Trafford

Attended Sale Central School.  Joined RN in 1939.   Married June 1942.

H.M.S. Avenger was torpedoed by 'U.155' at 04.15hrs on the 15/11/42 west of
Gibraltar, in position - 36.15N 05.08E.   The torpedo hit the ship's bomb
room and it blew up - only 12 survivors.   It was one of four 'Avenger'
class escort carriers which were originally cargo ships, converted in the
U.S.A. between 1941 & 1942.   They were not popular with the crews - the
conversions not being what they could have been.  The other one of this
class that was lost, was H.M.S. Dasher which blew up and sank off the coast
of Scotland, with a loss of 379 lives and was hushed up at the time - the
story only coming to light in the 1980s.    They had a displacement of
11,300 tons and a complement of 555 personnel.