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The NIGERIA was damaged in action - she sailed from the Clyde 2 August 1942 in company with a large number of other ships; arrived off Gibraltar 9 August; escort to convoy WS21S - 14 ships bound for Malta, escorted by 2 battleships, 3 cruisers and various destroyers, with other forces (aircraft carriers mainly) providing distant support. Designated Operation Pedestal. Passed through Gib straits 10 August. Located by Italians 11 August and came under sustained and heavy attacks after that. Aircraft Carrier Eagle sunk 11/8 by German U-boat. During 12 August air attacks and submarine attacks caused damage and numberous casulaties; at sunset the Italian submarine AXUM successfully penetrated the defence screen and fired a torpedo salvo which made two hits on cruiser CAIRO, one on NIGERIA and one on tanker OHIO. Position was then 37.40N 10.06E NIGERIA turned back to Gib. escorted by 3 destroyers. After temp. repairs at Gib she went to Charleston Dockyard, South Carolina, USA, where she stayed for about 9 months. The crew were put up in barracks for 4-5 months, they were then sent to New York to pick up a Merchant vessel to take back to Scotland.
My Grandfather was an able seaman on HMS Nigeria. His name was Peter Collis. I know he served during the Malta and Russian convoys. If anyone can remember him, we would be very happy to hear from you. Sadly, he died last year. Many Thanks
My father William (Bill) Burrows served on HMS Nigeria from 3-Sep-1940 to 16-Jan 1943. He died in Canada in 1992 and spoke very little about his experiences.
I was thrilled to see the accounts and pictures of the H.M.S. Nigeria. My father, Captain John G. L. Dundas was captain of the Nigeria when she was Admiral Philip Vian's flagship taking supplies to the Russians between 1941 and the summer of 1942. I assume that some of the photos of the ship covered with ice must have been from that time. As far as I know, she was doing convoy duty to Archangel and Murmansk. The story we were told was that one night in the fog in late summer of 1941 she ran into another vessel, assumed German, and since the fog fortunately held, was able to limp back into South Shields where she spent about three months in dry dock having her bow repaired. It was a special time for us because we were living in Scotland up in the Ochil Hills and he was able to be home on leave. We were also in South Shields with him during air raids soon before Christmas, 1941--presumably the Germans were trying to get the Nigeria. In the summer of 1942, probably just before Nigeria went into the Mediterranean my father was sent to Alexandria as the Admiral's chief of staff, and he moved to Algiers in the same position in 1943. He retired as a Vice-Admiral in the late 1940s, and died in 1952, so I am always glad to hear about him. I had always understood that the Nigeria was sunk in the South Pacific before the end of the war, and would be glad to hear about the truth of that.
My father Arthur Henry Baker served on the Nigeria and was on board when the torpedo struck. He was Petty Officer and took the ship to the USA for refitting. I am sure he would have been fascinated by this page, but unfortunately he passed away recently.
My father, Brinley Powell (Taff), Royal Marine, was on the Nigeria on the Russian convoys and was on board when she was torpedoed in 1942 and taken off on a tribal class destroyer (Ashanti). One of his best friends was 'Jock' King who later became a policeman. I grew up with many of these photos. Richard Powell
My dad Harry Brown (Buster) joined HMS Nigeria from 6th August 1940- 1946. He was Petty Officer and Seaman of the Gunnery branch. Because he served six years on her, he has many storys to tell, and although he will be 85 this year his memory is still pretty good. I can't promise anything but if anyone wants to ask him a question, send it to me and I will pass it on.
A special thanks to all who served on her....especially those who did not return....
A proud daughter
I am the son of Marine John Croft (Lofty) Nuttall who is on the list of those who served on HMS Nigeria. I remember visiting the ship when she came back to Chatham in 1943. There was a captured U-Boat moored close by. I have a number of photos of the ship and some of my father in South Carolina.
My father was on the Nigeria although I see he is not on the list on the website. His name was Leo Nolan and I am sure he is in one of the photos on the site. He was part of the first crew in May 1940 and was still on the vessel when it was damaged in the Mediterranean in 1942 and went to Charleston South Carolina. He joined the ‘’ Kilmarnock”’ in 1943.
He was on the “”Sheffield’’ and ‘’Sussex’’ and a ship called the’’ Emerald”’ from 1936-1938 prior to the war. Dad (Leo) was born in Motherwell Scotland and after the war immigrated to Australia.
Jim Nolan
My grandfather, Joseph Evans Price, possibly a Petty Officer, served on HMS Nigeria during WW2. Sadly he passed away in 1992. When I was younger he told me about some of the operations the ship under took during the war.
