2nd Clarinet
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In Memory - HMS Neptune19th December 1941.
On the 19th December 1941, the following members of the Royal Marines Band Service gave their lives while serving onboard HMS Neptune.
Bandmaster D.F. Joyce
Musicians D.A. Randall, J.O. Roberts, F. Dick, W.A. Spence, D. Greaves, C.H.H. Plain, H.T. Goddard, A.E. Corner, C.E. Poole and W.A. Southgate.
Picture of the above, taken in July 1941......
I have posted below, the circumstances of that day.
HMS Neptune was a Leander class light cruiser which served with the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom during World War II.
The Neptune was the fourth ship of its class and was the ninth Royal Navy vessel to carry the name Neptune.
Built by Portsmouth Dockyard, the vessel was laid down 24 September 1931, launched 31 January 1933, and commissioned into the Royal Navy on 12 February 1934 with pennant number 20.
History
During World War II, Neptune operated with a crew drawn predominantly from the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy.
In December 1939, several months after war was declared, Neptune was patrolling in the South Atlantic in pursuit of German surface raider pocket battleship (heavy cruiser) Admiral Graf Spee.
Neptune, with other patrolling Royal Navy heavy units, was sent to Uruguay in the aftermath of the Battle of the River Plate.
She was still in transit however on December 17 when the Germans scuttled the Graf Spee.
Neptune participated in the battle of Calabria, on 9 July 1940, during which she was hit by the Italian light cruiser Giuseppe Garibaldi.
The 6" shell splinters damaged her floatplane beyond repair, its wreckage being thrown into the sea.
During 1941, she led Force K, a raiding squadron of cruisers.
Their task was to intercept and destroy German and Italian convoys en route to Libya.
The convoys were supplying Rommel's Afrika Korps in North Africa with troops and equipment.
Sinking
On 18 December 1941, she lead Force K, a raiding squadron of cruisers, to intercept and destroy German and Italian convoys en route to Tripoli, Libya.
The convoys were supplying the Africa Korps in North Africa with troops and equipment.
On the night of 19 December–20 December, Neptune, leading the line, struck two mines, part of a newly laid Italian minefield.
The other cruisers present, Aurora and Penelope, also struck mines.
While reversing out of the minefield, Neptune struck a third mine, which took off her propellers and left her dead in the water.
Aurora was unable to render assistance as she was already down to 10 knots (19 km/h) and needed to turn back to Malta.
Penelope was also unable to assist.
The destroyers 'Kandahar' and 'Lively' were sent into the minefield to attempt a tow.
The former struck a mine and began drifting.
Neptune then signalled for Lively to keep clear. (Kandahar was later evacuated and torpedoed by the destroyer HMS Jaguar, to prevent her capture.)
Neptune hit a fourth mine and quickly capsized.
Only 30 seamen, out of her complement of 767, survived the sinking, and only one was still alive, when their lifeboat was picked up five days later, by an Italian torpedo boat.
To those named above and the ships company who also died…..R.I.P.
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Hornblower
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Nick B
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RIP lads....You are part of our history! ( I would love to know what that dance band played?)
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sticky blue
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RIP to all
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bootybandy
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The above named RMB's that lost their lives that day, was that the full compliment of the Band Bob. or were some of the survivors in the Band also. It just seems odd that 11 RMB's lost their life, and there are 11 Musicians in that picture?? RIP Boys.
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2nd Clarinet
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Twink,
One man only survived this sinking.........Norman Walton.
'Sole Survivor - One Man's Journey', Norma Hudson's biography of her father, Norman Walton was released in 2008.
Full list of Royal Marines missing, presumed killed.
Note for 'Bunky the Bugler': There are two Boy Buglers listed.
Auchinleck, James W., Corporal
Barlow, William S., Marine
Blackwell, George., Marine
Boxall, Leslie A., Marine
Burrows, Verdun C.M.W., Marine
Chambers, George H., Marine
Cloughly, Norman D.S., Marine
Coppock, Colin F., Marine
Corner, Arthur E.G., Musician
Cray, Terrance C., Marine
Crocker, William H., Sergeant
Croke, William T., Corporal
Dale, Dennis I.T., Marine
Day, James E., Marine
Dick, David, Musician
Dickens, George, Marine
DowIe, Sidney J., Marine
Dubber, Ronald A., Marine
Dufton, John, Marine
Evoy, James, Marine
Facer, George B., Marine
Glover, Reginald J., Marine
Goddard, Hayward T.C., Musician
Greaves, Dennis, Musician
Green, Frank, Marine
Harris, Brynmor I., Marine
Harrison, Robert L., Marine
Hawkins, Thomas C., Marine
Hayward, Charles E.E., Corporal
Hendy, Norman, Marine
Hill, Thomas W., Marine
Hollick, Percy E., Marine
Hooper, William H.R., Sergeant
Hooper, William, Marine
Hopkins, George A., Marine
Hynard,Walter G., Marine
Joyce, Donald F., Bandmaster
Lavis, George, Sergeant
Lewis, Robert J., Marine
Lovett, Frederick C., Marine
McGuffog, Andrew, Marine
Medcalfe, Ernest W., Marine
Murch, William E., Sergeant
Nuttall, James, Marine
O'Brien, Patrick G., Sergeant
Partridge, George W., Marine
Patterson, John, Marine
Phipps, Reginald C., Corporal
Plain, Charles H.H., Musician
Poole, Cyril E., Musician
Preece, Douglas R.V., Corporal
Raby, Albert F., Marine
Raindle, William J., Marine
Randall, Douglas A., Musician
Reffold, Leonard, Marine
Roberts, John O., Musician
Robins, Henry A., Marine
Rogers, William J., Boy Bugler
Sergison, Andrew H.W., Marine
Shackleton,William T., Marine
Simpson, John W., Marine
Smith, Albert R., Boy Bugler
Sommerford, Jack, Marine
Southgate, William A., Musician
Spence, Walter A., Musician
Tebworth, Albert G., Marine
Vosper, Sydney A., Marine
Walford, Selby H.L., Corporal
Whitworth, James, Marine
Wilcock, Joseph, Marine
Willis, Oswald G.L., Marine
Wright, Stanley H.G., Marine
Young, Ronald J, Marine
Gardner, Hubert R, Marine
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