Photos: Fidelity

*HMS Fidelity - Photographs*
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	This photograph of the HMS Fidelity is taken from Henry Revelry's book, The Convoy That Nearly Died: the story of Convoy ONS154.
	Naval Ratings on HMS Fidelity (photograph supplied by Hugh Jones, nephew of Albert Ayres)

Lee-on-Solent Memorial - Hampshire, UK
	Royal Navy - Photographer Albert George MASH Bay 4, Panel 6
	Age 22. Son of George Benjamin and Sophie Mash; husband of Fanny Elizabeth Mash, of Torquay

	Albert George Mash (P/MX. 102075) was born in Forest Gate, West Ham, on Sept. 16, 1920. He trained as a photographer with Swain's, Court Photographers, and later worked for Polyfoto in Ilford and in Torquay. A Royal Navy Photographer, he trained at HMS Daedalus, Lee-on-Solent, and volunteered to join HMS Fidelity. Family legend says that he also trained with the Marines in Scotland. Issued with both tropical and Arctic kit, he left the Arctic kit behind knowing he would not need it. His family knew he was working for SOE and that he was involved in rescue trips to the French coast and also photographing the French coast. In May 1942, he was married to Fanny Elizabeth (Norah) Owen in Newton Abbott. Photo and information provided by his niece, Sylvia Blackwell, who has fond memories of a lovely young uncle. .

Plymouth Naval Memorial, Devon, United Kingdom
	Marine William Joseph BRADLEY Memorial Panel 83, Column 3	Marine Reginald Hemming HILL Memorial Panel 83,Column 3
		Age 22, Son of Alfred and Eveline Hill; husband of Nellie Hill, of Buckby Wharf, Northamptonshire

	William J. Bradley was one of ten children. They were only informed that he was missing, presumed dead. Four of his sisters are still living: Gertie (82), Mena (75), Sally (68), and Joan (66). Photo of their Great Uncle sent by John Cassidy; information provided by Bonnie and Tyrone Cassidy.	This clipping from a local Northampton newspaper of September 10, 1943 was on the same page as the death announcement of R. Metcalf. "Mrs. R. Hill, of Buckby Wharf, has received official notification that her husband, Marine R. Hiss, is presumed lost at sea. He was previously reported missing on January 1st." Clipping supplied by David Rogers

Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Hampshire, United Kingdom
Able Seaman Edward Henry AYRES Memorial Panel 73, Column 3	Able Seaman Thomas Henry BRAMLEY Memorial Panel 74, Column 1	Leading Seaman John R. B. BUCKINGHAM Memorial Panel 79, Column 3.
Age 19, Son of Edward and Alice Ayres.	Age 22, Son of Mrs. M. B. Bramley of Aldershot, Hampshire	Age 26, Son of Mr. and Mrs. J. R. B. Buckingham, of Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire.

Edward Henry (Teddy) Ayres. (P/JX 295011) Photo taken from the group photo of crew (naval ratings) provided by his nephew Hugh Jones	Thomas Bramley was born and lived in Aldershot in Hampshire. He worked at a mill, before being called up. He died at the age of 21 on HMS Fidelity. Photo provided by his nephew Paul Ashall	John Buckingham was born in London on Sept. 2, 1916. After schooling and college in London, he joined the merchant marine as a seaman on cruise liners such as Cunard’s RMS Aquitania on runs to New York, South Africa and Japan. At the outbreak of WW2 he was called up and subsequently joined the ill-fated Fidelity. His family's attempts to obtain information from the Admiralty about the Fidelity.were unsuccessful. But it was not until well after the war that various reports and books came out giving some, if not all, of the facts. Grateful thanks to Gordon Mumford for enabling his family to discover some of the story. But they still don’t know precisely why, and by whom, Langlais was permitted to take his ship and all those men on a wild, seemingly self-serving, adventure in the Far East that ended in their deaths. Photograph and information supplied by his sister (Mary Slaven, Cardenden, Fife, Scotland) and his younger brother (Bryan Buckingham, Rushden, Northamptonshire), who remember him with lasting affection and pride and who together added his name to their father's gravestone in Scotland.

Yeoman of Signals Donald Ernest CHATFIELD Memorial Panel 76, Column 3	Signalman Kenneth George CORBETT Memorial Panel 76, Column 3	Able Seaman John Victor GOODALL Memorial Panel 74,Column 3
Age 24, Son of Mr. and Mrs. W. R. Chatfield, of Effingham, Surrey.	Age 26, Son of George Hamblin Corbett and Martha Grace Corbett, of Reigate, Surrey	Age 22, Son of William Henry & Mabel Sarah Goodall, of Leytonstone, London, Essex

