HENRY RAYMOND ALDOUS

Image courtesy of Brigitte

Born: 24th February 1923, Ipswich.

Died: 27th April 1941; age: 18; MPK – when  H.M.S.’Diamond’ was sunk south of Morea.

Residence: 303, Felixstowe Road, Ipswich.

Employed: Fison, Packard & Prentice from 1938 – 1940.

Rank: Ordinary Coder; Service Number: C/JX 213850

Regiment: Royal Navy, H.M.S. ‘Diamond’.

Memorial Reference:

46.2.

Chatham Naval Memorial,

Chatham,

Kent.

Father: Alfred George Aldous, born September 1892, Deptford, London.

Mother: Dora Lily Aldous (nee Francis), born February 1894, Alberta House, Main Road, Dovercourt, Essex.

Henry was educated at Nacton Road Boy’s School 1928 – 1934. At the age of 11 he moved up to the Ipswich Selective Central School – leaving in 1938.

ENGLAND & WALES REGISTER 1939

Henry was living with his parents, brothers & widowed paternal grandmother at their family home – 303, Felixstowe Road, Ipswich.

Alfred, An Engineers’ Cost Estimator on Armament Costs.

Dora, unpaid Domestic Duties.

Alfred Edwin Aldous, born September 1917, 66, Upland Road, Ipswich.

Christopher Aldous, born 1928, Ipswich.

Amelia Aldous (nee Shapley), unpaid Domestic Duties, born Auust 1863, Hackney, London.

27th April 1941

H.M.S. ‘Diamond’ was a D-Class Destoyer built by Vickers Armstong, Barrow-in-Furness, for the Royal Navy. Ordered 2nd february 1931. Laid down 29th September 1931. Launched 8th April 1931. Commissioned 2nd November 1932.  On the 27th April 1941, she was taking part in Operation: Demon. The evacuation of Allied troops from Greece, in light of the Greek Army’s surrender to the Axis invaders. A total of 50,732 men are evacuated quickly over a six-day period, leaving behind weapons, trucks, and aircraft. The Dutch transport ship DSS ‘Slamat’ was attacked by Luftwaffe aircraft. Master Tjalling Luidinga, gave the order to abandon ship. H.M.S. ‘Diamond’ (Lt Cdr. Philip Alexis Cartwright, R.N.) and H.M. Destroyer ‘Wryneck’ began to pick up the survivors from the Dutch troopship who were being machine gunned and torn to shreds in the water. The two ships continued on their passage to Crete when they too came under air attack by German Junkers Ju 88 bombers and Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters. Both ships were sunk south of Morea. A total of 983 lives were lost from the 3 ships, only 1 officer, 41 enlisted men and 8 soldiers were rescued.