SS TABER PARK - sunk 13/03/1945 - Info Please

It is interesting to note that the Merchant Navy casualties are commemorated at Tower Hill:|Lost on vessels Swiftpool to Tacoma but not their DEMS gunner colleagues.

 

Their DEMS gunner colleagues, being military, are commemorated on the various military memorials. The Royal Navy for example will be on the Chatham, Portsmouth and Plymouth Memorials. The land forces are commemorated on the Brookwood Memorial.

Regards
Hugh

 

Thanks very much for your replies. With two people above saying that they are the grandchild and the great-grandchild of other members of the crew I was really hoping for specific information about my grandfather. As I said, the main thing I would like above anything would be a photograph, and if anyone has any stories or memories that would also be wonderful. I have tried to trace family without success (he was an only child and his mother never re-married after his father died when he was 7) and have placed an advert on the British Legion website, also without success, sadly.

I've been told that service records might well not have a photo attached, plus I was a bit put off by the part of the form stating that you may be asked to provide proof of being next of kin (his name isn't on my mother's birth certificate). I spoke to my mother about that a while ago and she said not to bother at the time, but we've now decided to fill the form out anyway and just see what happens...

 

on the other hand they just might - until you go down that avenue .......................................................

TD

 

Hi

ToriaR has not been back since but Whetton is commemorated on the Stapenhill (South Derbyshire) War Memorial.

Regards,

Graeme

 

Thanks, Graeme, that's good to know. His name is also on the war memorial plaque in Burton-on-Trent Town Hall. (PS Stapenhill was in Derbyshire up until 1888, but it's part of Burton-on-Trent in Staffordshire now.)

 

Hi, apparently this is my Great Uncle - we have exactly the same photo in our family - My Mum's maiden name was Kilshaw. Any relatives?

 

Hi Val

The details I posted come from Ancestry following some searching on my part - so not relatives I'm afraid

TD

 

Hi there Lordred, apparently Ralph Kilshaw was my Great Uncle - my grandma was Ruth Kilshaw and my mum's maiden name was Kilshaw - all from St Helens. Are we related?

 

Hi Val - if you click on Lordreds avatar you will see that their post in this thread is the only one they made since joining and were last seen in Dec 2017

Their profile is here - http://ww2talk.com/index.php?members/lordred.69929/ might be worth sending them a conversation and see if they are still around

TD

 

Hi Val, hope you are still checking messages. Ralph Kilshaw was my grandfather. We aren’t sure but was Ruth Ralph’s sister?

 

Hi Cooler King. What is your interest in Ralph Kilshaw? Are you related? Please get in touch - we have photos and info. We really want to know about you and anything we don’t already know about Ralph.Open to all possibilities.

 

Hi there Skilly, thanks for your message. We have very little information, someone in our family is looking into our family tree - all we know is that the Ralph Kilshaw (senior) in the photograph was our great uncle who was killed on the SS Taber Park. We have since found out that the boy in the photograph was also called Ralph (died 2018?) and we think he had a daughter Suzanne and two sons - another Ralph and John - this information may not be 100% correct but is one of these you? regards. Val

 

My grandfather was JJ Parsons, Captain & survivor of SS Taber Park