I would be most interested in locating anybody that knew my grandfather or have anymore information.
Thanks
I wasn't 'called up' for War Service but I volunteered for the Royal Navy and was accepted.
I joined HMS WELLESLEY at Liverpool for training, this was very near to GLADSTONE DOCK. At that time there was heavy bombing of Liverpool on a regular daily basis. Around 4 p.m. each day, German Aircraft came in, flying across North Wales. Some of the streets were littered with shrapnel, which 'crunched' under your shoes as you walked, and many streets were cordoned off with notices such as 'unexploded bomb' or 'land mine'.
If you took a couple of hours leave and crossed the Mersey by Ferry, you could be stranded on the wrong side of the river when the ferries were cancelled due to air raids.
One weekend I went home on leave to Halifax and shortly after I arrived there was a dull 'thud' in the distance. I told my parents, "That's a bomb!" They said, "No, not in Halifax - you've seen so much in Liverpool you're 'bomb - happy."
The next day the local paper reported bomb damage to several properties in the town, and some casualties. I've never known if this was caused by enemy aircraft, or by the R.A.F. in error."
Alfred Longbottom of Halifax in West Yorkshire spent the Second World War years in the Royal Navy and three years on Russian and Malta Convoys as a decoder aboard the Colony Class Cruiser HMS Nigeria with a complement of 750 men. The Convoys carrying arms and ammunition, tanks and planes were vital to the allied war effort. The ships were prime targets for German aircraft and submarines, and were continuously under attack from air and sea as they battled their way to Murmansk and Archangel with their armoured escorts.
Alfred said, "Escorting those convoys was sheer murder. We were continually under attack, even after we docked at Murmansk. It was only 50 miles away from German-occupied Norway."
"Sometimes the temperatures fell to minus 40 degrees C. We were given sheepskin hoods and clothing by the Russians but they didn't keep the cold out. There was no heating on board and ice formed on the inside of the cabins...we couldn't win either way - when it melted everything got soaked. The days were long and exhausting."
Alfred remembers the PQ17 Convoy of 36 ships out of Scapa Flow in 1942 when only six arrived in Russia. In Russia the sailors saw very little of the people, except for the queues outside the bread shops and Red Army patrols.
"We used to exchange bars of chocolate with them for the Red Army badges. Russia looked a very poverty-stricken country", he remembers.
A Pedestal Convoy to Malta was so battered it was estimated so many ships were sunk on approach to the island there were 2000 men in the water at any given period.
During a particular Dog-watch Alfred says of his own ship, "It was 7.58 pm and Charlie, his friend, was almost due to relieve George who was on watch. But George rang to say he was feeling groggy and could Charlie relieve him straight away. No sooner had Charlie relieved George and he came up top - a torpedo struck and Charlie was killed. George soon felt better and was fine, but Charlie's death preyed on his mind and caused him a lot of trouble. I would have been Charlie's best man at his wedding next leave. I still have the letter I received from Charlie's fiancee."
THE ICEBURG
"The Navy were trying to locate a German Station providing weather and movement of shipping news to their own ships and submarines. I was on HMS Nigeria (a colony cruiser), and before getting under weigh we had a good idea of the general area in which the Weather Ship would be found but, immediately before the incident, it is most likely we simply 'came across' her. We were not at Action Stations, always triggered off by radar contact and often the result of locating floating debris, empty lifeboats and even whales! I was on deck as HMS Nigeria sailed into proximity to a large iceberg when I first saw an orange glow in the 'iceberg', followed by splashes of water in the sea near the stern of Nigeria. Almost with disbelief, I realised the iceberg had opened fire on us with enormously heavy guns, the spashes so clearly disturbing a perfectly calm sea - like a sheet of glass. At this point I could not see a ship. It was covered from stem to stern in white canvas. Together with our two destroyer escort we had located the German Weather Ship Lauenberg and it was June 1941. (Alfred only recently discovered that on the day a copy of the Enigma Code was taken from the Lauenberg by the boarding party from the destroyers. It was not the job of Nigeria to stop or to take prisoners.) Scuttling-charges sent the Lauenberg to the bottom. I well recall seeing two lifeboats packed with her crew being rowed away from their ship to the destroyer HMS Bedouin and internment."
