Add Information to Record of a Person who served during the Second World War on The Wartime Memories Project Website
Add Information to Record of a Person who served during the Second World War on The Wartime Memories Project Website
Additions will be checked before being published on the website and where possible will be forwarded to the person who submitted the original entries. Your contact details will not be forwarded, but they can send a reply via this messaging system.
504126
William Richard Dunham Seymour
Royal Navy HMS Electra
My father was "the doc" on board The Electra when she sent down in The Battle of the Java Sea. His name is William (Bill) Richard Dunham Seymour. He is now 90 and was the ship's surgeon. He qualified in medicine at his home town of Belfast, N. Ireland, and volunteered (was known as "the wavey navy" as his strips were wavey to indicate he volunteered - no conscription in Ireland at that time - 1941). He joined up 4.4.1941 & went onto Electra, based at Scapa Flow and covering the N. Atlantic convoys before going out East. Luckily, was picked up after the Battle of the Java Sea by the Yanks and came home via Australia. Went to Haslar, then to King George V. and ended up being one the first specially chosen dozen to land in Japan after the two A bombs. We are still in touch with one or two survivors from the Electra.
Richard Coale was asking about people who may have known his grandfather who had been killed at the sinking of Electra in 1942. Could Richard please contact me?