So I joined the staff of the Commander in Chief and we left Greenock on 23 October. My object is to surprise and sink transports and enemy warships before air attack can develop. 1455/9) which had been passed to the Tenedos at 1625, i.e., before the C.-in-C. knew he had been located and when he still intended to carry out his attack, should have been allowed to stand when the Tenedos was detached three-quarters of an hour after he knew he had been sighted. 3. Admiralty Message 1516, 11th November, 1941. As events turned out, the disaster which overtook the U.S. Fleet and Air Forces at Pearl Harbour prior to the declaration of war on 7th December, 1941, completely altered the strategical conditions on which the decision was taken to send these British reinforcements to the East. I passed over thousands who had been through an ordeal the greatness of which they alone can understand, for it is impossible to pass on one's feelings in disaster to others. EMERGENCY. She used to be the magnificent HMS Prince of Wales with 121 guns and was one of the first rate three decker line of battle ships. Details: 3 25' N., long. At 1230, 8th, the Commander-in-Chief, Eastern Fleet, discussed the situation and explained his intentions at a meeting attended by the Chief of Staff,5 the Captain of the Fleet,6 the Commanding Officers of the Prince of Wales and Repulse, and some Staff Officers. 1. Did something mentioned in the article give you a lead on your own family history research? was in dock at Singapore; date of completion, 25/12/41. referenced. 12 submarines. 8. Defence Committee, necessity to send modern ships to Far East, 2. Memorial is in the Blue Zonein the area close to the Royal Naval ReviewNational Memorial ArboretumCroxall RoadAlrewasLichfieldStaffordshireDE13 7AREnglandOS Grid Ref: SK 1848014709Denomination: Undefined. (2235 G H/9.) . photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them. The records are from a variety of sources which include BT98 and specialist county and non-county census records. No enemy forces were sighted, and the Express, which was sent to investigate the harbour, reported "complete peace", rejoining the flag at 0845. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. Reference paragraph F. of AT. HMS Prince of Wales, British battleship, WW2 - Naval History.Net The United States of America, British Empire, China and the Netherlands were known as the ABCD Powers. Photographed in 1941, sometime prior to her 24 May 1941 engagement . Comedian Chris Ramsay is convinced he has been very lucky in the lottery of life can the same be said of his ancestors? In the Gulf of Siam: Report of Flight-Lieut. . But he DID survive and I know this because when, 50 years later, I was broadcasting my story for Radio Solent, he heard the broadcast, wrote to me and reported that he managed to get away and was now retired and living in Portsmouth. By downloading or embedding any image, you agree to the terms and conditions of the IWM Non Commercial Licence, including your use of the attribution statement specified by IWM. Please check our Hours of Operation page before planning your visit. ADMIRAL PHILLIPS' APPRECIATION AND PLAN, 8TH DECEMBER, 1941. Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Kongo, Japanese battleship, 7, 9, App. HMS ELECTRA (H 27) - E-class Destroyer - Naval History.Net HMS Prince of Wales - Battleships-Cruisers.co.uk I had the privilege to be the first aircraft to reach the crews of the Prince of Wales and the Repulse after they had been sunk. Admiralty pass to C.-in-C., South Atlantic and C.-in-C., East Indies. Objective chosen will depend on air reconnaissance. -8 * All Commanders-in-Chief, and certain other Flag Officers and Commonwealth Naval Authorities directly concerned. Discussion with Admiral Hart very friendly and we can expect full co-operation. We sailed well out into the Atlantic because of U-Boat activity, called at Sierra Leone to refuel, then at Simonstown and Capetown, where we had two splendid days of leave, and I was able to visit Muriels aunt and uncle (Ellen and Harry). If you are enjoying the site, please consider making a donation, however small GUNS No avoiding action was possible, as any large alteration of course would have incurred a hit from the torpedoes whose tracks were already being No record has been found of a formal decision on this important point, though it was