"On the 12th August, 1942, I was on the sloping deck of a torpedoed ship, and in what appeared to be a hopeless situation. Everything was out of action - the guns, radar, radio, steering, - all gone. Flames were leaping out of one of the funnels, with the diesel on fire. Down below, fifty officers and men had perished, and others were wounded - some mentally. Stationery, we were a sitting target for a further attack. Privately, I said 'good - bye' to my mother and father and my brothers, as I was absolutely convinced that I would never see them again. As a final act, our code books and other secret machines were put into sacks weighted with lead, and sent to the bottom of the Mediterranean. Suddenly there appeared on the horizon a group of Italian torpedo bombers which were flying straight towards us - their huge torpedoes clearly glistening in the evening sunshine. They flew straight through the destroyer screen, directly towards us."
"At this point, there was a loud cry from the Chief Yeoman high up on the bridge - 'For what we are about to receive ....', and immediately my thoughts went back to the little village where I used to live and the vicar saying those words before a meal at local events."
"With massive damage amidships, we could hear water rushing into the HMS Nigeria. Down by the bow, and with the stern rising, she was in danger of going down. Admiral Burrough left the ship to continue the mission in the destroyer HMS Ashanti. As the torpedo bombers got nearer, the Chaplain led a group of men in reciting the Lord's Prayer - there was nothing else we could do. A three-badge 'Stripey' next to me said, 'Keep your feet dry laddie as long as you can', (I was only 21)".
"Now the end was surely near as the Italian aircraft dropped their several torpedoes on to the water. We watched, with bated breath. Incredibly, every torpedo missed us, nor (I believe) did they strike any other ships in the convoy. This was so remarkable since we were a motionless target, simply waiting for the end."
"A few hours later, I felt a sudden vibration under my feet which reverberated throughout the ship. Engines were running! None of us could believe it but,.. and miraculously, some power was restored to the engines. This in itself was beyond our wildest dreams, and must have required tremendous skill and courage down below to bring it about."
"I believe some form of emergency steering was set up, and slowly we moved, escorted by destroyers, to start the long journey back to Gibraltar. On the way we survived another torpedo attack from a submarine but eventually reached 'Gib', and were able to bury, with full military honours, so many pals we had lost on just this one journey."
LAST WORD FROM ALFRED
"These events had a profound effect on me - I'll admit to shedding a few tears as I wrote it! But I am not ashamed of this!"
"I have never regreted being there. Most of the friends I made were killed. I think of them often - unfortunately almost every night when I have nightmares."
In May 1941, HMS Nigeria escorted the 'pride of the Navy' - HMS HOOD - out of Scapa Flow into the North Atlantic, and left her to return at full speed, to Scapa. Shortly after anchoring, the whole of the Navy, and indeed, the country, was 'rocked' by an Admiralty announcement that the HOOD had been sunk in the Denmark Strait by the German Battleship BISMARCK, with only three survivors out of a total of 95 officers and 1,323 ratings.
Some time later, a signal was received by NIGERIA from Admiralty stating that MIDSHIPMAN DUNDAS was one of the three survivors of HOOD, and as this signal was read by the Captain of NIGERIA, Captain DUNDAS, informing him that his own son was one who had survived. I was told that tears were streaming down his face.
Homeward bound, and just a couple of hours out of Murmansk, NIGERIA encounted a submarine on the surface at a distance of several miles. She was proceeding slowly, and was immediately challenged and asked to give the necessary recognition signal.
There was no response. Repeated attempts were made to gain contact with her, but it was all to no avail. So the order was given for "full speed ahead, stand by to ram submarine." As NIGERIA got closer and closer, the Admiral (we were flagship of the 10th Cruiser Squadron) arrived on the Bridge and at the very last minute, ordered the NIGERIA to take avoiding action. With probably only seconds to spare, we immediately altered course and left the scene. Later that day the NIGERIA received the following signal from the Naval Officer in Charge, Murmansk, "DISABLED RUSSIAN SUBMARINE HAS ARRIVED AT MURMANSK". No doubt a major international crisis had been averted!!
On the 6th September 1941, to the East of North Cape, Norway, NIGERIA met a German Convoy in very heavy weather and poor visibility.
In the action which followed, the German Training Ship BREMSE was sunk, but the two troopships she was escorting, reported to be carrying 1,500 troops, managed to make good their escape. NIGERIA was badly damaged and her bow was ripped off. (One report was of torpedo damage, the other of having struck a submerged shipwreck.) As the forward part of the ship was not strong enough (although shored up by the shipwrights) to go "head on" into the waves, she sailed stern-first from North Cape to Scapa Flow, escorted by the Cruiser AUROA. On arrival on 10th. September, she was "cheered" as she sailed through columns of the whole Home Fleet which was assembled to welcome her back - a wonderful sight and a unique experience. As a result of this action, several medals were awarded to officers and men of NIGERIA.
