大象传媒

My father's cousin Harry (Henry) Ward from Pudsey, West Yorkshire was an Engine Room Artificer 4th Class when he sailed on the ill fated HMS Neptune which sank off Tripoli on 19 December 1941. He was just 21 years old.

All the crew of 750, including 150 officers and men of the Royal New Zealand Navy were lost except one English Leading Seaman Norman Walton.

On December 18 1941 the Captain of HMS Neptune, received orders from the Royal Navy Operations room in Malta to embark on a top secret mission to intercept an Italian enemy supply convoy before it reached North Africa where the 8th Army were engaged in heavy fighting.

The Neptune set sail that same evening in a convoy with 4 destroyers and 2 cruisers.

Just after 1 am on 19 December almost within sight of the enemy coast and struggling increasingly against bad weather the Neptune was hit by an enemy mine.

She was hit a further 3 times and at approximately 4 am the Captain gave orders to abandon ship.

Harry's parents spent that Christmas in 1941 not knowing that their son had perished. It wasn't until the New Year that they received their telegram and even then they never knew the full truth of that top secret mission.

Harry is remembered with honour by the War Graves Commission at the Chatham Naval Memorial, Kent.

He is also remembered for his singing voice and appeared at Leeds Town Hall, but probably his claim to fame would be when he sang at Len Hutton's Civic Reception.

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