Parthian (Lt Cdr M G Rimington), based Alexandria, in a fight on the surface sank the Italian submarine Diamante

In January 1941 Lt Cdr R M T Peacock took over command of Tetrarch from Cdr R Mills. 12^th April 1941 torpedoed and sank the Italian tanker Persiano, 2,474grt, north west of Tripoli. 18^th May 1941 torpedoed and sank the Italian Giovinezza, 2,362grt, off Benghazi. 22^nd July 1941 attacked with gunfire a sailing vessel in the Aegean. On 25^th July attacked the Greek tanker Olympus, 5,216 grt, off Gaidero Island, Greece, but did not hit her. On 27^th July sank by gunfire the Italian sailing vessel Nicita, off Kos. On 23^rd August sank by gunfire the sailing vessel V72 Fratelli Garre, 413 grt and V113 Francesco Garre, 399 grt, in the Gulf of Syrte.

About September Lt Cdr G H Greenway assumed command of Tetrarch. Torpedoed and sank the Italian Citta di Bastian, 2,499 grt in the Aegean, south of Milos Island, on 26^th September 1941; and on 27^th torpedoed and damaged the German merchant ship Yalova, 3,751 grt off Agios Giorgios Island in the Aegean. Sailed from Malta 26^th October 1941 for a scheduled refit in UK, and was due to call at Gibraltar on 2^nd November. Failed to arrive and posted as missing presumed died as on that date. Tetrarch was probably lost on Italian mines off Capo Granditola, Sicily, in late October 1941.

Conditions in the Mediterranean for submarine operations were not favourable. Tests showed that in clear weather a submarine submerged to 70 feet was clearly visible to an aircrew, resulting in the submarines being painted bright blue. Variable salinity affected depth keeping and a submarine could spontaneously surface or deep dive by hitting an area of water of different density.

It was said by the Germans that the sinkings of supply ships and tankers off the North Africa coast had an impact on the vital fuel and other supplies to Rommel’s Afrika Korps out of all proportion to the comparatively small size of the ships sunk.

After most of the above had been entered on the assumption that Tetrarch, being the only ship referred to in the Memorials, had been the only ship on which Peter Phillips had served, further research revealed that he had initially served on a battleship and a cruiser before volunteering for the submarine service and going to the submarine Parthian. The chronology above of Tetrarch has been amended to include the deployments, actions, and Commanding Officers of both submarines, which may assist in fixing the date on which he moved to Tetrarch.

Born September the twentieth, 1919, entered the School September the tenth, 1930 and left March the twenty-fifth, 1937. School Prefect. Served in the Royal Army Service Corps from September 1939 and subsequently in The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) First Battalion. Lieutenant. Killed in action in Burma December 21, 1944

Born December the thirtieth, 1911, entered the School September the fourteenth, 1921 and left July the twenty-ninth 1931. School Prefect. Served in the Royal Navy from 1939. Third Radio Officer. Missing presumed killed in a torpedo attack in the Atlantic June the twenty-first, 1940, whilst on His Majesty’s Ship Cape Howe, then on a secret mission.

(Third Radio Officer is a Merchant Navy rank. There were numerous Naval Auxiliary Personnel serving on Cape Howe.)

Wireless Operator Harry Rainford is reported as having lost his life at sea as a result of enemy action, H12-1940.

Pardoe-Thomas & Co Ltd, Newport, Monmouthshire, ordered from Lithgows about 1929 what was due to be ten similar ships for their Ottoman Line services. Trading conditions deteriorated in the Depression and four of the ships were sold to Lyle Shipping Company. (Pardoe-Thomas was a surname as well as the Company name.)

Knight Almoner 4,443 grt, about 9,300 tons deadweight. 375’ x 53’ x 25’6”. Triple expansion 3-cylinder steam reciprocating engine. Completed July 1930 by Lithgows Ltd, Port Glasgow, for the Ottoman Line. On 7^th February 1934 renamed Cape Howe by Lyle Shipping Co. 15^th September 1939 she was taken over by the Royal Navy and commissioned as an anti-submarine Q-ship HMS Cape Howe, X.02. To maintain secrecy, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary name Prunella and the RFA Blue Ensign were used on entering and whilst in harbour. On 21^st June 1940 was torpedoed and sunk, south of Iceland, west of Ireland. Another report states off Lands End.