Heavily damaged in the "PEDESTAL" Convoy to Malta of August, 1942, HMS NIGERIA was temporarily 'patched up' in Gibraltar before sailing to Newcastle-upon-Tyne (our home port) for permanent repairs. We looked forward to some leave and many of the crew bought a bunch of bananas to take home, as they were almost impossible to get in the UK.
As we headed north through the Bay of Biscay, we received a signal prefixed (O-U) which meant "MOST IMMEDIATE" - the very highest degree for action. I myself decoded this message, which was exactly as follows:-
To : NIGERIA FROM ADMIRALTY. (MOST IMMEDIATE) OWING TO A DOCK STRIKE AT NEWCASTLE, DIVERT FORTHWITH TO CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA, U.S.A. REPEAT CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA, U.S.A.
So bang went all thoughts of home leave, and we had now to eat all our own bananas! A dock strike in War Time? Yes, it's true.
ICELAND - JANUARY 1944 TO MAY, 1945
For seventeen months, I was in Iceland assigned to working in the Radio Station of the Admiral in charge of Icelamd Command. The Naval Camp was just outside Reykjavik, and was known as H.M.S.BALDUR 2. The Radio Station was a short distance from the camp, and was manned by telegraphists, coders, and teleprinter operators who decoded messages on the Enigma machine which we called TYPEX.
We were accomodated in Nissen Huts, and the only heating was from a small coke stove in the middle of the hut. Quite often, the water in the separate Nissen Hut, used as a washroom, would be frozen, and the only way to have a wash, or shave, was to put some snow, or ice, into a tin can on top of the coke stove.
The weather in winter could be cruel, and it was sometimes impossible to breath when walking against a gale-force wind, so the answer was to walk backwards! We understood that anyone who served for nine months or more in Iceland could never be sent there again by the Navy, as strong winds could possibly affect the lungs. It was well known that any fractures could not be treated in Iceland, so a broken ankle meant an immediate return to the U.K. For this reason alone, some would deliberately fall off a ladder, or break a finger!
The weather in Spring and Summer could be beautiful. Sunday mornings saw Church Parades marching into Reykjavik for worship in the church there. When off duty, I was able to go skiing, or visit some of the hot springs and geysers, and magnificent waterfalls. Strange as it may seem, Iceland has an abundance of wild flowers of many varieties.
The Icelandic people were very much anti-British. I believe they felt we had invaded their country. They would not sit next to you in the local Cinema, and as you walked in Reykjavik you could expect empty bottles to be aimed at you from the top of buildings. So we had little contact with the local population.
After one year, I was granted 14 days home leave, and spent 4 days in travelling by sea and rail to Halifax, West Yorkshire, only to be greeted, on arrival, by a telegram ordering me to return immediately to Iceland! I found out that an invasion by German Paratroops was imminent. As it turned out, some paratroops were dropped, but were quickly rounded up and marched into BALDUR 2 under armed guards.
On V.E. Day (8th May 1945) around the coast of Iceland U-Boats surfaced flying a white flag of surrender. On the 31st May 1945, I embarked in an old Depot Ship (HMS BALDUR) which had been moored in Reykjavik harbour for sometime, for passage back to U.K. She had no engines and so had to be towed back to England. It was a hair-raising experience, as several times the tow-rope broke and we simply drifted in the North Atlantic.
And so I left Iceland, to await my next draft, which turned out to be COLOMBO.
IN THE JUNGLE OUTSIDE COLOMBO 1945.
Having left Iceland, August, 1945, saw me travelling through the night on a crowded troop train to Southampton, to join a troopship for transit to HMS MAYINA, a huge camp in the jungle, a few miles out of Colombo. Some joker had chalked on the railway carriages the words. "TOKYO EXPRESS"!In the camp were thousands of sailors who were to form the biggest fleet ever assembled for an invasion of Japan. Conditions in the camp were pretty grim - water was strictly rationed - and was delivered to the camp each day by tanker lorries.
There were snakes and scorpions, and 'tree-rats' which lived in the trees, together with many strange noises from animals and birds which lived in the jungle. Because of scorpions, it was not a good idea to sit on the toilet, so you stood up on it!
The heat was intense, and around noon each day we were not to be out of doors in the open, as the temperature could rise to 120 degrees in the shade. Many suffered from tropical boils, beriberi, skin rashes and deafness, the latter said to be caused by insect bite.
