Royal Marine casualty

Discussion in 'Commandos & Royal Marines' started by TijgerB, Feb 11, 2020.

  1. TijgerB

    TijgerB Member

    Reading the file ADM1/19438 one thing keep nagging me.

    On 13th December 1945 a Royal Marine Sergeant serving on HMS Norfolk was killed Vice Admiral Patterson write. But I cannot find him on cwgc :poppy: As he was killed in the NEI it will mean a lot to me if someone can bring some light on this :) Or help with suggestions on were to search for answers :D
     
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  2. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Cant find anything yet - closest is

    UK, British Army and Navy Birth, Marriage and Death Records, 1730-1960
    Name: William Robert Phillips
    Event: Death
    Birth Date: 16 Jan 1922
    Birth Place: Swansea, Glam.
    Death Date: 24 Dec 1945
    Death Age: 23
    44994_adm_104_135-0250.jpg

    Are you sure about the date of his death - maybe he died on that date from injuries?, what details do you have that tell you he was a Sergeant??

    The only other so far is a Marine killed in Portsmouth due to a road traffic accident

    TD

    UK, Commonwealth War Graves, 1914-1921 and 1939-1947
    Name: Marine William Robert Phillips
    Gender: Male
    Age: 23
    Birth Date: abt 1922
    Death Date: 24 Dec 1945
    Cemetery: Colombo (Liveramentu) Cemetery, The Memorial Tablets In Colombo
    Burial Country: Ceylon
    Regimental Number: RME/13532
    Region or Memorial: Ceylon
    Father: William H Phillips
    Mother: Kate Phillips
     
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  3. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

  4. Tony56

    Tony56 Member Patron

    There is a file on FMP - GRO Marine deaths indices 1903 - 1965- using all the combinations of HMS Norfolk I can think of (HMS Norfolk, H.M.S. Norfolk etc etc) as a keyword plus year 1945 produces zero results.

    Opening the date range to 1945 +/- 1 year produces the following hits:

    BICKFORD Norman E 16/5/1946 Casualty
    SHEARER Thomas 9/10/1944 Casualty
    WEST Henry Christopher 2/1/1944 Casualty

    Interestingly the remainder are not to be found in the CWGC, these are:
    GLEN Robert W 1948 (this came up as date is transcribed as 1946-50.
    HARRIS John C 1944
    KIDDLE Douglas W 1944
    MICHEL John S 1944
    NIGHTINGALE Phillip R 1944
    SQUIRE Leslie 1944
    TOZER Harold WH 1944

    If I do find anything else will come back.
     
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  5. Tony56

    Tony56 Member Patron

    Sorry for confusion, deaths occurred in 1943 but registered in 1944:

    HARRIS John C 1944 Casualty
    KIDDLE Douglas W 1944 Casualty
    MICHEL John S 1944 Casualty
    NIGHTINGALE Phillip R 1944 Casualty
    SQUIRE Leslie 1944 Casualty
    TOZER Harold WH 1944 Casualty

    Can't find GLen but presumably death in 1948 was too late.
     
    Last edited: Feb 11, 2020
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  6. TijgerB

    TijgerB Member

    The details I gave are those I got. They are the words of an Admiral (Patterson Cdr 5 Cruiser Sqn RN) for what they are worth. A detachment of Marines and Sailors were ashore in Semarang on this day attached to 2 Kumaon. And the positions were attacked but no one other than Patterson mention a RM casualty.

    I am especially interested to find out about this for two reasons. I consider my database on British/Indian casualties for better than the CWGC. And Mid-Java is my main interest so cannot have a casualty I do not know about:poppy:
     
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  7. TijgerB

    TijgerB Member

  8. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

  9. Tony56

    Tony56 Member Patron

    The Globe and Laurel - The journal of the Royal Marines
    https://theroyalmarinescharity.org.uk/library/static/media/g-l-feb46.pdf

    This journal, dated February 1946, contains an account of the 2 Bn Kumaon Regt from HMS Norfolk in December 1945, and mentions a patrol of D company who "were caught by heavy automatic fire and pinned to the ground, with a seriously wounded man who later died". See page 44

    Don't get too excited as there is no name but perhaps may get you closer?

    At the end of the document is a Roll of Honour, in this edition they are from HMS Exeter but perhaps other editions may have the name you are after?
     
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  10. timuk

    timuk Well-Known Member

    As I understand it the old RM Museum has closed and the new one is not yet open. Further the staff at the National Museum of the Royal Navy are having to move the RM collections and are not currently available to answer enquiries.
    Make An Enquiry

    So far I have not found any trace of this elusive RM Sergeant.

    Tim
     
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  11. TijgerB

    TijgerB Member

    My guess is the Admiral misunderstood something. I do plan to ask the Museum in the near future. Thanks for the effort.
     
  12. TijgerB

    TijgerB Member

    What a great article if for nothing else I plan to forward it to a Dutch friend who plana reunion for Dutch veterans who relieved them in 1946.Also I think the Admiral had misunderstood something. Since I feel confident the writer would had ended the article telling about a fatal casualty to honor the person.
     
  13. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

  14. TijgerB

    TijgerB Member

    Okay I need to read it closer. And you are right it need to be researched through especially since he might not be on the CWGC. By the way if it is not too much trouble will it be possible for you to get me copies of this magazin from AUG'45 - APR'46? I am interested to see if there might be other articles about the NEI.
     
  15. Tony56

    Tony56 Member Patron

    But it does say they arrived on 7 December and 'a very interesting 10 days passed by', they then returned to ship. That would cover 13th?
     
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  16. TijgerB

    TijgerB Member

    Yes but they were not the only RN/RM detachment serving ashore. NEI was a trouble spot from Sourabaya to Semarang, Padang and Palembang. At least I know Cumberland, Suffolk, Loch Gorm, Taff, Ness, Caprice, Punjab, Bihar, Awe and Kale were in NEI waters too at one time or another.
     
  17. Tony56

    Tony56 Member Patron

    Edited. OK. I just thought the article might be of interest.
     
    Last edited: Feb 12, 2020
  18. TijgerB

    TijgerB Member

    It did Tony56 but as I am researching the period in the NEI too I am always open for new stories to put light on it. And the one you delivered was such one. Thak you.
     

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