HMS Barham Association

07/01/2010 - Lord Barham

A Requiem Mass for the Lord Barham, the Earl of Gainsborough will be held on Thursday 28th January at 11.00am at the Brompton Oratory, London.

01/01/2010 - Lord Barham

Unfortunately we have to inform you that Lord Barham, the Earl of Gainsborough, our associations President, died on the 29th December 2009.

The family have requested no flowers at the private interment and the date for a Requiem Mass will be posted at a later date.

29/11/2009 - Remembrance Service

I personally would like to thank everyone who attended the Remembrance Service yesterday th 28th November. It is much appreciated by the committee that so many attend. Our wreath was laid by the two survivors Mr George Knott and Mr Jack Nealon and the standard paraded by CPO Bob Woodgate.

The service was officiated by Canon Dr Jane Hegdes

I look forward to meeting you all again next year and would like to wish everyone

"A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND A PROSPEROUS 2010"

Ray Oliver

01/10/2009 - Autumn Newsletter

The Autumn 2009 Association newsletter has been posted on the website. View it here or download and read it here

06/04/2009 - Spring Newsletter

The Spring 2009 Association newsletter has been posted on the website. View it here or download and read it here

01/11/2008 - Annual Rememberance Service

The annual remembrance service is almost here and we've been asked my the Abbey staff to pass on a message to everyone planning on attending.

All persons attending should note that they must tell the Abbey staff that they are attending the HMS Barham service, as 1500 Ukranians are also attending a special service.

The Abbey staff will then direct all Association members to the correct meeting point.

Hope to see you all there.

05/10/2008 - Crew list in the Times newspaper

Regular contributor to our website Geoff Wearmouth has posted a message in our guestbook about an article printed in the Times newspaper on 23rd February 1942. Its the article that formally announces the deaths of the crewmen lost when the Barham was sunk.

You can see the scan here.

18/09/2008 - Commemorative Service in Bootle

The association has recently received a letter from the Royal Naval Association regarding a commemorative service. Among those being honoured are two men who died when the Barham was torpedoed off the Hebridies in December 1939.

View the letter to see more information.

18/09/2008 - Autumn Newsletter

The Autumn 2008 Association newsletter has been posted on the website. View it here or download and read it here

02/07/2008 - Bryan Samuels

It is with great regret that we have to report the death of survivor Lt Commander Bryan James Samuels.

He died peacefully on 2nd July 2008 in Derriford Hospital, Plymouth.

Our thoughts are with his family.

28/05/2008 - Spring '08 Newsletter

The Spring 2008 Association newsletter has been posted on the website. View it here or download and read it here

09/04/2008 - New account 2

Janice Clark also sent us an account written by her father John Cross, who was a survivor of the sinking.

You can read it here

09/04/2008 - New account 1

Janice Clark, daughter of survivor John Cross came across a newspaper article that we hadnt seen before. It was written some years ago by another survivor Ronald Dando.

You can read it here, or view the original on our Press & Letters page.

24/01/2008 - Funeral Arthur 'Ginger' Bryant

We've just received details of the funeral service for Arthur Quantrill Bryant who died on the 14th of this month.

The service is at 1130 on Mon 28 Jan at All Saints Church, Cressing nr Braintree, in Essex.

The MCDOA website has published a glowing tribute to Arthur on their website (publish date 19th Jan) along with many other tributes.

16/01/2008 - Arthur Bryant

It is with great regret that we have to report the death of ARTHUR BRYANT, a survivor of the sinking. Arthur died yesterday morning 15th Jan 2008.

Details of the funeral arrangements are not yet known but will be forwarded ASAP.

Arthur was a great supporter of the Association and enjoyed meeting his shipmates at the dinners and at Westminster Abbey.