Unexpectedly, the Atom-Bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and that was to signal the end of the war.
AND SO - THE LARGEST NAVAL FORCE EVER TO BE ASSEMBLED NEVER SAILED FOR JAPAN!
POSTSCRIPT
At the age of 67 Alfred was awarded a medal by the Presidium of The Supreme Soviet of the USSR - the country's highest state authority. It was only given to men who served on the convoys. The medals are inscribed in Russian to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945. He made 13 trips on the convoys, including the PQ17 convoy of 36 ships in 1942. Only six ships arrived in Russia as the rest were sunk.
Alfred died suddenly in May 2004 just after he wrote his story.
Audrey Lewis
I stood by Nigeria in summer of 1940 while she was still brand new in the dockyard at Walker - three months billeted ashore with Newcastle on the doorstep - a cushy number ! Then two years on Russian convoys and Atlantic patrols - not so cushy.. A couple of trips to Spitzbergen to evacuate Russian and Norwegian mineworkers before the mines were destroyed by R.E's to stop the enemy getting hold of them. A scrap with some Germans in a fjiord up in northern Norway when, due to a bit of dodgy seamanship, we managed to collide with a sinking enemy destroyer, losing our bow in the process. Limped back home under heavy escort because the jerries thought we were a sitting duckand paid us quite a bit of attention. Then another great three more months in Newcastle getting new bow fitted. I left her in June of '42 so missed the infamous Pedestal convoy. I knew some of the casualties of course. Bandmaster Ridout was one. A fine musician and a true gentleman. I knew him because we did a couple of concerts ashore in the Newcastle area. I wasn't a musician - just the compere of the show. Had done a bit of DJing on board (before DJs had been invented) playing records on the internal system, and Mr. Ridout asked me to front the band. If you want to add some names to the ship's company list, I remember Cook Jock Aberdeen, L/Wtr. E. Smart, A.B. J.Smith, Commander Ransome (Second in Command) and the skipper, Captain Dundas. I was Writer - name of Copley.
Jack Copley
My late father, George Geoffrey Farrow, served as a signalman on her from the age of sixteen on the Russian convoys and on operation Pedestal. .jpg)
This photo was taken just after she was torpedoed.
Captain Dundas of HMS Nigeria King George on Nigeria
Crew of HMS Nigeria
HMS Nigeria burial at sea.
on bridge of Nigeria.jpg)
Signalman George Geoffrey Farrow (left)on bridge of Nigeria
 in Quebec.jpg)
Signalman George Geoffrey Farrow & pal in USA and (on right) in Quebec
Thank you for your hard work and dedication,
Steve Farrow.
However my Uncle 'Teddy' was one of the many young brave men who was killed during Operation Pedestal on August 12th 1942. He was just 27 years old and left behind a young widow of 26 and four young children as well as a mother and father who had lost their only son, and two sisters who had lost a brother. It always haunted my mother, she could never talk about her brother without crying her heart out. From my aspect it is the terrible price of war that ripples through the generations of a family. I was born in 1964 so I never experienced the war nor sadly was I able to know my Uncle Teddy. However I proudly display a photo of him on my wall at home and try to pass on his memory as much as possible. I will never forget all those who gave so much for our freedom today.
I would so love to get in touch with anyone who may have known him. My mum said that he was very well liked on the ship and the fact that none of his friends from the ship visited after he was killed must have ment that they too were also killed on that day.
My father Robert Tervit was a Leading Torpedo Operator on board the HMS Nigeria, and was demobbed in 1945. He used to tell my brothers and me of how they were torpedoed, and had to find refuge in Charleston S.C. for repairs Prior to serving on the Nigeria he was with the Med Fleet aboard the HMS Troubridge. This is a great site and a greater tribute to the men who went to sea in defence of their country and way of life!
James J. Tervit
Taken as HMS Nigeria was leaving Charleston Navy Yard after repairs of torpedo damage, July 1943.
Speaks for itself, Nigeria is on the far left, 12/8/42.
Here are three photographs of HMS Nigeria on which my father, Philip Rayment served as a torpedo rating from 1942 till the end of the war.He experienced some good times and bad times on the ship, and often spoke fondly of the family he stayed with in Charleston while the ship was being repaired. He kept in touch with them and visited them in the '80s and the local paper made a big thing of it.
He also spoke of how some of the crew swapped their billeting arrangements to be with their mates, some were lucky and others were obviously very unlucky on the 12th August. He also said that the Spanish shipyard workers at Gibraltar were very reluctant to go on board upon its return as there were dead bodies on board.
