HMS Aurora 1936-1960

[kc]

HMS Aurora was a cruiser which served throughout World War Two. Her company wrote a small book at the end of the war which was published as 'The Silver Phantom'. The book contained the following honours list, which is a list of all crew who obtained honours and (what I think is) a complete list of all crew killed during the war.

Companion of the Bath, Commander of the Royal Victorian Order and Distinguished Service Order :
Captain W G Agnew

Officer of the Order of the British Empire and Mentioned in Dispatches:
Commander T N Sheffield

Officer of the Order of the British Empire:
Paymaster-Commander W J G Prophit

Member of the Order of the British Empire:
Mr A M Booker, (Gunner)
Lieutenant C H S Wise

Distinguished Service Cross and Bar:
Lieutenant J H Higson

Distinguished Service Cross and twice Mentioned in Dispatches:
Lieutenant D McEwen

Distinguished Service Cross and Mentioned in Dispatches:
Lieutenant M Le Fanu

Distinguished Service Cross:
Lieutenant G F C Ellum
Paymaster-Lieutenant E J Offord

Distinguished Service Medal and Mentioned in Dispatches:
Chief Petty Officer A J Blowe
Petty Officer B Hale
Petty Officer Cook J H Hubbard

Distinguished Service Medal:
Acting Chief Engine Room Artificer O Anderson
Chief Ordnance Artificer H J Bishop
Petty Officer E Buckett
Leading Seaman E W Bye
Leading Seaman (Radar) A B Drury
Acting Leading Seaman (Radar) T Evans
Chief Stoker W J Foreman
Sergeant R E Goffey (R.M.)
Supply Assistant R L Holloway
Electrical Artificer Third Class A E Jones
Chief Petty Officer G L Loe
Leading Seaman E McDowell
Acting Leading Seaman (Radar) J T Mail
Engine Room Artificer Third Class J Martin
Supply Chief Petty Officer E Morgan
Petty Officer Cook C R Smith
Corporal J T Smith (R.M.)
Chief Engine Room Artificer A Tullis
Musician A T Willcock (R.M.)

British Empire Medal and Mentioned in Dispatches:
Stoker Petty Officer J C Wickham

British Empire Medal:
Leading Seaman J G Mayor
Supply Petty Officer A W Viles
Chief Engine Room Artificer L A Wilkes

Twice Mentioned in Dispatches:
Commander C M Hall
Lieutenant G J B Noel
Engine Room Artificer Third Class T W Ransley
Able Seaman R Williams

Mentioned in Dispatches:
Commander I O Backhouse
Lieutenant-Commander M H Brown
Lieutenant J S Brownrigg
Commander H Dalrymple-Smith
Surgeon Lieutenant-Commander F M Duthie
Mr A W Finch (Warrant Engineer)
Lieutenant U G B L Huggins (R.N.V.R.)
Major J G Hume (R.M.)
Mr L Raper (Warrant Mechanician)
Commander K McN Walter
Mr G E Willis (Gunner)
Leading Seaman A E Allen
Marine E Buckley (R.M.)
Able Seaman A G R Bulmer
Acting Corporal P Cake (R.M.)
Engine Room Artificer Fourth Class D P Clark
Able Seaman R Cook
Engine Room Artificer Fourth Class R D Cramb
Corporal J E Crook (R.M.)
Chief Ordnance Artificer P T Crouch
Able Seaman B W C Curtis
Able Seaman A W Davis
Stoker Petty Officer R Dickie
Stoker Petty Officer F Dixon
Chief Stoker G Driscoll
Chief Petty Officer Cook E J Gallichan
Able Seaman J Goody
Supply Petty Officer B R J Hailstone
Able Seaman H W Harrison
Petty Officer Telegraphist W W Hodges
Chief Yeoman of Signals W J Holt
Electrical Artificer First Class C W H Howell
Petty Officer Telegraphist V L C Instone
Able Seaman F Jennings
Leading Stoker E A J Johnston
Corporal W T E Jones (R.M.)
Acting Stoker Petty Officer C R Lasseter
Leading Stoker J H Mackay
Mechanician Second Class L Madden
Marine J I Murray (R.M.)
Able Seaman G Robertson
Able Seaman S Scott (R.N.V.R.)
Chief Stoker A J Searle
Marine L G Tansley (R.M.)
Able Seaman L C R Townrow
Leading Seaman J Walden
Corporal W G Warnett (R.M.)
Sick Berth Attendant R W Whittington
Marine L V Wright (R.M.)

-----------------------------------

Killed:

Ernest Adams (Marine)
Herbert Allbrook (Marine)
Alfred Allen (Leading Seaman)
George Austin (Marine)
John Bateman (Able Seaman)
Joseph Beardsmore (Able Seaman)
Robert Beck (Marine)
Philip Blann (Able Seaman)
Richard Bottomley (Acting Leading Seaman)
Henry Buchanan (Able Seaman)
Artur Bulmer (Able Seaman)
Sydney Charter (Able Seaman)
Frank Denford (Able Seaman)
John Derrick (Marine)
Raymond Eldridge (Able Seaman)
Thomas Falsay (Able Seaman)
George Gale (Ordinary Seaman)
Leslie Gavin (Able Seaman)
James Geddes (Able Seaman)
Neil Gillies (Able Seaman)
Thomas Gordon (Ordnance Artificer Fourth Class)
William Granton (Able Seaman)
Henry Greenall (Able Seaman)
Hugh Gunn (Able Seaman)
Alexander Gwynne (Able Seaman)
Percival Hansell (Engine Room Artificer Fourth Class)
John Hefti (Acting Petty Officer)
William Hibbert (Able Seaman)
Jack Hollinshead (Able Seaman)
Victor Hudson (Marine)
G H Hughes (Corporal, R.M.)
Arthur Jeffreys (Able Seaman)
Robert Little (Lieutenant)
Joseph Prouse (Able Seaman)
John Ratcliffe (Acting Ordnance Artificer Fourth Class)
Ronald Repton (Able Seaman)
Robert Robertson (Able Seaman)
T J Sayer (Marine)
Francis Shepherd (Able Seaman)
Alfred Simpson (Seaman, R.N.R.)
Charles Smith (Commander)
Geoffrey Stevens (Commissioned Gunner)
John Sullivan (Ordinary Seaman)
W H Targett (Marine)
George Thompson (Able Seaman)
Walter Tinkler (Marine)
E G Tolfree (Marine)
Leslie Walker (Marine)
Emanuel Wall (Seaman, R.N.R.)
Cliver Waterman (Acting Leading Seaman)
Richard White (Petty Officer)
James Whyte (Able Seaman)
Norman Williams (Marine)
Bernard Wilson (Able Seaman)
Samuel Yeend (Able Seaman)
Albert Young (Able Seaman)

And here is a photo of the ship's company in 1943.

http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/images/hmsauroracrew.jpg

[culverin]

A brilliant book by her own ship's company, which if memory serves me right, was even published during the war. Put my copy away many years ago.
However, her fate turned into a real "where is she now and whose side is she on now" scenario.

One of the 4 RN Arethusa class light cruisers, extremely successful and seeing lots of action, they were a baby Amphion class light cruiser with 6 - 6" in A, B and Y and 4-4" as built. Very beautiful and popular ships.

Sisters Galatea and Penelope both hold records to this day in connection with their respective losses on 15-12-1941 and 18-2-1944.

[astraltrader]

her fate turned into a real "where is she now and whose side is she on now" scenario.

I am not quite sure what you are inferring as her fate since being sold to the Chinese Nationalists in May 1948 and renamed CHUNGKING has been well documented.
Soon after joining the Chinese Navy the crew seized the ship and defected to the new Communist government and her name was changed to TCHOUNKING.
Then she was sunk during an air attack on Yaku harbour in March 1949. Salvaged in 1951 the cruiser re-commissioned with a new name HSUANG HO but this was later again changed to PEI CHING. By 1958 she had become a harbour hulk and given the name KUANG CHOU.
She was finally broken-up in 1960.

[kc]

Wow, ths thread was really dragged from the depths of time!

Thank culverin for noticing the thread and responding. While I was not at the time aware of the fate of the Aurora, I am now. However, the book is an excellent read and is easily readable in one sitting, should anyone wish to acquire a copy. I believe it was written by the ship's company, and as such really hammers home the war in the Med that the guys on board faced.

Their time in Malta is always a scenario I think about if for any reason I might feel sorry for myself - it soon brings me back round to being thankful for the liberty and freedom we have thanks to them!

Terry, excellent insight as usual - I must get this crew list into the database!

[Old Salt]

My father in law served in Aurora in the Med in 1941? when they sank the Axis convoy and also when they and Neptune hit mines. He kept a diary which was handed on to his grandson.
I will see what I can do.

Brian

[kronserg]

Then she was sunk during an air attack on Yaku harbour in March 1949.
Sad show...
80034

[MelQuick]

Hi Kronsberg

Interesting pic - I haven't seen it before. Do you mind if I download it?

Mel

[culverin]

ref # 3
It implies i doubt any one knew if she was Nationalist or Communist from one minute to the next. Fancy being on the one side, getting your draft to her and discovering all the crew are the enemy, that is if you could keep up with all the name changes.
All nice pictures though, but did she actually see any action out there ?

[astraltrader]

Hardly surprising seeing the civil war in China was very much in the balance during the period she first joined the Nationalist Navy. I doubt whether she saw very much action other than the air-raid that sank her in 1949.

[Phil Reeder]

I don`t know whether anybody would interested ,but the Chinese company called Lee,produced a 300th scale plastic kit of HMS Aurora.It isn`t avaiable now,but some can be found on a certain Auction site,no doubt.

regards Phil

[emason]

HMS Aurora about 1948 before transfer to China.

88913

[Hugh Williams]

HMS Aurora about 1948 before transfer to China.

88913
Hi Bill,

Another fine photo from your portfolio. Very much appreciated. Thanks for posting it.

Regards,

Hugh Williams

[linux]

Here are some more photos of ex-Aurora in Chinese service (both inline photos and via the 22 links at the bottom of the page):

http://60.250.180.26/war/3306.html

The text there, and at ModelWarships.com (http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery/cl/roc/chongqing-300-dh/dh-index.html), suggests that the hulk survived until around 1990!

[iantownsend]

Love the story and pictures of Aurora.
She was my dad's first seagoing posting in 1939, staying until mid 1940. He was one of the cooks - Bill Townsend, and left before most of the action described above (although seeing more than he was prepared to talk about on the Belfast arctic convoys).
I have just this one photo of Aurora in his collection, I suspect a "standard" photo but still good.
Ian:)

[ludsie]

Amazing picture of her on her side doubt they would have been able to recommision her after that much damage