23/12/2007 - Mrs Evelyn Petherbridge

Sorry to be the bearer of sad news but we've just heard that Mrs Evelyn PETHERBRIDGE wife of Sidney died on the 15th December 2007 and that the funeral will take place at St Paul's Church,Winchester Hampshire on the 2nd January at 1400 Hours. Evelyn donated so many gifts to all the raffles at the reunion dinners and was a stalwart of the Association. Sidney was a telegraphist at the time of the sinking and for many years was the treasurer of the Association.

She will be sadly missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing her.

06/11/2007 - Name to the face

Martyn Smith has emailed Barham HQ with a query that we hope our readers will be able to help with.

Martyn is the nephew of Harold Pressgrave Smith who was lost when the ship sunk.

The only photo the family has of Harold is the one as a young boy, shown here on the left.

While reading our website, Martyn spotted a photo that hes wondering if its his uncle, but unfortunately we havent got a name to go with it.

Can another out there help? Martyn and his family would be very grateful. Email him directly at martyndwsmith at sky.com

18/10/2007 - The Decorations and Honours Register

The Decorations and Honours Register is now accepting registrations for the Commemorative Edition to be published in the spring of 2008.

Many of our members are eligible for inclusion. Registration is free of charge and painless, either via the website www.honoursregister.co.uk or by simply sending in an individuals name, list of medals, decorations and/or honours with dates awarded, to the address shown below. The closing date for registration is 29 February 2008.

Please see the press release http://www.honoursregister.co.uk/PROct07.pdf which contains all the information you should need to participate in this new reference book.

The Register has been featured in the Daily Express, the Daily Telegraph, the British Legion magazine and Medal News. Our Editor, the honours expert Charles Mosley, was recently interviewed on BBC Breakfast and SKY television.

19/09/2007 - Autumn '07 Newsletter

The September 2007 Association newsletter has been posted on the website. You can view it here or download and read it here

26/06/2007 - John Crichton Masters

Tom Masters, son of survivor John Masters, has informed us that his father died peacefully at his home on 1st June 2007.

He leaves a wife, Babs, sons Nick and Tom, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

There is an obituary on the Daily Telegraph 21st June, 2007.

18/04/2007 - Spring '07 Newsletter

The April 2007 Association newsletter has been posted on the website. You can view it here or download and read it here

11/06/2007 - John Gale

Unfortunately we've been informed of the death of another survivor. John Gale passed away on 6th June 2007 aged 87 in his home town of Kidderminster.

He left a wife Vera, 5 children, 9 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren.

The funeral will take place on 15th June 2007.

24/04/2007 - Reader enquiry

We recently received an email from a reader enquiring about purchasing photos from the website.

Your email address has gone missing, so if it was you, can you get back in touch please.

Thanks

03/04/2007 - Cameraman who filmed the sinking of the HMS Barham

As you may have read in Geoffreys message in the guestbook, John Turner, the cameraman who filmed the sinking of the Barham died recently.

You can read his obituary in the Times Online here, and in the Guardian Online here.

19/03/2007 - A Survivors Account - by Douglas Ralphs

A while ago Brian Ralphs sent Barham HQ some photos of his father, Douglas, who was a survivor of the Barham sinking.

Also included was an account his father had written of the day the Barham went down.

Its well worth a read and we thank Brian for sending it to us. You can read it here.

02/03/2007 - We were hacked!

Yep, thats right. Some time Thursday morning you may have noticed our homepage was overwritten.

No other data went missing and normal service has now been restored.

Thanks to everyone who emailed us alerting us of the problem.

18/02/2007 - Recognise this man?

We've had an email sent to us in Barham HQ from Brian, whos wife has had this photo tucked away for many years.

They dont know who it is though, or where it came from, and was wondering if any of our readers recognised the man.

Has anyone any ideas? Please email us at info@hmsbarham.com.

04/02/2007 - John Laraway

Greg Laraway has written to us: It is my sad task to inform the HMS Barham Association of the death of survivor John Laraway. He died in the QA Hospital Portsmouth on the 18 January 2007, he is survived by his wife and will be greatly missed by his children and grandchildren. The funeral will take place on 7 February.