Peter Rayment
A neighbour of mine ,Jack Edwards,served on HMS Nigeria throughout her WW2 service and has written a book detailing his experience of Royal Navy training and time aboard this ship.
'Twenty-two Hundred Days to Pulo We'
Jack has recounted many of his experiences on the ship and I'm glad he's managed to put down on paper these things for people to appreciate what these sailors did for us all in what were often extremely hard conditions at sea.He joined the Royal Navy as a Boy Seaman in 1939 and during his five years or so on HMS Nigeria undertook many Arctic Convoys, got torpedoed in the Mediterannean,was involved in the capture of Enigma machines, experienced Russian visits ashore , and ended up in the Far East.The ship had a busy war with many interesting events befalling her and it seems important to me that stories like this get told and don't become events that get forgotten or are not even heard of by the rest of us.Thanks Jack - to you and all your shipmates who served on HMS Nigeria.
My uncle Ronald James Stocker served on the Nigeria, during WW2, but I’m not sure when other than that I have been told that he sailed to Murmansk and the Pacific. He was in the Navy from 1939 – 1946, and died in 1956. If any of his old shipmates have any memories of him, I would like to hear from them.
My late father-in-law, Alfred ("Alfie") Osborne Charlton, (born 1913) served as a Stoker aboard H.M.S. Nigeria on the Malta and Archangel convoys. He spent time with the ship in America (presumably in the aftermath of the Italian torpedo) and at Trincomalee and in Burma. He died in South Shields, in 1989 aged 76. Robert Kerr
My father Jimmy Simmonds served as a stoker on the Nigeria from 1941-45. He kept a bit of a scrap- book cum photo album of the time,along with a couple of mementoes like the crest. Crew members mentioned along with photos are G.Shepherd, Buster Brown, T. Cleary, Slugger Wood, Jock Milne, McGee and J. Bergen. He joined the ship at Scapa where she was inspected by King George, and was at first on the Artic convoys to Murmansk. In 1942 he was on the Malta convoy where the Nigeria was torpedoed. The only recollection of this time he passed on to me was how the hatches were screwed down when the torpedo hit and although terrified, like everyone there I should imagine, was too busy to be affected by it. Xmas that year was spent in Charleston U.S.A. where Nigeria had made her way for repairs. His scrapbook mentions a Capt Dundas, Capt Paton, and Capt King. Later in the war he went various places including Norway, Gib,Suez, Aden ,Ceylon,Sabang,Australia, & Bombay. He was demobbed in Nov 45 and like much of his generation who had lived through a war thereafter lived life to the full. In 1974 after 40 years of marriage he died suddenley aged 61. I am including a few photographs from my dad's scrapbook.
The first photo is of dad, front row, second left, and a few of the crew, probably from the engine room. I believe his mate, G. Shepherd, is front row, third left. I am still trying to put a name to the rest of the fellas in the photo.
The second photo is of King George inspecting the crew at Scapa Flo.
The third photo is of H.M.S. Nigeria with her bows looking the worse for wear after ramming a German cruiser and sinking a couple of merchant ships, off the coast of Norway.
I am writting on behalf of a daughter who`s father served on HMS Nigeria as a R.D.F operator his name is Mr Thomas Leslie Bellamy his nick name was Ralph aftter the actor Ralph Bellamy. The names on a list I recieved from Mr Bellamys daughter are of R.D.F operators which served with Mr Bellamy. Mr Bellamy has given me some photographs, they are of historic value and as for as Mr Bellamy knows there are only 2 of HMS Nigeria listing after the torpedo strike.
- Jock Gross
- Johnny Bull
- Andy Ewing
- Glynn Palmer from swansea
- John Mcpherson
P.F.Quinn
My father served in HMS Nigeria. His name was Henry Horace Lockyear, and I know that he served on the ship when it was in the far east. His friend, Ron Harris, and my landlord's father, Gifford, although I don't know his initials, both served with him. I would love to recieve mail from anyone who remembers my father. He died last year of a heart attack.
My Grampa was also on the Nigeria he is the man in the photo with his back to the camera and all the ice is round him. His name was Robert Fleming and I have been try to find a book that one of the crew wrote. It was given to members of the crew but over time it has gone. If any one has information regarding this or any other storys please contact me. Thanks the web site has made my day.......
My Grandfather, Norman White, served on Nigeria. He was present when she was hit by both torpedoes and took part in the Russian convoy. I have the certificate that he was given when he crossed over the equator framed downstairs. David DuBois
I am tracing my family tree, and have recently found out that my Uncle was serving on HMS Nigeria on the 12th August 1942 off the coast of Malta. If there is anyone who could give me any information about him I would be most gratefull. His name was George Robinson.
