|
|
|
Those known to have sailed in HMS Anthony during the Second World War 1939-1945. - Brooke Ronald. Capt.
- Goffe DSC. Eric Clarence. P.O.
- Hodges J. M.. Lt. Cmdr.
- Mcdonald William George.
- Nash Albert Sidney. Able Sea.
- Parker Frederick James. Lead.Sea.
- Port Thomas John. Able Sea.
- Smith William Henry.
The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed,
please
Add a Name to this List
Records of HMS Anthony from other sources.
|
|
|
The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website.
Announcements
- 1st of September 2024 marks 25 years since the launch of the Wartime Memories Project. Thanks to everyone who has supported us over this time.
- The Wartime Memories Project has been running for 25 years. If you would like to support us, a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting and admin or this site will vanish from the web.
- 18th Dec 2024 - Please note we currently have a huge backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than
265120 your information is still in the queue, please do not resubmit, we are working through them as quickly as possible.
- Looking for help with Family History Research?
Please read our Family History FAQs
- The free to access section of The Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers and funded by donations from our visitors. If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web.
If you enjoy this site
please consider making a donation.
Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the War? Our
Library contains an ever growing number diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text. |
|
Wanted: Digital copies of Group photographs, Scrapbooks, Autograph books, photo albums, newspaper clippings, letters, postcards and ephemera relating to WW2. We would like to obtain digital copies of any documents or photographs relating to WW2 you may have at home. If you have any unwanted
photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them.
The Wartime Memories Project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes. Please get in touch for the postal address, do not sent them to our PO Box as packages are not accepted.
World War 1 One ww1 wwII second 1939 1945 battalion
Did you know? We also have a section on The Great War. and a
Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations.
|
|
Want to know more about HMS Anthony? There are:14 items tagged HMS Anthony available in our Library
These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War. |
|
William George Mcdonald HMS Anthony My father William Mcdonald was on HMS Anthony on 6th of May 1942 in the raid on Diego Suarez Harbour, Madagascar.
|
Lead.Sea. Frederick James "Lofty" Parker HMS Howe My Father Frederick Parker joined the Royal Navy aged 16 in 1916, served mostly on destroyers.Served during Spanish Civil war, Abyssinian campaign, due out 1939. Leaving HMS Hereward transferred to HMS Antelope, after she was damaged, to HMS Anthony. Wounded on Russian Convoys. Then on to HMS Howe. Served on Italian Landings, then on to Pacific with American fleet until end of war. Demobbed and worked at Whale Island.
|
Able Sea. Albert Sidney Nash HMS Anthony My great uncle, Albert Sidney Nash, served on HMS Anthony during WWII. He had also served during WWI.
|
P.O. Eric Clarence Goffe DSC. HMS Anthony My Grandfather, Eric Goffe, served on HMS Anthony for a time during WWII.
He was awarded his DSC whilst serving on this ship. The story goes something like this:
HMS Anthony and HMS Wishart were patrolling just off Gibralter, some spotter planes were helping them detect U-boats using a new device called MAD. On the 24th of February 1944 they came across U-761 commanded by OB Horst Geider.
U-761 was at a depth of about 50 meters, proceeding submerged at "Dead Slow", when four explosions were heard. Prisoners later stated that they assumed these explosions to have been caused by aircraft bombs or depth charges as they sounded milder than regular depth charges dropped by surface craft. No appreciable damage was done by these explosions which however served notice on officers and men that their boat had been discovered. Some prisoners spoke of two, some of three depth charge attacks which followed the aircraft bomb explosions. In the confusion no count of the charges dropped on them could be obtained, but the consensus of opinion seemed to be that the last series of depth charges was the most damaging.
After the first depth charge attack, several of the crew stated that U-761 must have broken surface. Shortly before, the boat, for unexplained reasons, was heavy by the bow. The order to trim by blowing was given, but apparently U-761 was closer to the surface than indicated and she surfaced. The mistake was promptly realized and she dived again.
According to prisoners either one or two more series were dropped on U-761. To the slighter damage of the first attacks were added the following which were the compelling reasons for giving up the boat: All electrical installations, including the batteries and the electric motors, were damaged and non-operative; the main switchboard was broken to pieces and thrown on the floor plates; the hydrophones and all radio apparatus were smashed, the former by one of the early depth charge attacks; compressors were wrenched loose from the straps; water entered the boat temporarily through a loose valve in the main drain pump; the clutch between the Diesels and the electric motors were jammed; high pressure air lines were ruptured. Photographs of the sinking show a large air bubble rising near the stern of the U-boat.
Quite apart from these damages, alone sufficient to make evasive action impossible, the air inside the boat had become quite foul, the lights except for the emergency lights were out and one prisoner even said that there was a slight smell of chlorine in the boat. Clearly, the situation was hopeless and after a quick consultation between Geider and Lendle, his engineer officer, the order to surface and to prepare for abandoning ship was given.
About 15 minutes after the first attack, U-761 broke surface and her crew began abandoning ship. None of her deck guns were fired. The engineer officer attached a scuttling charge to a torpedo in the stern compartment. He and the commanding officer were the last to leave the U-boat through the conning tower. Apparently confused, the engineer officer swam towards the submerged stern of U-761 although his commander shouted warnings. When the torpedo exploded, Lendle was injured by the underwater blast and dies in the arms of Geider who had come to his assistance. While the crew was abandoning ship, destroyers nearly opened fire and several planes dropped additional depth charges. Some men were killed and others suffered injuries. U-761 sank about 5 minutes after the crew had started to abandon her.
All I have is a dispatch sent to my grandfather saying "Good show Guns!!"
I think that being mentioned in a dispatch is one of the requirements for being awarded a DSC. In all my trawling through online documents I have never been able to find a mention of my Grandfather during this action or the exact details of his involvement. This seems a bit odd as he was awarded such a high honour.
|
Recomended Reading.Available at discounted prices.
|
|
|
