Lt-Cdr Charles Robert Tribe, RN. - Killed 31/12/44

Discussion in 'North Africa & the Med' started by gmyles, Apr 26, 2017.

  1. gmyles

    gmyles Senior Member

    Hi

    Looking for any information relating to the demise of the above officer who, as far as I can tell, was serving with the Greek Military Mission (MMG) at the time of his death.

    He is classed on the Naval history website as "missing presumed killed".

    According to the CWGC website, his wife Emily Maud 'Lily' Tribe, lived in Athens.

    Thanks in advance

    Gus
     
    Last edited: Apr 26, 2017
  2. gmyles

    gmyles Senior Member

    Just found a snippet from a book entitled 'Simiomata' by Richard Cappel. Where it says he was:

    "siezed as a hostage at Christmas and whose body was found on Hymettos (Comment: Mount Hymettus is 15 km east of Athens). The commander who had formerly belonged to the British Naval Mission, was 70 years of age, and had lived in Greece for many years."

    I've also found that Lt-Cdr Tribe's son, Gunner Maurice George Tribe was sadly also killed in the same year whilst serving on board HMS Janus.

    Gus
     
    Last edited: Apr 26, 2017
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  3. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

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  4. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

  5. Tony56

    Tony56 Member Patron

    The Yorkshire Evening Post, Monday, December 13, 1943

    50 YEARS IN THE NAVY
    On November 5, 1893, 18 year old Charles Robert Tribe joined the Royal Navy as a boy, 2nd Class. Recently, in Cairo, just 50 years later, in the uniform of a Lieutenant-Commander, he stood among friends who drank his health and congratulated him on his long naval career.
    Lieut-Commander Tribe, RN, a self-educated man, was born in the convict warders’ quarters which stood on the site of the present Portsmouth Barracks. He is the son of a Crimean veteran, who built the first house on Whale Island, now the centre of British naval gunnery, and he trained the naval guard of honour for the Coronation of King George V. he installed the first fire control gear ever fitted in a destroyer of the Royal Navy.
    SUBMARINE ESCAPE APPARATUS
    Joining the British Naval Mission to Greece in 1917, he helped in the training of Greek naval personnel in Poros, supervising five training schools until 1923.
    In his spare time Lieut-Commander Tribe designed and patented a submarine escape apparatus. He was evacuated from Greece when the Allies were hard pressed in April 1941.
    His first sea-going ship was HMS Gibraltar, in 1896, one of six ships of the flying squad that confronted the Germans during the Agadir incident.
    There are 35 members of the Tribe family serving in the armed forces.
     
    Last edited: Apr 26, 2017
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  6. Tony56

    Tony56 Member Patron

    Royal Navy Officers 1899-1919
    ADM196/164
    Tribe_CR (1).jpg

    UK Registers of Seaman’s Services
    ADM188
    Tribe_CR (2).jpg
     
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  7. Tony56

    Tony56 Member Patron

    Following on from the mention of Mount Hymettos, post #2 above, the following are some extracts from newspaper reports published 11 December 1944.

    “British troops at dawn today began a large scale sweep against E.L.A.S.forces in the eastern suburbs [of Athens]. There are an estimated 25,000 E.L.A.S.men in and around the capital.
    Wellingtons joined Spitfire bombers in attacks on E.L.A.S. forces in the foothills of Mount Hymettos to break up an attempt to enter Athens from the south east and drive a wedge between the British Troops in central Athens and the regular Greek Troops in the eastern part of the city. British naval headquarters at Piraeus have been mortared”.

    Perhaps Charles Tribe, whose death was shortly after, was somehow caught up in this incident especially bearing in mind the reference to the naval HQ.
     
  8. gmyles

    gmyles Senior Member

    Hi

    The British and Greek Naval headquarters were located on the Atkion Peninsula of the Port of Piraeus.

    During the early part of the ELAS uprising (4th to 10th December) the British Naval HQ and the nearby HQ of the Greek navy were attacked repeatedly by ELAS. Each attack was successfully beaten off by both Greek and British naval personnel defending the two HQs with only light casualties.

    Troops of 1/4 Essex Regiment (4 Inf Div) finally secured it on 12 December 1944. It was then used as a TAC HQ by both 139 Inf Bde (46 Inf Div) and 5th Indian Inf Bde (4th Indian Inf Div).

    So it is unlkely that he was taken hostage from there.

    Gus
     
    Last edited: Apr 26, 2017

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