My father Frank Sinnott, served as a young navy rating on HMS Nigeria during the Malta convoy, 'Operation Pedestal' in August 1942. He was '17 years old' by the official records, but he was in fact just 15 years and 3 months old during op pedestal convoy to Malta. He served as a cook. John F Sinnott
My father served onboard Nigeria from 23/7/41 to 16/1/43. He was an ERA at the time of OP Pedestal, and had just handed over his watch when the torpedo hit (the engine room, I was told). He was climbing a ladder when the torpedo hit, and the man he had handed watch over to was killed. I have some memorabilia, especially from South Carolina. My father, like many, preferred not to talk about WW2 much. Nick Jordan
I served on HMS Nigeria from 1942 to 45 in Berma based in Trincomale. I wonder if any shipmates want to talk?
My cousin Alf Willats from London, served on the Nigeria. He often told me of it's exploits on convoys to Russia and trips to the USA. I was in the RN at the same time and tried to get a 'compassionate draft' to her but my request was refused. I cannot recall what exactly he did on that ship, alL I can tell you is that he wore 'Square' rig. I believe that he was on her at the end of the war but I've lost all trace of him. I hope this may help in some small way. Ralph Goodfellow
My Father Douglas Flood, served in the Royal Navy on board both HMS LONDON (DEC.1940-FEB.1943) and HMS NIGERIA (SEPT. 1943-MAR.1946). He is now 83 and living in Ontario, Canada. He has a lot of photographs and notes from tehw ar. We have visited many websites about the Royal Navy and are looking for information on any surviving members from both ships, who may be living in Canada. My father served in the Seamans Branch (Gunnery) and left the Navy as a Petty Officer. If there are any reunions or gatherings in the near future please let us know. Duane Flood
My grandfather was killed on the HMS NIGERIA when she was hit by a torpedo during operation Pedastal , they were on the coast of Malta. I never knew him and am trying to find out what I can --- also to help my mother who lost him when 10 years old it would mean so much to her for any kind of info regarding him . He was 39 yrs old and had the position of chief stoker, if anyone out there has any small grains of information please let me know thank you in advance
Photographs
HMS Nigeria 1942.
The crew chipping the ice of the superstructure to prevent capsizing. Early in 1942 just before the Malta Convoy on PQ16 to Archangel in Northern Russia.
HMS Nigeria near Archangel.
HMS Nigeria near Archangel.
Catapult
A Walrus seaplane
Ronald Moore.
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List of those who served on HMS Nigeria
- Jock Aberdeen, Cook
- Ord.Tel. John G. Aris (d. 12 August 1942)
- A.B. Christopher T. Alsop (d. 12 August 1942)
- Ord.Sea. Kenneth Armstrong (d. 12 August 1942)
- PO Arthur Henry Baker Read his Story
- Thomas Leslie "Ralph" Bellamy. RDF Op. Read his story
- J. Bergen.
- A/Ldg.Tel. Charles George Betts (d. 12 August 1942)
- Bott(d. 12 August 1942)
- A.B. John T. Box (d. 12 August 1942)
- Ord.Tel. Gordon C. Boyce (d. 12 August 1942)
- P.O. Cecil G. Brawn (d. 12 August 1942)
- A.B. Eric N. Bray (d. 12 August 1942)
- Harry "Buster" Brown. Read his Story
- Johnny Bull. RDF Op.
- A.B. Edgar Burns (d. 12 August 1942)
- William Burrows Read his Story
- Midshipman J.B.Carrington (d.26th Feb 1942 )
- A.B. William E. Castle (d. 12 August 1942)
- Alfred Osborne Charlton. Read his story
- Musician John A. Clarke (d. 12 August 1942)
- T. Cleary
- A.B. G.F.Coe (d. 15th August 1944)
- A.B. Herbert E Coleman (d. 12 August 1942)
- AB Peter Collis Read his Story
- Musician Frederick W. J. Conn (d. 12 August 1942)
- A.B. Eric H. Coote (d. 12 August 1942)
- Jack Copley. writer. Read his story
- Tel. Kenneth N. Coxton (d. 12 August 1942)
- A.B. Eric R. Culver (d. 12 August 1942)
- Charles Darby BEM. Electrical artificer. Read his story
- John Kenneth Dixon Read his story
- Captain John G. L. Dundas Read his Story
- Ldg. Sea Herbert S. Ebbage (d. 12 August 1942)
- Jack Edwards Read his story
- Andy Ewing. RDF Op.
