246460 A.B. Raymond Charles John Oliver Royal Navy HMS Hartland from:Greenwich, London (d.19th Jul 1943) Raymond Oliver is my Great Uncle Ray. He was a strong Christian and he had a difficult time deciding whether to fight or be a conscientious objector as his father had been during WW1. However he decided to go and serve with the Royal Navy.
The family story is that he had been giving leaflets out to the many American service men about safety on ship emergency procedures. The ship HMS Hartland, was hit near Egypt that night and the men went into the water. My uncle was shot, probably machine gunned in the water. However, the Americans pulled him out of the water and took him on their medical facility. They even gave him an American uniform to wear as he had nothing. Raymond briefly returned to the UK via Bristol but he was really very seriously hurt and according to the family, looked truly awful. Ray was very shaken that those young men he'd only just handed out those leaflets out to were most likely dead. He was to return to naval duties but died as the result of an illness, weakened by being shot.
My family were devastated by his loss. Raymonds great neice has continued his good name in giving his name to her born son Alexander Ray. God rest a good man.
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