AN APPEAL for photographs of crew members who died in the Royal Navy’s biggest loss of life has been made ahead of the 85th anniversary of the tragedy, writes Neil Gordon.
The appeal comes from the GLARAC Association which safeguards the honour and memory of the 1,531 officers and men of HMS Glorious and her two escorts, HMS Ardent and HMS Acasta, who lost their lives when sunk by German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau in the Norwegian Sea on June 8, 1940.
Relatives of crew members are also encouraged to come forward.
The appeal comes just weeks after Class 50 diesel locomotive, number 50033 named Glorious, after HMS Glorious, was rededicated at the Severn Valley Railway’s Kidderminster Station in a ceremony to commemorate 85th anniversary of the ship’s sinking.
Aircraft carrier HMS Glorious was returning home after collecting planes and personnel from Norway when it sank in the Royal Navy’s worst Second World War loss.
A total of 1,207 of the 1,531 casualties were on Glorious, with the sinking shrouded in controversy and questions still unanswered about why the ship travelled 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.
But questions also remain about why Glorious had not posted any lookouts and did not have any of its planes readied for action.
Only 41 of the personnel on Glorious survived the sinking, with men and boys from the three ships waiting over 24 hours to be rescued, which only came after the Admiralty learned of the sinking on German radio.
A GLARAC (GLorious, ARdent, ACasta) spokesperson said: “This episode was so embarrassing for the Royal Navy, the 1946 Board of Inquiry issued a 100-year secrecy order.
“And while the secrecy order has since been lifted and the files have become available, they do not explain why the secrecy order was issued.
“Only recently hardly anyone had heard of HMS Glorious due to the secrecy order.”
Anyone who thinks they had a relation involved in the tragedy can visit: glarac.co.uk for a full crew list.
People can email: [email protected] to submit photographs or for more information.
The spokesperson added: “Every new photograph found is a bonus.”
The GLARAC Association is holding memorial events this weekend in Plymouth to mark Sunday’s 85th anniversary of the tragedy.