- George Geoffrey Farrow. signalman Read his story
- Robert Fleming Read his story
- Douglas Flood Read his story
- A.B. Ernest Fox (d. 12 August 1942)
- Gifford
- E.A. J.F. Green (d. 6th September 1942)
- Jock Gross. RDF Op.
- Ord.Sea. (R.D.F.) Henry Grose (d. 12 August 1942)
- Ron Harris
- A.B. Reginald T. Hart (d. 12 August 1942)
- A.B. James Hoare (d. 12 August 1942)
- Robert Howman
- Midhipman Patrick R. Ingldby, R.N. (d. 12 August 1942)
- Lieut N.C. Irvine. R.N.V.R. (d. 26th May 1944 )
- A.B. Norman Irving (d. 12 August 1942)
- A.B. Douglas J. Isaacs (d. 12 August 1942)
- Sto. Gordon P. James (d. 12 August 1942)
- Ord.Sea. Cecil F. Johnstone (d. 12 August 1942)
- Naval Airman H.G.Johnson (d. 29th Sep 1941)
- Ch.S.P.O. Arthur L. Jones (d. 12 August 1942)
- ERA Jordan
- Paymaster Midshipman Claude B.Kerr, R.N. (d. 12 August 1942)
- "Jock" King Read his Story
- A.B. Clifford H. Lebbing (d. 12 August 1942)
- Henry Horace Lockyear. Read his story
- Alfred Longbottom. Read his story
- Ord.Sea. James F. McInnes (d. 12 August 1942)
- McGee
- John Mcpherson. RDF Op.
- Ord. Sea. John T. Martindale (d. 12 August 1942)
- Alfred A Martyr. Warrant Electrician R.N. (d. 12 August 1942)
- Jock Milne
- Ronald Moore RM. Gunner
- Musician William C. Morey (d. 12 August 1942)
- E.R.A.1 F.S. Morgan (d. 2nd April 1945)
- Leo Nolan Read his story
- John Croft "Lofty" Nuttall. Royal Marines. Read his story
- S.A. Albert R. Page(d. 12 August 1942)
- Glynn Palmer. RDF Op.
- P.O. Alfred J. Perry (d. 12 August 1942)
- Musician Arthur V. Phillips (d. 12 August 1942)
- Musician Jack A. Phillips (d. 12 August 1942)
- Brinley "Taff" Powell. Royal Marines. Read his Story
- Band Corporal Richard Powell (d. 12 August 1942)
- H Powell(d. 12 August 1942)
- Joseph Evans Price. Petty Officer. Read his story
- Commander Ransome (Second in Command)
- Musician William D. G. Ray (d. 12 August 1942)
- Philip Rayment. torpedo rating. Read his story
- A.B. Arthur W. Reeves (d. 12 August 1942)
- Bandmaster Albert E. Ridout (d. 12 August 1942)
- A.B. Henry G. Roberts (d. 12 August 1942)
- Ldg. Tel George W. A. Robinson (d. 12 August 1942)
- A.B. A.P.Rogers (d.11th Mar1942 )
- Musician Aaron Rope (d. 12 August 1942)
- G.Shepherd
- Jimmy Simmonds. stoker Read his story
- Frank Sinnott. cook. Read his story
- P.O. Henty W. Skoyles (d. 12 August 1942)
- E. Smart, L/Wtr.
- Sto. Arthur S. Smith (d. 12 August 1942)
- A.B. J.Smith
- Able Seaman Gunner QR3. Arthur Sidney James Strike.
- Ronald James Stocker Read his story
- A.B. R.S.Taylor (d.26th Feb 1942 )
- Robert Tervit. Leading Torpedo Operator Read his story
- Sam Thompson. Gunner
- Midshipman.John D Tuffill, R.N. (d. 12 August 1942)
- Jimmy Underwood (cook)
- A.B. Herbert Walker (d. 12 August 1942)
- H A Waller(d. 12 August 1942)
- Norman White
- A.B. Thomas A. Wicks (d. 12 August 1942)
- A/Ldg Sea. Edmond Wiley (d. 12 August 1942)
- Ord.Sea. (R.D.F.) Cyril Wilkinson (d. 12 August 1942)
- A/Ldg Sea. Edmund Wiley. Read his story
- Alf Willats
- A.B. John M. Wilson (d. 12 August 1942)
- "Slugger" Wood
- Les Wright
- Steward J. Young (d. 29th July 1945)
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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