Information.
H.M.S Dorsetshire, a County Class Cruiser was launched at Portsmouth Dockyard in 1929 by the Countess of Shaftesbury.
The ship was part of the fleet that sunk the German battleship Bismark.
The Dorsetshire was sunk on the 5th April 1942, by a Japanese carrier aircraft, three hundred miles west of Colombo, Ceylon. 227 lives were lost.
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Edwin Francis Armstong; RN Telegraphist -
Service Number D/JX 161559 died on 5 April 1942 aboard the HMS Dorsetshire. He is remembered by the Plymouth Naval Memorial, Panel 68, Column 2. He is also rembered on the CWGC website.
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Charles Stanley Branagan, Engine room Artificer 3rd class was killed 5th April 1942 aboard HMS Dorsetshire. He was the son of Thomas and Nellie Branagan of New Moston, Manchester, and husband of D. Branagan.
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While researching my Family Tree it seems my Dad has a Step Brother who he knew nothing about. His name is William Pitt & he was lost at Sea when the Dorsetshire was sunk but his body was never recovered & from Family Stories seems my Grandmother, William's Mother saw a Medium many times & was told he was still alive. Obviously he will be long gone now but any information however little would be greatly appreciated.
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My grandfather's uncle, Joseph Austin, served on the Dorsetshire, and went down with her on April 5th 1942. Many thanks for producing such a wonderful website.
Mike Austin
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My Grand Father served on HMS Dorsetshire as CPO - William Walter Eades, unfortunately he went down with the ship, so I never met him.
Richard Eades
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My most vivid memory of WW2 out of dozens of action's that I participated in was the sinking of Hitlers pride of the german navy the Bismark, my ship had raced through gales to take part in the action H.M.S.Dorsetshire was a County class cruiser eight 8"guns'when we arrived on the scene the action had just started and in the next two hour's we fired 240 eight inch shells at the Bismark and I could see our's and another ships shells smashing into her superstructure and when she was nothing more than a burning wreck we were ordered to finish her off,and as we fired three torpedoe's into her I could see hundreds of men jumping into the very rough sea,we lay off and watched her turn over and bottom up with scores of men standing on her steel plates as she slowly sank beneath the waves' the pride of the german navy was no more and H.M.S.Hood had been avenged. We then started the dangerous task of picking up the survivors being stopped in the water for this task we were sitting ducks for any Uboat but we managed to pick up some eighty odd men and were still hauling men over the side when a lookout spotted what he thought was a periscope and as I have already pointed out to a question from a German 'would the skipper of that Uboat let us carry on picking up survivors?' I THINK NOT. so off we went.
Robert Nicklin.
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Photographs
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If you have any Photographs you would like to share please get in touch.
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List of those who served on HMS Dorsetshire during the Second World War.
- Stanley Anderson
- Francis Albert Anstis. Stoker First Class Read his story
- Hugh Atkinson
- Edwin Francis Armstong. RN Telegraphist. (d. 5 April 1942) Read his Story
- Joseph Austin. (d. 5th April 1942) Read his story
- Fred Ball
- George Bell
- George Bennet
- Geoffrey M. Berlyn
- William Henry Braddon
- Charles Stanley Branagan. Engine room Artificer, 3rd class. (d. 5 April 1942) Read his Story
- George Bryant
- Ted Bodman
- Bob Byrne
- John Cannon
- Ray "Chippy" Carpenter
- Fred James Carter
- Sam Cawthra
- Gerald Charles
- Nick Chandler
- Ray Chandler
- Allan Johnson "Nobby" Clarke. Engine Room Artificer
- John Clements
- Noel "Nibs" Cogdon
- F Cooper
- Harry CUFFLING
- Denys DAMEREL
- William Davey. WO Electrician (d.5th April 1942)
- S Davies
- Sam DUFFY
- Robert Dyke. Anti-Aircraft Gunner.
- CPO William Walter Eades. (d.5th April 1942) Read his story
- A. G. Elsegood. Chief Naafi Canteen Manager. Read his story
- Albert Evenpol (d.5th April 1942)
- Ernie Feltham
- John FLOOD
- Lloyd Foster
- William Foster
- Vic Foulson
- Walter FUDGE
- Mick FALLON
- Bert GOLLOP
- Ron GARTSIDE
- Jimmy Green
- Thomas Green
- Warren William Herridge
- Stan HIGGINS
- George Hiscock
- Leslie Ives. stoker
- Frederick Jayne. gunner
- Norman Jones
- Leading Seaman John Thomas Jordan
- Bill Kelly
- Pettty Officer. David. M. Keenan
- Geoff Kitchen
- Sidney Arthur Legg. Ordinary Telegraphist Read his story
- Lewis Leonard. stoker
- Ray Lock
- Sam Mckeown
- CPO John MacLeod
- Eric Marks
- Vincent Merrick. Royal Marines
- Victor Morgan
- Cpl. Henry Muirs Royal Marines
- Bob Nicklin Read his story
- Syd Normington
- Acting Petty Officer, Samuel Pile. (d.5th April 1942)
- William Pitt Read his story
- Eddie Phelps
- Thomas Pollard
- Reg Racher
- CPO William Samuel Leigh Radford (d.5th April 1942)
- Harold George Reader. Able Seaman (d.5th April 1942)
- Joe Rigby
- Bill Roberts
- L B Robinson. stoker
- Len Sansford
- George Stanton. leading torpedoman
- Albert Saville
- Tom Shirley
- Allon Smith
- Jack Southcott. Leading Wireman Read his story
- Horace Stanley Ordinary Seaman Read his story
- A. Jock Swankie
- First Lt. Cuthbert Robert Holland Taylor. Read his story
- W. Teschener
- Roy Bernard Charles Thorpe. (d. 5 Apr 1942)
- Percy Thompson
- Peter Turner
- Mick Uren
- Jack Wheeler
- Norman Wilks
- Bungy Wiliams
- Norris Williams
- William Wyatt
- Bert Wynn
- S. Shiner Wright
- Bernard York. Yeoman of Signals
If you have any names to add to this list, or any recollections or photos of those listed,
please get in touch.
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