ALBERT BALDWIN MAGUIRE
Photograph courtesy of Catrina.
Born: 23rd October 1922, Chicopee, Hampden, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Died: 8th June 1940; age: 17; MPK – Operation Alphabet.
Residence: 78, St. John’s Road, Ipswich.
Rank: Signal Boy; Service Number: C/JX/158417.
Regiment: Royal Navy, H.M.S. ‘Glorious.’
Grave Reference:
37.1.
Chatham,
Kent.
Relatives Notified & Address: Son of Hugh & Alice Jane Maguire, of Ipswich.
Father: Hugh Maguire, born Blythe, Ontario, Canada. Immigrated with his parents & siblings in 1896 to the U.S.A.
Mother: Alice Jane Maguire (nee Baldwin), born October 1891, Earl Soham, Suffolk.
Albert’s parents met during the First World War, after Hugh was recovering in hospital from being Gassed. They married in November 1917, at Kentish Town, London when Hugh was based at Seaford Camp, East Sussex.
On the 28th July 1919, Albert’s 27 year old mother, Alice, described as 5ft 3ins in height, with medium complexion, brown eyes and brown hair, and his sister, Irene arrived in Quebec, Canada, they had travelled on S.S.’Tunisian.’ Their next of kin was Mr. George Baldwin, of Earl Soham, Suffolk. Hugh had paid for their tickets, and they were going to stay with Hugh’s brother, John Maguire, of 320, East Street, Chicopee, Hampden, Massachusetts.
On the 24th August 1919, Alice and Irene crossed the boarder into the Port of Niagara Fall, New York.
On the 9th July 1925, 2 year old, Albert arrived at the Port of Southampton. He had embarked at the Port of New York, and travelled 3rd Class, with his mother & sisters on board Royal Mail
Ship ‘Majestic’ of the White Star Line. Their proposed address was at Earl Soham, Suffolk, and England was to be their permanent residence.
Alice, 33, a Housewife.
Irene M. Maguire, born 1918, Newhaven, East Sussex.
Virginia Patricia Maguire, born 1919, Chicopee, Hampden, Massachusetts.
Catherine Alice Maguire, born 1921, Chicopee, Hampden, Massachusetts.
ENGLAND & WALES REGISTER 1939.
William was living with his parents, sisters and spinster maternal aunt at their family home – 78, St. John’s Road, Ipswich.
Hugh,
Alice, unpaid Domestic Duties.
Catherine.
1 other sister.
Kate Baldwin, unpaid Domestic Duties, born September 1889, Earl Soham, Suffolk.
Evening Star – 24th August 1940.
IPSWICH SCHOOLMATES MISSING
Served Together On H.M.S. Glorious
Among those members of the crew of H.M.S. Glorious who have been posted as missing and possibly prisoners are Boy Signaller Arthur Joseph Farrow, son of Mr. and Mrs. Farrow, of 1, Reading Road, Ipswich, and Boy Signaller Albert Maguire, son of Mr. Maguire, of 78, St. John’s Road, Ipswich.
Both boys were educated together at California School, Ipswich, and after leaving school they were both together on H.M.S. Ganges at Shotley. From Shotley they went to Egypt, where they were posted to H.M.S. Glorious.
The boys, known to their friends as “Streak and Mick,” have always been close friends.
Evening Star – 27th August 1940.
IPSWICH SCHOOLMATES MISSING
Boy Signaller Arthur Joseph Farrow, of 1, Reading Road, and Boy Signaller Albert Maguire, of 78, St. John’s Road, Ipswich, who have been reported as missing from H.M.S. Glorious. Known to their friends as “Streak and Mick,” the boys were together at California School and afterwards joined the Navy together.
8th June 1940 H.M.S. ‘Glorious’
H.M.S.’Glorious’ was a battlecruiser of the Courageous class built for the Royal Navy by Harland & Wolff, Belfast, Northern Ireland, as part of Admiral Fisher’s Baltic Project. Ordered 14th March 1915 and completed on the 31st December 1916 – Commissioned January 1917.
In February 1924, H.M.S.’Glorious’ was sent to be converted to an aircraft carrier.
On the 8th June 1940, H.M.S.’Glorious’ and her two escorting sister ships H.M.S. ‘Acasta’ and H.M.S. ‘Ardent.’ They were taking part in Operation Alphabet – the evacuation of Allied forces from Norway that had been taking place simultaneously with the rather better known and remembered evacuation at Dunkirk. On the way through the Norwegian Sea at about 15:46 pm, the funnel smoke from H.M.S.’Glorious’ and her escort ships was spotted by the German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. H.M.S. ‘Glorious’ had no lookouts posted in the crow’s nest, no aircraft on patrol and no aircraft ready on the deck for a quick take-off . H.M.S ‘Acasta’ and H.M.S. ‘Ardent’ attempted to lay a smoke screen. H.M.S. ‘Glorious’ was hit by Scharnhorst in her forward flight deck and burst in the upper hangar, starting a large fire and prevented any other aircraft from taking off. At 16:58hrs a second shell hit the homing beacon above the bridge and killed or wounded the personnel stationed there, including Captain Guy D’Oyly-Hughes. H.M.S. ‘Glorious’ was hit again in the centre engine room at 17:20hrs and this caused her to lose speed.The German ships closed in and continued to fire. H.M.S. ‘Glorious’ was soon overcome and was sunk. at 18:10hrs.
The same fate then happened to H.M.S. ‘Ardent’. H.M.S. ‘Acasta’ attacked with torpedoes, and hit the engine room of Scharnhorst in a last attack before she sank, blazing beneath the waves at 18.20hrs. The damaged caused by H.M.S. ‘Acasta’ torpedoes to Scharnhorst caused the enemy ships to abandon their sortie to the north and return to port. The Germans didn’t wait to pick up any survivors. 1531 Officers and men lost their lives.
H.M.S. ‘Glorious
Ipswich man lost on HMS ‘Acasta’ WILLIAM ERNEST ALLEN
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