http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/sailor-s-wartime-diary-recounts-dying-days-of-the-japanese-empire-1-4986090 Apart from the question of why the family has to sell these. Who were the five men killed on 15th Aug 1945? <The diary reads: “At 1129 a message was received from CTF which read ‘CEASE HOSTILITIES AGAINST JAPAN’. At that same moment a Judy appeared dead astern flying straight at us firing her machine guns. “There were a large crowd of men standing on the quarterdeck and soon as the plane was spotted, everyone immediately ran for their respective stations. No alarm was given. “However two Sea Furies were close on its tail and the plane was blown to pieces over our foremast. It all happened in about one minute and after the shock we found that five men had been killed by machine gun bullets and 11 wounded. Among the dead was my very close friend Midshipman Joe O’Keefe R.N.R. The only officer on the Gambia that was killed in action.> From Wiki. She was under attack by Japanese aircraft at the time that a ceasefire was announced, and possibly fired some of the last shots of World War II. HMS Gambia (48) - Wikipedia I can find no mention of Joe O’keefe on CWGC, nor on Naval history by name or date. Nor can I find any losses from HMS Gambia, which was a New Zealand ship at the time. In 1943, the light cruiser HMS Gambia was transferred to the RNZN as HMNZS Gambia. In November 1944, the British Pacific Fleet, a joint British Commonwealth military formation, was formed, based in Sydney, Australia. Most RNZN ships were transferred. http://www.naval-history.net/xDKCasAlpha1939-45Oa.htm OKE, Frederick G, Leading Sick Berth Attendant, V/44790 (RCNVR), Valleyfield (RCN), 7 May 1944, ship loss, MPK O'KEEFE, James, Able Seaman, D/J 34522, Glorious, 8 June 1940, ship loss, MPK O'KEEFE, John, Stoker, D/KX 128603, Fareham, 2 April 1942, bombing, killed O'KEEFE, Raymond S, Air Fitter (O), FAA/JX 199497, Aguila, steamship, (Daedalus, O/P), 19 August 1941, MPK O'KEEFE, Stanley R, Stoker 2c, D/KX 11951, Jackal, 12 May 1942, ship loss, killed O'KEEFFE, Francis, Gunner, RA, 3714864, 6/3 Maritime Regt, RA, 23 December 1941, killed O'KELLY, Maurice H, Leading Supply Assistant, C/MX 49734, Princess Victoria, 19 May 1940, ship loss, MPK Lt. Comm. George Raymond Davis-goff, he also mentions. Lieutenant Davis-Goff joined the Leander in June 1942. He was present when it was badly damaged during the battle of Kolombangara in the Solomon Islands. He stayed with Leander for much of the ship’s refit in the United States, being promoted to lieutenant commander in August 1944. In February 1945 Davis-Goff joined the Gambia , which was operating as a unit of the Fourth Cruiser Squadron of the British Pacific fleet. The Gambia was off Japan at the cessation of hostilities, and he was in command of its landing party, which took the surrender of the Japanese naval base at Yokosuka. For his actions in the latter part of the war he was awarded the DSC. Davis-Goff, George Raymond – Biography – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Casualty Lists of the Royal Navy and Dominion Navies, World War 2 1st AUGUST- 2nd SEPTEMBER 1945 - in date, ship/unit & name order Royal Navy casualties, killed and died, August 1945 No mention if him in this link Nothing on Ancestry either TD
Why would he mention Sea Furies in a wartime written diary? They didn't enter operational service until July 1947.
You are Correct hucks216, I was writing this up as you posted. I’m afraid that this diary has to be looked at with extreme caution as to it being historically factual. <However two Sea Furies were close on its tail> The Hawker Sea Fury was a British fighter aircraft designed and manufactured by Hawker. It was the last propeller-driven fighter to serve with the Royal Navy, and also one of the fastest production single piston-engined aircraft ever built. Developed during the Second World War, the Sea Fury entered service two years after the war ended Sea Furies were introduced to Fleet Air Arm (FAA) Oct 1945. (Wiki) Planes available at the time, The Fairey Firefly, The Supermarine Seafire and the Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bomber aboard the carrier HMS Indefatigable. Report from HMS Indefatigable: The Seafires claimed four Zeros shot down, four others probably shot down, and another four damaged. An Avenger also claimed one Zero as damaged. A Yokosuka D4Y "Judy" dive bomber attacked the carrier after the ceasefire went into effect, but its two bombs missed. http://navymuseum.co.nz/hmnzs-gambia/ On 15 August the ceasefire was announced and during the time that the signal was being received a Japanese aircraft attacked the force, being shot down by a US Navy Corsair, pieces of the aircraft falling on Gambia. The ship also engaged the aircraft, and together with the rounds fired in the bombardment, Gambia has the distinction of firing the last shots of the Second World War. There are no records in CMWG and Navy History of the five sailors killed that day which is strange as it was the last day of hostilities. We can confirm that John George Pike 1927 – Sept 1994 (died in Ipswich area) was a Temp Midshipman on the Gambia in Oct 1945. Also a J. N. O’keefe was a temp Lt, serving in the New Zealand navy at the same time, but aboard the Kahu. Royal Navy list Oct 1945. Think I might have a word with the auctioneer tomorrow.
