A WOLVERLEY man has spoken of his uncle’s sacrifice on HMS Glorious which sank 85 years ago claiming the lives of more than 1,200 naval personnel, writes Neil Gordon.
Charles Woodward’s uncle Peter Bridges was just 21 when he died in the Norwegian Sea after aircraft carrier HMS Glorious was sunk, along with escorts Ardent and Acasta, by German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau on June 8 1940.
A total of 1,531 personnel lost their lives, with 1,207 of the casualties from Glorious, including Leading Aircraft Fitter Bridges.
Mr Woodward contacted the Standard after we published an appeal by the GLARAC Association (GLorious, ARdent and ACasta) asking for relatives of personnel from the three ships to come forward, as commemorations were being held to mark the 85th anniversary of the sinking.
Mr Woodward said: “I have always known about my uncle Peter’s death on Glorious but have only recently learnt more details about the sinking.
“Unfortunately, Peter died from exposure on a Carley float [a type of liferaft] eight hours before rescuers arrived after miraculously being uninjured when Glorious sank, according to testimony from a survivor.”
HMS Glorious was returning home after collecting planes and personnel from Norway when it sank in the Royal Navy’s worst loss of the Second World War. The sinking was shrouded in controversy and questions remain about why the ship was given permission to travel alone, with Ardent and Acasta for protection, rather than sail with the main convoy.
The Admiralty stated HMS Glorious was low on fuel and had completed its mission.
Mr Woodward, who moved to Wolverley from the south of England to be near his son, said: “It’s unsurprising that Peter joined up to serve his country as the family is steeped in service history being from the Gosport and Portsmouth areas of Hampshire.
“Peter became an RAF apprentice aged 15 in 1934, before transferring to the Fleet Air Arm about five years later and commencing his service on Glorious.”
The Arctic Star medal (pictured above) awarded to Peter from the operation to Norway which Glorious, Ardent and Acasta were returning from is now in Charles’ possession and he is also checking if any other medals awarded to his uncle remain unclaimed.
Mr Woodward said: “I have a sense of pride in Peter volunteering to serve his country and having his life taken at such a young age.”