Donald Ernest Chatfield was born in 1919 in Bookham, Surrey, and was the youngest of 6 brothers. The family received no other information other than he had died on Jan 1st 1943. Photo provided by his great-nephew Clive Telling.	Kenneth, son of George and Grace Corbett, was born 10 January 1917. He was educated at Roysse's School, Abingdon, and worked for Lloyd's Bank in Beaconsfield before the war. After signals training he volunteered for SOE duties and joined the crew of HMS Fidelity in July 1942. His sister Eileen is still alive. Photo provided by his nephew David Ryves.	John Victor Goodall was born on 26 August 1920 in Stratford East, London. Previously to joining HMS Fidelity, he had been aboard HMS Cape Sable. This ship is probably the one which attacked the La Foten Islands. John volunteered to serve on the HMS Fidelity to be with his friends from HMS Cape Sable. Photo supplied by his brother Arthur

Corporal, Royal Marines Reginald Herbert METCALF Memorial Panel 79, Column 2	Able Seaman George Ernest MOULE Memorial Panel 75	Ordinary Seaman Edwin John POTTER Memorial Panel 76, Column 2
Age 22, Son of Mr. W. E. Metcalf, Northampton; husband of D. Metcalf, of Northampton	Age 26.	Age 19, Son of Walter John and Louisa Helen Potter, of Ottery St. Mary, Devon.

Reginald Metcalf was born on 31 January 1920 in Northampton, and initially worked for the Cooperative Wholesale Society in their Northampton shoe factory. He joined the Royal Marines at Deal on 30 March 1937, and served on HMS Manchester during her first commission on the East Indies Station (1939-40). Before joining the HMS Fidelity as part of T Company 40 RM Commando, he attended special training in Scotland and the Isle of Wight. Photo supplied by David Rogers	George Moule was born on May 31, 1916, in Norwich, Norfolk. During the war, George's wife worked making torpedoes, so "she made 'em and he fired 'em." The photo was taken on February 16, 1941, at HMS Collingwood in Portsmouth, the day George entered service. This training establishment was for service men who already had a specific trade. As George was an engineer of some description, he went on to train as a torpedo man. Photo and information provided by Paul Young, his grandson.	Able Seaman Edwin John Potter (P/JX 346254) was born at Feniton Court, Feniton in Devon on the 23rd of September 1923. He always wanted to join the navy and looked to join at 16 but was prevented from doing so by his father Walter Potter who did not want him to join. But when Edwin turned 18 his father could not stop him. He trained in Plymouth on HMS Raleigh and later served at Portsmouth working with Radar and at Douglas on the Isle of Man. Photograph and information provided by Edwin's sister Josephine Lovering who loves him dearly

Yeoman of Signals Albert Edmund SEEKINS Memorial Panel 76, Column 3		Signalman Henry Dennis SHARP Memorial Panel 76, Column 3
Age 43. Son of George William and Hannah Seekins; husband of Anne Irene Seekins, of Leeds. Yorkshire		Age 19. Son of Joseph and Winifred Maud Sharp, of Wembley, Middlesex.

Albert Edmund Seekins was the youngest boy seaman to serve in World War I. He joined the navy when he was 15½ years old, and served on the HMS Renown and HMS Queen Elizabeth. In 1920, he served as a signalman accompanying the Prince of Wales on a world tour. In 1939, he volunteered to return to service and served in Q ships. He volunteered for the HMS Fidelity to stay with his friends from the HMS Cape Sable. We families are left in the knowledge that all these men died needlessly. Photo and information from his daughter, Mrs. Carmen Archer.		Henry Dennis Sharp had just passed his exams to become a leading signalman. He was going to be transferred when the ship got back to England, but unfortunately he died before this could happen. Linda's grandmother used to tell her how there was never any wreckage or bodies so she thought that he and others may have still been alive in the salt mines. She believed this to the day she died, but Linda's father (who is still living) was a soldier during the war and did not believe this. Information and photograph supplied by his niece Linda (Sharp) Taylor

Petty Officer Charles A. L. WHITCHER Memorial Panel 73		Able Seaman John Thomas WORKMAN Memorial Panel 76
Age 45. Son of Arthur Louis and Kate Whitcher; husband of Ivy Whitcher, of Church Crookham, Hampshire.		Age 19. Son of Henry and Clara Workman, of Burntwood, Staffordshire.

Charles was 16 when he entered boys' service, and he continued into men's service. He trained at Whale Island Gunnery School. He was active in sports, swimming, field hockey, rugby and took part in open house Navy Days sports leading the gun team. One of his earlier tours of duty was on HMS Fleetwood. The photo was sent from Cairo circa 1940. He had just returned from active duty when he was assigned to HMS Fidelity in 1942. Photo and information provided by his daughter Joyce (Whitcher) Guscott.		Like many others during WW II, Jack had lied about his age in order to join up. Although the records state that he was 20 when he died, he was, in fact, just 19 years old. Jack had told his family that his ship was undertaking secret work, but that was all they knew, and they received almost no information other than that he had died. Photo and information provided by his sister.

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This page was updated on July 16, 2008
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