Guy Colquhoun RICHARDSON RNVR FAA HMS Goshawk-769-850-832 Sqns - torpedoed 1942?

If this forum cannot help I don't know who can...

Guy Colquhoun RICHARDSON, born 8 September 1921. Silver Medal at 1948 Olympics.
RNVR (A) January 1941
No 1 Observer School, HMS Goshawk, Trinidad 1941- Feb 1942
Midshipman (A)
Temp Sub-Lt (A) (O) 08 Sept 1942 (Navy List Feb 1944 refers)

June 1942-March 1945:
769 Sqn HMS Peewit
850 Sqn
832 Sqn

West Indies, Atlantic, North Sea, Pacific, Indian Ocean, Timor Sea
HMS Victorious
USS Saratoga
HMS Illustrious
HMS Begum

I am in touch with his family but they have had no joy in reponse to their request for his service record. The big question I have is that on a letter he wrote on 14 December 1941 the recipient has pencilled “Guy R in Trinidad, on return from which he was torpedoed, lost all kit, & was rescued from an open boat.” Can anyone help track down this sinking?

If anyone could help me with more information about his squadron service I'd be most grateful. (I have lots in general terms about Victorious, Saratoga, & Begum).

 

If this forum cannot help I don't know who can...

I have a letter written from Trinidad by Midshipman (A) Guy Colquhoun RICHARDSON on 14 December 1941; on it the recipient has pencilled “Guy R in Trinidad, on return from which he was torpedoed, lost all kit, & was rescued from an open boat.” Can anyone help me track down this sinking? I am in touch with his family but they have had no joy in reponse to their request for his service record, & had no idea that he may have been torpedoed whilst coming back from Trinidad.

Thanks.

Shaun

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Guy Colquhoun RICHARDSON, born 8 September 1921. Silver Medal at 1948 Olympics.
RNVR (A) January 1941
No 1 Observer School, HMS Goshawk, Trinidad 1941- Feb 1942
Midshipman (A)
Temp Sub-Lt (A) (O) 08 Sept 1942 (Navy List Feb 1944 refers)

June 1942-March 1945:
769 Sqn HMS Peewit
850 Sqn
832 Sqn

West Indies, Atlantic, North Sea, Pacific, Indian Ocean, Timor Sea
HMS Victorious
USS Saratoga
HMS Illustrious
HMS Begum

If anyone could help me with more information about his squadron service I'd be most grateful. (I have lots in general terms about Victorious, Saratoga, & Begum).

 

An Observer officer I’m writing about was trained at Goshawk (Course 47) & then shipped back to the UK at some point between 14 Mar & 02 Jun 1942. His RN records show nothing helpful, but one source claims his ship was torpedoed en route & he was rescued from a lifeboat.

Can anyone suggest what vessel(s) may have been carrying FAA trainees back from Trinidad in this period?

Thank you.

 

It does not help that you asked this question, with less information in August 2022, which had no response: Guy Colquhoun RICHARDSON RNVR FAA HMS Goshawk-769-850-832 Sqns - torpedoed 1942?

I do not understand why in this thread you refer to a date range in 1942, when the original post refers (in bold) a different date:

As your subject is the Olympic rower, did he ever write anything himself? See: Guy Richardson - Wikipedia

It looks like the FAA three times lost staff on ships going to Trinidad from the UK, though this was in 1941.

They lost 102 staff when the SS Almeda Star was sunk. See: SS Almeda Star - Wikipedia The date of the sinking being 16/1/1941 and Wiki states no survivors.

The two other vessels where HMS Goshawk lost staff were: On 25/3/1941 SS Britannia. See: SS Britannia (1925) - Wikipedia plus https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?135786 With survivors, some of whom landed in Brazil and others were picked up. This is the best possibility you have.

On 16/6/1941 SS St Lindsay See: https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?31523 note: no survivors.

I got my first pointers to HMS Goshawk's losses using Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Flying Personnel 1939 - 1947 See for reference: John Maguire, H.M.S. Goshawk, 1941

Try: The U-boat Wars 1939-1945 (Kriegsmarine) and 1914-1918 (Kaiserliche Marine) and Allied Warships of WWII - uboat.net to see if anything matches for your time period. I did some searching for your subject's name to no avail.

I did consider the following options, which I now consider can be excluded:

Assuming that some of the ship's crew and passengers died; how about the CWGC database for the relevant period? Too many returns as it does not recognise the FAA!

Do Port of Spain, Trinidad port records still exist? I expect that is the only port. Is there anything online about HMS Goshawk for that period?

Did convoys leave for the UK from Trinidad? This I think unlikely, so did they move first to an assembly port further north, e.g. St Johns?

 

Many thanks for those suggestions. Richardson’s family have drawn a blank - they didn’t know about the alleged incident until I told them.

I’ve done a trawl of the Aircrew Remembered casualty lists for 1942 & cross-referenced them with the CWGC records using aircrew rank as a sorting tool; they may not be listed as FAA but officers have an (A) after their rank & ORs have “air” in their rank. I was then able to eliminate casualties from known sinkings or air losses, & those buried in UK cemeteries. Which left zero names to work on.

I compiled lists of sinkings from U-Boat net & other sources & looked to see if any of them seemed to have potential. Drew a blank on all of them.

If I can ever get to the NA I plan to look at convoy records & survivors’ statements - but my deadline rapidly approaches!

Thank you for engaging with the problem- it seems to confirm that I’m not missing anything obvious!

 

Shaun,

I assume you know when Guy R. finished his course @ HMS Goshawk, so that is why you think the ship sinking etc was in 1942.

That still leaves open the question about the December 1941 remark.

I am puzzled and will not think any more.

PS I have asked a Moderator to merge the two threads.

 

Course finished 13 Mar 1942 & his RN records show that he was back in the UK by 02 Jun as he was sent on a course at the RNC.

Thank you for taking s much trouble - much appreciated!

 

I've just realized why you were confused. The LETTER was sent in December 1941. The recipient kept it (he was a fantastically useful hoarder of letters) & at some point between receipt & 1950 added the pencilled detail about the torpedoing - by which time he may have become confused.

Having worked on this a bit further, it is possible that Richardson was torpedoed whilst en route to the USA in December 1942 whilst travelling to join 850 NAS, though instead on December 31st 1942 he was transferred to 832. I'll now have to trawl all the sources looking for a possible match in vessel losses.