much in the minds of both the Prime Minister and the First Sea Lord; but on 11th November, before the Prince of Wales reached Capetown, the Admiralty ordered her to meet the Repulse in Ceylon and to proceed in company to Singapore3--a course of action already recommended by Admiral Phillips himself in signals on 6th and 8th November.4, It had originally been intended to include an aircraft carrier in the squadron, but owing to the recent grounding of the Indomitable none was available. The right-hand one attacked the Repulse from the starboard side, dropping their torpedoes at about 2,500 yards range. A Catalina sent to reconnoitre the anchorages on the west coast of Cambodia made no report and failed to return. Admiralty Message 1139/24 November paragraph (a). E. September Retained in commission and took passage to war station. As I turned over and twisted in bed the full horror of the news sank in upon me. Except Russia. Transport movements, especially in the Canton area, had been heavy, with a general trend to the southward; but by the first In any case propose H.M.S. Enter the tag you would like to associate with this record and click 'Add tag'. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Actress Lesley Manville CBE is a big hitter of British film and TV, having been nominated as best actress in both the BAFTAs and the Oscars. 1719/28/10 the following units are to be considered as forming part of the Eastern Fleet:--Prince of Wales, Repulse, Revenge, Electra, Express, Encounter, Jupiter, and such other units of the China Station as desired by C.-in-C., Eastern Fleet. E. HyperWar: Loss of H.M. Ships PRINCE OF WALES and REPULSE - The Public's Nearly half those who sang were [] The first, and by far the largest, consists of ships registered in Southampton. The number of items entered for each year is the number of documents, not of complete returns. The Prince of Wales meanwhile had been heading north, her speed reduced to eight knots. Lieutenant M. Graham R.N.V.R., while swimming to the Express, came on the body of Captain Leach floating in the water. 5. Sinking of the HMS Repulse - History Of Diving Museum . Prince of Wales and Repulse are each to have one aircraft fuelled and ready to fly off if required. No enemy planes were shot down and no damage was done to the warships. Repulse is to proceed to Ceylon as proposed by C.-in-C., East Indies to arrive by 1st December. The documents are stored by year in numerical sequence of registered number, as they were received, and have not been rearranged under the names of individual ships. 1. H.M. Reaching Singapore on 02/12/1941, Force G was redesignated Force Z and came under the direction of newly-appointed Eastern Fleet commander Admiral Sir Tom Phillips. Against Malaya (see Plan 2), landings were made at Kota Bharu in the extreme north-east, and at Singora, about 130 miles over the Siamese frontier.4 These landings were accompanied by heavy air attacks on the three British airfields in Northern Malaya--Kota Bharu, Alor Star and Sungei Patani. There is evidence from survivors in support of this opinion, though only one explosion--abreast "P3" and "P4" turrets--was seen from the Repulse and the escorting destroyers. 1329A/7/12/41. After the sinking of Hood, seven large caliber shells hit Prince of Wales forcing the battleship to disengaged under a smokescreen and joined HMS Suffolk and HMS Norfolk. Using the Royal and the Merchant Navy records to find a mariner whose daring deeds earned him a VC. It was from this aircraft, which had been ordered to land on shore, that the first news of Admiral Phillips' change of plan and consequent presence off Kuantan reached Singapore (at about 1130). The opportunity came with the fall of France in June, 1940. The disappearance of the capital ships, it was considered, would disconcert the Japanese, and at the same time increase the security of the force. Programme after leaving Cape depends on need for early arrival Singapore. SHIPS OF FORCE "Z" WITH COMMANDING OFFICERS, APPENDIX B 1246/6 (G.M.T. are:- those of the BBC. After two weeks in Singapore on the staff of Commander-in-Chief Eastern Fleet, Admiral Sir Geoffrey Layton, we moved to Java in H.M.S. George Frederick Edgar Lobb HMS Lanka, Gnr. SITUATION ON ARRIVAL, 1ST DECEMBER, 1941, When Admiral Phillips arrived the political situation was still most uncertain. Enabling JavaScript will improve your experience of this site. See Appendix D. At the time this signal went out, the Japanese were already landing at Khota Bharu, and before it reached the Admiralty the Prince of Wales and Repulse had been sunk and Admiral Phillips was dead. For intelligence believed to have been available to Admiral Phillips, and armament of Japanese Naval Forces, see Appendices B and E. The sinkings were an appalling blow to British prestige. Ernest's record shows him as a boy sailor in WW1 then re-enlisting on 2nd of September 1940. 