Ten Special Service Q-ships were commissioned. (See Cedric Naylor, DSO** DSC*, The Great War). Q-ships in the Great War were deliberately small, nondescript coasters and trawlers, too small to waste a torpedo on, especially when the early submarines only carried four.

Rear Admiral Gordon Campbell, VC, in 1914-1918 had two Q-ships sunk under him and another had to be run ashore as a total loss, sank two submarines, leapfrogged over 500 officers senior to him and in 1917 issued written orders to officers on his ship to deliberately allow torpedoes to hit their ship. In 1939 he was placed in command of the Special Service ships. The Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff, Campbell’s superior officer, had served with Campbell in 1914-1918 and, with numerous others, developed a lifelong dislike of the man and his methods. The 1939 Q-ships were a motley collection, one elderly ship having a top speed of 8 knots and a notoriously unreliable engine. HMS Cape Sable, one of Pardoe-Thomas’ order, was built 1936 and would have been an inviting target for a salvo of torpedoes from any U-boat. Their inadequate armaments, obsolete 4” or 5.9”, came from scrapyards and apparently in one case from a museum. They had no anti-aircraft weapons, several did not have Asdic. Campbell intended the Q-ships to be submarine decoys and also to take on surface raiders including pocket battleships. When Graf Spee fought three cruisers, Exeter fired 193 x 8” shells, and Achilles and Ajax between them fired over 2,000 x 6” shells. A Q-ship would have been obliterated by any surface raider. HMS Cape Howe was the first Q-ship to be sunk, She was hit on 21^st June 1940 by a torpedo at 12.00 from U-28, the panic party took to the boats. A Radio Officer probably would not be in any panic party. U-28 remained submerged and then fired a second at 12.30. She took four hours to sink. Lifeboats were scattered by a fierce North Atlantic storm which lasted for several days. The French merchant ship Casamance, one of the last French ships to leave that country after the capitulation, picked up 27 crew on 24^th June and landed them in Falmouth. Thirteen survivors on a raft were picked up on 27^th June by HMS Versatile 150 miles off Ushant (Brest Peninsula). There had been a crew of about 90. When an 11-year old, 4,700 grt Q-ship was hit without warning by a salvo of three torpedoes on 29^th June she lost 66 out of 90 crew. There had been a total lack of success and the remaining Q-ships were at high risk with little or no hope of success; Churchill in September 1940 ordered the withdrawal of Q-ships.
Rainford, John Father - Walter Rainford, Lytham Road, Fulwood; 5 Regent Street, Preston, 1922. Boot Maker.

John born 16^th March 1905. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. PGS 3^rd May 1916 to 30^th March 1920. Apprenticed to Merchant Service.

[Subject to confirmation as more records are computerised, it is believed that John Rainford remained in the Merchant Navy and served throughout the war as a Radio Officer.]



Ramsay, Walter Dennis Memorial Book

Dennis born 30^th March 1922. Cambridge House School, Fishergate Hill. PGS 10^th September 1930 - July 1938. PGSA No 591, 6^th October 1938, 152 New Hall Lane, Preston. Leading Aircraftsman, on a course in America.

PGSA No 553, 12^th October 1937. 2 Prospect Place, Ashton, Preston. PGS 1933-1937. HM Forces 28^th November 1941. Membership Register.

Joined up with a crew, highly pleased, and hopes they can stay together. (Forming a crew in Bomber Command was very informal. Numerous aircrew joining a Squadron were taken to a Mess and left to sort out who wished to crew with who.) Sergeant Observer, H-Christmas-1942.

Born March the thirtieth, 1922, entered the School September the tenth, 1930 and left July the twenty-sixth, 1938. Served in the Royal Air Force, Bomber Command, from April 1942. Sergeant Navigator. Missing presumed killed in operations over Germany April the twenty-first, 1943.

103 Squadron was flying Lancaster heavy bombers. On 20^th April Lancaster III ED614 PM-G took off from Elsham Wolds for Stettin but was shot down just after midnight by a fighter near Ribe in Denmark.

Father - John Rawlinson, 15 Daisy Lane, Holme Slack, Preston. Clerk.

Sydney born 23^rd April 1916. Deepdale Modern School. Entered PGS or Date of Application was 26^th September 1930.

88^th Brigade RA, H12-1939. 902166 Lance Bombardier Sydney Rawlinson. RHQ 88^th Field Regiment Royal Artillery, Wickford, Essex . 20^th June 1941 Membership Register.

