Among my list of local war dead I have Harry Pinder, RN, who was aboard General Sikorski's Liberator when it crashed into the sea off Malta killing virtually all on board. Depending on who you belive he was either one of two british service men taking the opportunity of a flight back to the UK or an SOE agent charged with killing Sikorski to avoid an embarrassing show down between the allies & Stalin over Poland. I'm inclined toward the former argument, not least because one of the major exponents of the other theory is David Irving, professional liar. Anyone have any info to the contrary?
See the "bare bones" here: http://www.naval-history.net/xDKCasAlpha1939-45Pe.ht PINDAR, Cyril F S, Ordinary Seaman, P/JX 189387, Wren, 27 July 1940, ship loss, killed PINDER, Frank R, Able Seaman, P/J 85437, Kashmir, 23 May 1941, ship loss, MPK PINDER, Harry, Warrant Telegraphist, Nile, 4 July 1943, aircraft accident, killed PINE, Bertie, Chief Petty Officer Writer, D/M 38954, Royal Oak, 14 October 1939, ship loss, MPK Ron
Ron - Whats mean : NILE . By the way I never found his service number at RN . At death his was 42 ages .
wtid45 It's interested - that's HMS Nile -Alexandria is NOT ship but BUILDING in Alexandria where was HQ Staff
Krakus57 It's interested - that's HMS Nile -Alexandria is NOT ship but BUILDING in Alexandria where was HQ Staff That was not at all unusual. When I was a 16 year old and living in Hove, in Sussex (thats right on the sea front) one of the busiest buidings was HMS King Alfred which was a training establishment for RN officers. When I was eventually posted to a LAA unit in early 1943, by one of these rare coincidences, we were posted to Hove to protect the sea shore and HMS King Alfred was still going strong. Ron
Hi, it's me again. Just back from my early morning walk and something came up from one of the fellow walkers that I occasionally meet there. This chap was, in an earlier life, a Royal Marine and knowing he was interested in items about the Navy I mentioned the posting I'd just made about RN shore establishments and the way they were called, for example, HMS King Alfred. He told me that whenever he was based at such a depot, even if his billets were in a building, whenever he and his mates were thinking of going out for a drink they would ask "Who's going ashore ?"
Harry Pinder was my husband's uncle and he vivdly remembers the day a telegram was delivered stating that he had been killed. The family always understood that he had been on the plane because he was anxious to return to England and General Freyberg arranged a seat for him. It seems very unlikely that he other than an innocent victim of the crash. We have a photo of Harry in naval uniform if it would be of interest.
