from fever and heat exhaustion in position 24' 39N 36' 06E). This position is located in the Red Sea, west of Saudi Arabia and east of Egypt.

SMITH, Gunner, ERIC, , 1 Maritime Regt., Royal Artillery. (SS Circassia) 13 June 1944. Age 28. Son of William and Sarah Smith, of Macclesfield, Cheshire. Grave Ref. Plot E. Row C. Grave 31. (Died in an accident at Mers-el-Kibir from a compound fracture of the skull with laceration of brain tissue).

Regards
Hugh

 

PRATT, Gunner, LESLIE JOHN, 1679053, 5 Maritime Regt., Royal Artillery. (SS Chant 69) 14 June 1944. Age 31. Son of Mr. and Mrs. A. Pratt; husband of Kathleen Pratt, of Hinckley, Leicestershire. 80, 2. (Missing presumed drowned off the French coast)

Most online sources that I have read put the loss of this ship as the 16 June which is incorrect. I note this from the CWGC. The date of death of the two merchant seamen are correct and match my own sources for Gunner Pratt.

Chief Officer William James Wiliamson and Assistant Cook James Leitch Scott
Chief Officer William James Williamson and Assistant Cook James Leitch Scott signed on for a voyage with M/V Chant 69, a vessel taken on for Special Service from 25th May 1944, in preparation for D-Day.

Following the Normandy coast offensive on 6th June, the vessel was being used to transport water for soldiers between Sword and Gold beach, when it capsized off Juno beach on 14th June. Williamson and Scott were both lost at sea, being recorded as Missing Presumed Drowned. Our teams will carry out further investigation to establish the form and point of commemoration, so that eighty years on, they are remembered in perpetuity as Merchant Navy casualties. New Non-Commemoration cases are accepted for Commemoration | CWGC

Regards
Hugh

 

Hi Hugh,

Thanks for that information.

Good to see that C/O Williamson and A/Cook Scott will be receiving a place of remembrance after all this time.

Regards,

Steve

 

Good Day everyone. I realize this thread is titled “DEMS Losses”…..and my information isn’t about “losses” but of DEMS personnel on ships.

Lately, in my research on other things I noticed in researching the RMS Aquitania that it listed DEMS gunners as part of the crew on arrival in New York. I believe that “any ship” that arrived in New York during the war had a “crew list” which may include DEMS.

I’m not sure if anyone “wants” this info, but I thought I would post up and example and you can tell me if 1st) someone wants this and 2nd) where should I post it (or doesn’t someone just want me to send it to you)

I have download just a few of the pages (in my research for other info) and will post them below…..and the membership of this thread can tell me if they “want it” or not.

These files are ONLY for the Aquitania and for the Months of Sept, Oct, Nov and Dec 1944.

IF, it looks interesting to someone, I can research a few other ships and see if they give this type of info.

NOTE: the screen shots I took are quite legible, compared to what happens when posted on the site, so I could send someone the info directly (by e-mail)

Cheers












EDIT: I cropped one down (first page), and enhanced it to see if it would show up better on the site… Info below

 

Hi Temujin,

Yes, DEMS gunners, due to the fact they all signed on the articles of agreement, were actually considered part of a ships crew under the authority of the master. You will find DEMS gunners listed in all the crew manifests submitted at New York which can be very useful to researchers as in many cases ships were lost after leaving NY,NY, and prior to arrival at next port. Those lists may indicate the last actual crew list as some signed off and others may have signed on there.

I personally have access to this resource but others may not and indeed I have used it on some of my contributions to this thread.
I am not sure what Steve49's thoughts are on this as he is the one who is making the requests on here. Either way, I am very happy for those lists to be posted although perhaps in a separate thread from this as this one concerns those who were lost.

Regards
Hugh

 

Thank you. You folks seem like “you’re on it”, so I won’t do anymore as it was just an “aside” from my normal research in helping others find info, so mainly checking to see if this thread has access to those files, and you do.

Thanks for getting back to me

Cheers