Gunner Sydney In same Unit as Driver E G Bamber. In France dug trenches. Now in the Regimental Office. Violinist in the Regimental Dance Band, and vocalist, as well as winning the 3-mile road race, H7-1940. Had a rough time between Lorraine and Dunkirk but was in Preston three days before most people knew he was safe, H12-1940.

Bombardier, Prisoner of War, Singapore.

Flight Lieutenant DFC Missing presumed dead on operations over Germany in May 1944. His grave is at Oosterhout, Holland.

Watch this one. The detail within PGSA seems too obvious to have been missed.

CWG: Thomas Rawlinson Flight Lieutenant / Pilot Died 25^th May 1944 Service Number 168670 DFC Son of Robert and Margaret Elizabeth Rawlinson, husband of Mary Rawlinson, of Preston, Lancashire. Grave Reference: 24 . J. 6 Jonkers Bos War Cemetery. The Cemetery is in a wooded area known as Jonkers Bosch and a variation was adopted for the Cemetery’s name. The nearest town is Nijmegan. There are 1,629 Commonwealth war graves in this cemetery. There is a possibility that he was originally buried in the locality of his death and after the war the CWG Commission gathered together those in more isolated graves.

The motto of 429 (Bison) Squadron RCAF, was Fortunae nihil Nothing to chance. Its badge was a bison, head lowered, on a mount. Standing on a grassy mound with head lowered about to charge, the bison is a ferocious animal. The Squadron formed at East Moor on 7^th November 1942 in No 4 Group - the Yorkshire-based Bomber Command Group. Five months later it was assigned to No 6 Royal Canadian Air Force Group. Moved to Leeming in August 1943. Originally flying Wellington III and X, from September 1943 the Halifax II, the Mk V in November 1943 and the Mk III from March 1944.

George born 6^th December 1893. St Andrew’s School. PGS 11^th September 1905 to 22^nd December 1908. Helping his father.

Corporal, D Squadron, Duke of Lancaster’s Own Yeomanry, H1-1915. H1-1916. Wounded, H9-1916. Military Medal, H10-1918. Additional List gives details of 2^nd Lieutenant in Tank Corps. PGSA No 202, 18^th January 1926.

The above entry is from the Great War List. The PGSA membership record shows his home address deleted and the note “HM Forces”, which must post-date 18^th January 1926.

Born 27^th October 1924. PGS 1939 to August 1940; PGSA No 683, 12^th October 1940, Athletic Section. 235 Brockholes View, Preston. Membership Register. Secretary of the Athletic Section, H-Midsummer-1942. Left in mid-season to join the Forces, now a Lance-Bombardier and has served in Perth, Alexandria (Dumbartonshire) and Newcastle-on-Tyne, H-Midsummer-1943.

Born October the twenty-seventh, 1924, entered the School June the sixth, 1939 and left July the twenty-fifth, 1940. Served in the Royal Regiment of Artillery from January 1943 and volunteered for the Army Air Corps, Glider Pilot Regiment, in May 1943. Sergeant. Missing presumed killed during the crossing of the Rhine, March the twenty-fourth, 1945.

Operation Plunder was the Crossing of the Rhine by 21^st Army Group; Operation Varsity was the Airborne component of the Crossing of the Rhine. It began for the 6^th Airborne at ‘Plunder’ D-Day, 24^th March 1945, 0600 hours. The plan called for 22,000 airborne troops, paratroops and by glider, together with supplies to be put into the fighting zones in four hours. The casualty rate at Arnhem amongst the Glider Pilot Regiment had been so great that many RAF pilots had been trained to pilot the gliders. For Operation Varsity 440 Horsa and 48 Hamilcar gliders were piloted by the Glider Pilot Regiment with the American forces adding 906 Waco gliders. The British gliders were piloted in the main by Staff Sergeants (First Pilot) and Sergeants (Second Pilot) of the Regiment.

RAF H12-1939. PGS September 1929 to June 1935. PGSA 1938, No 600, 79 Selborne Street, Preston. Killed in flying accident August 1941. Membership Register .

Born November the twenty-first., 1918, entered the School September the eleventh, 1929 and left January the twenty-first 1935. Served in the Royal Air Force from October 1939. Pilot Cadet. Killed in a flying accident whilst on Active Service August the seventh, 1941.