4. Submarines, Dutch patrols, 5; Russian, 5 (note); U.S.A., 5; Japanese, 5; disposition, 9; locate Force "Z", 11, 12; report of in Prince of Wales, 15 (note). Now both ships were taking water and the tragedy was that because of the grounding of the Carrier Indomitable off the US earlier on, we had no defence against air attack. Signed limited edition of 1150 prints. Hood between 1920 and 1941. 3. You can order records in advance to be ready for you when you visit Kew. (1252. Note: See also ADM 199/1149. Torpedo attacks 50 Time used throughout is Zone "GH", i.e., -7 (local time, Singapore) except where otherwise stated. Air raid on Hongkong (Kaitek) airfield; Japanese troops crossed frontier into New Territory. The next three-quarters of an hour was spent in rescue work, at the end of which time she was completely full, and at 1415 course was set for Singapore. privacy policy, Need more context? Both ships were faster than any. It gives details of over 439,000 Royal Navy and Merchant Seamenrecords which are searchable by name, rank, age and ship. Various alternatives were considered, and at the end of August, 1941, it was proposed to send 3 capital ships to Trincomali, there to await developments. 1. ADM 199/2385. Forces in such an eventuality arranged as a result of C.-in-C. Eastern Fleet's visit to Manila? Captain RN . and two 5.5-in.--and 20 destroyers, covering a large number of transports. 2. 1. From there I made my way, with much difficulty, back to Southampton and Bitterne. Considerable fighting took place in the neighbourhood of Kota Bharu, but within 24 hours this airfield was lost, and a day later (9th December) those at Alor Star and Sungei Patani had been rendered unserviceable by bombing and were evacuated. They had been seen to cross from starboard to port at extreme range, and after making use of cloud on the port beam to do a series of turns together, attacked in waves of two or three in line abreast. Sonokawa. developed from ahead. I am assuming that it remains the intention to give publicity to arrival of Force "G" at the Cape and accordingly propose to remain in that area from 17 to 24 November. Approved 1st Lord. 283 m.p.h. T.O.R. release to the Press or disclosure in any other way would be a breach of 3 43' N., long. Once again the lesson of Norway and Crete had received tragic confirmation; fighter support for surface forces operating where there is a possibility of strong enemy air attack is a prime necessity. The Japanese naval forces7 in the Gulf of Siam were estimated at 1 battleship (probably the Kongo), 7 cruisers--three 8-in. All articles are Copyright of the author and TheGenealogist. Send--(?)--(?) As soon as the news of the loss of Admiral Phillips was received in the Admiralty, orders were sent to Vice-Admiral Layton to re-hoist his flag as Commander-in-Chief, Eastern Fleet.4 By his direction, reports from the surviving officers and men of Force "Z" were collected--a task already. Actually, the bombs used in the first attack were about 500 lb., and those subsequently 1,000 lb. 9. APPENDIX F (1) with the best resources online to document your own family history story. For some of the cross-Channel and Isle of Wight passenger ferries, the practice was adopted at certain dates of making one return for all the ships of the company; when this has occurred, the ship names have been cross-referenced. During the evening further signals from the Chief-of-Staff gave warning of the possible presence of aircraft carriers off Saigon, and of enemy bombers. 2. * More than nine T/B's may have been employed for these attacks. was threatening the stability of Express, she withdrew to a safer position. This story was submitted to the People's War site by Jeanne on behalf of Commander Ward and has been added to the site with his permission.

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