The Scottish Military Research Group - Commemorations Project

Adam Brown · Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 8:57 am Post subject:

FLEET, THOMAS HENRY
Rank: Third Officer
Regiment/Service: Merchant Navy
Unit Text: S.S. Baltonia (London)
Age: 23
Date of Death: 07/02/1943
Additional information: Son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Fleet, of Dollerie, Perthshire; husband of Jean Ester Margaret Fleet, of Edinburgh.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 13.
Memorial: TOWER HILL MEMORIAL

From

http://www.rbls-kirkwall.org.uk/memorials/Flo/JamesSMFlett.doc

On 7th February 1943 convoy MKS 7, bound for Liverpool from Algiers, sailed into a minefield off Bougie, North Africa. It had been laid on 1st–2nd February by U-118 and sank Baltonia and two other ships, Mary Slessor and Empire Morded.

The Master, Jack Prosser, one gunner and nine crew members of Baltonia were lost in its sinking, 42 crew members and nine gunners were picked up and eventually landed at Londonderry.

When it sank S.S. Baltonia was carrying 1,215 tons of sour oranges, intended for the production of marmalade, a basic wartime food product

From

http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/2630.html

Name: Baltonia
Type: Steam merchant
Tonnage: 2.013 tons
Completed: 1925 - Akers Mekaniske Verksted AS, Oslo
Owner: United Baltic Co, London
Homeport: London
Date of attack: 7 Feb, 1943
Nationality: British

Fate: Sunk by U-118 (Werner Czygan)
Position: 35.58N, 05.59W - Grid CG 9585
Complement: 62 (11 dead and 51 survivors).
Convoy: MKS-7
Route: Seville - Gibraltar - Belfast Lough
Cargo: 1215 tons of sour oranges and 6 tons of general cargo
History: Completed in January 1925 as Norwegian Buena Vista, 1936 sold to Britain and renamed Baltonia.

Notes on loss: At 23.59 hours on 7 Feb, 1943, the convoy MKS-7 ran into a minefield laid by U-118 on 1 and 2 February west of Gibraltar and lost three ships: Baltonia, Mary Slessorand Empire Mordred.

The master, nine crew members and one gunner from Baltonia (Master Jack Ames Prosser) were lost. 42 crew members and nine gunners were picked up by the British merchant Kingsland, transferred to HMCS Alberni (K 103) (Lt A.W. Ford) and landed at Londonderry.

Adam Brown · Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 9:02 am Post subject:

SINCLAIR, WILLIAM
Rank: Flight Lieutenant (Bomb Aimer)
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Unit Text: 405 (R.C.A.F.) Sqdn
Date of Death: 09/05/1944
Service No: 151242
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Coll. grave 31.
Cemetery: Chievres Communal Cemetery. Located 15 km north west of Mons on the N525 a road leading from the N56 connecting Mons to Ath. From Mons the N56 Chaussee de Mons leads for 22 km to the left hand turning onto the N525 Grande Rue. 2 km along the N525 lies the village of Chievres. The cemetery is located immediately before entering the village on the right hand side of the Grande Rue.

From Lost Bombers

http://www.lostbombers.co.uk/bomber.php?id=2692

Lancaster ND587
Serial Number: ND587
Squadron: 405
X1D: LQ-D
Operation: Haine-St-Pierre
Date 1: 8th May 1944
Date 2: 9th May 1944

Further Information
"Serial Range ND324 - NE181 This aircraft was one of 600 Lancaster Mk.111s ordered from A.V.Roe (Chadderton) and delivered from Dec43 to May44 with Merlin 38 engines. ND587 was delivered to 405 Sqdn ex-32MU Feb44. ND587 took part in the Key Operations against Stuttgart 15/16Mar44 and Laon 22/23Apr44.

ND587 was one of two 405 Sqdn Lancasters lost on this operation. See: ND347. Airborne 0125 9May44 to bomb rail yards. Homebound, shot down by a night-fighter flown by Lt Wilhelm Marstaller, 1./NJG4, crashing 0345 near Gallaix (Hainaut), 12 km e of Tournai. all are buried in Chievres Communal Cemetery. F/L W.McL Chase RAAF KIA F/s J.M.Buckley KIA F/L G.W.Knupp RCAF KIA F/L W.Sinclair KIA F/S J.t.Gill KIA P/O C.M.Sylvah RCAF KIA F/S R.D.Daniels KIA "

Adam Brown · Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 9:08 am Post subject:

WHYTE, WILLIAM
Rank: Second Officer
Regiment/Service: Merchant Navy
Unit Text: S.S. Caleb Sprague (London)
Age: 24
Date of Death: 31/01/1944
Additional information: Son of Peter and Magdalene Whyte, of Crieff.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: New Ground. Grave 1100 A.
Cemetery: CRIEFF CEMETERY

Although Second Officer Whyte is buried in Crieff he died as a result of enemy action. His ship S.S. Caleb Sprague was sunk off Eastbourne in January 1944 by an E-Boat

From http://www.photoship.co.uk/Disaster%20Chest/114.pdf

CALEB SPRAGUE
Ministry of War Transport (Whimster & Co.}; 1943; Pacific
Bridge Co.; 1,813 tons; 250x42-1x18-3; 188 n.h.p.; tripleexpansion
engines.
The British steamship Caleb Sprague was torpedoed and sunk by German motor torpedo boats on January 31st, 1944, S.E. of Beachy Head on a voyage from London to Newport. Twenty-two of her crew of 27 and three of her four gunners were lost.

stuartn · Joined: 13 Dec 2016 Posts: 2551

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