I have been informed that the diary does actually state Seafires and was mis-transcribed as Seafuries. Also Mr J. G. Pike became an author of factual books of which other books have used as reference. Malawi: A Geographical Study: J. G. Pike, G.T. Rimmington: 9780194164122: Amazon.com: Books So everything points to this diary as being factual and correct. But leaves the question of the five dead sailors.
I am now a 100% sure that no one was killed or even wounded on the Gambia 15/08/45. Plenty of comments about the Gambia here. HMNZS Gambia Association Notably this one from Paul Gilmore. I know of 5 men from Gisborne, New Zealand, who were on HMNZS Gambia. They were Mr Wyne Parkes; Mr Terry Samuel (loader for the starboard guns); Mr Bruce Duckworth (engine room); Mr Rob Findon; Mr Charles (Chas) Gilmore. The ship was attacked about 200 miles off the Japanese coast by a Japanese fighter aircraft on 15 Aug 1945, the day hostilities against the Japanese ceased. Although some 180 men were on deck at the time being addressed by Lieutenant Commander Davis Goff none were hurt. An unknown Allied aircraft shot the Japanese fighter down in time and bits of the plane landed on the quarterdeck. Mr Gilmore was not on the ship at the time of the attack. Mr Gilmore, my dad. Reply to my query to the National Museum of the Royal New Zealand Navy I have checked the official history, a popular history, and a ship history and can confirm that there were no casualties on GAMBIA on 15 August 1945 caused by a Japanese aircraft. In our official wartime casualties we have no men killed on that cruiser on that date, nor mention of anyone being injured. If there had been deaths they would have been recorded as they were counted as wartime deaths. Just to follow-up on the officer, I have checked with the NZDF Personnel Archives and can advise that Temporary Lieutenant John Noel O’Keefe did not serve on HMNZS GAMBIA. He was posted to the shore establishment HMNZS KAHU for eight months in 1944 and it was his only service outside New Zealand. There was an Temporary Acting Sub-Lieutenant Edmund Joseph O’Keeffe loaned from the RNR to the RNZN and posted to GAMBIA from 29th September 1943 however he was returned to the RNR on 23rd June 1945 and survived the war. We have no other records in the names of O’Keefe or O’Keeffe that were the right age or served in the navy during the Second World War. Thanks to Michael from the National Museum of the Royal New Zealand Navy Another quote from the EDP article which does not make sense <Mr Pike, who was British, but born in Port Shepston, South Africa in 1927, lied about his age to join the war effort at 16. Before that, he had gone to Simonstown Naval College as a cadet when he was about 14.> As he was already a Naval cadet at Simonstown Naval College in effect he was already in the Royal navy. So who would he lie to and why would he have to? Cadet - boys aged 13 to 15 enlisted to become officers and trained on a training ship reserved for such schooling; the last was HMS Britannia moored at Dartmouth. Midshipman - a boy aged 16 to 18 serving aboard a seagoing ship, having passed out of the cadet ship and undergoing further training before being promoted to the fully commissioned officer rank of sub-lieutenant. Boy seaman - Wikipedia Mr Pike was born in Port Shepston, nr Durban, South Africa on 13th Nov 1927. So this would make him 14 on 13th Nov 1941 and 17 years 2 months when this incident occurred. Simonstown Naval College was near Cape Town so unless his family had moved to the Cape Town area, to attend the college he would have to been a boarder. This may have been what prompted him to join. South African Military History Society - Journal- South Africa and the War against Japan 1941-1945 On 7 December 1941, the Second World War escalated dramatically when the Japanese launched a surprise attack against the American naval base at Pearl Harbour Hawaii and declared war against the United States of America and the British Empire. The South Africa government acted swiftly and on Tuesday, 9 December 1941, a proclamation was issued, stating that, as from 8 December, South Africa was at war with Japan. It is still a mystery as to why Mid J G Pike wrote in his diary the account which he did, but then it was his private diary and could write whatever he liked, I am still grateful for the service he gave to his country. It's just a shame that these private diaries are put into the public domain, without prior research to ascertain the validity of the facts. But at least we do not have five sailors left out in the cold.