03/02/2007 - Godfrey John

Unfortunately we've been informed of the death of another survivor. Godfrey John passed away on 19th January 2007.

24/01/2007 - Graeme Sorley

The association is sad to announce the death of Graeme Sorley on 23rd January in Victoria, BC, Canada from cancer of the pancreas. Graeme, aged 74 was the son of the late Surgeon Commander E.R. Sorley who was lost in the sinking of the Barham. Graeme was the first person to sign the guestbook of the Barham website when it began in 1999 and has become something of an expert on the ship and all matters connected to it. He was also part of the memorial voyage (here) to the site of the sinking which took place in 2003 in which a wreath from the Barham Association was placed on the water.

He contributed very substantially to the BBC's website the People's War (here) with his own memories of life as a boy in the war years, as well as faithfully transcribing many of the hand written letters written from his father to his mother, Mrs. Joan Sorley, prior to the sinking. He devoted a huge amount of time and energy making these letters available to future generations and historians. He is a great loss to his family and friends.

15/01/2007 - Novembers Memorial Service

We've added a write up of the Memorial service held in Westminster Abbey to the site. It can be found here.

There are also some photos courtesy of Josh Millais.

25/12/2006 - Merry Christmas

We'd like to wish all our readers a Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2007.

22/12/2006 - Keith Bennett

Im sorry to have to pass on the news that survivor Keith Bennett passed away on Wednesday 20th December.

His funeral is being held on 5th January 2007 in St. Marys Ashwell, Hertfordshire.

David and his family are in our thoughts.

14/12/2006 - Reflections From 'Guzz'

After a number of requests, ive posted a copy of the poem that Reverend Jeremy Bradford so movingly read at this years service in Westminster Abbey, online.

We're not sure of the author so if anyone can enlighten us, please email.

The poem can be found here.

30/11/2006 - Memorial Service in Westminster Abbey

This is just a quick post to thank everyone who attended the memorial service on Saturday. It was a lovely afternoon and a very moving service.

It was especially nice to see survivors Arther, John and George there.

We'll post a more detailed report in a few days, along with some photos and copies of the readings.

29/11/2006 - Pin found in Westminster Abbey

We were handed this pin after the service on Saturday. It was found in the area where we were sitting. Does anyone recognise it? It can be claimed by emailing us at info@hmsbarham.com.

18/11/2006 - Memorial Service - this Saturday

The details for the Memorial Service on the 25th November are as follows: Meet at the West Door of Westminster Abbey at 2.30pm to be seated in the nave by 2.45pm. The main service starts will start at 3pm and last for about 45 minutes. We'll have our own service at 4pm, with a minutes silence at 4.30pm, exactly 65 years to the day when the ship sank. Hope you see you all there!

30/10/2006 - New picture of the ship

We've been sent a new photo of the ship which shows the crew in all their glory. Thanks to P Griffin, Grand Nephew of survivor Thomas Paffett for contacting us.

29/10/2006 - Annual Memorial Service

This years memorial service is fast approaching so nows the time to start planning.

Where : Westminster Abbey
When : Saturday 25th November 2006

More details can be found in the last newsletter.

There are also stories and photos from previous services in the 'Memorials' section on the left menu.

28/10/2006 - Website downtime

You may have noticed a few blank screens and a couple of hiccups on the website over the last day or so. Ive been moving all my work to a new hosting company so it took a while to copy all the files and photos over, and to rebuild the database that runs the site (the website is weighing in at around 120meg now!!).

Everything should be back to normal again now. Please let me know if you notice anything strange.

16/10/2006 - Contributions wanted

Is it me, or does there seem to be a lot of Barham experts reading the Daily Mail? The replies have all got some very interesting information regarding the ship, whether it be personal or as a hobby.
So

Bob Cubitt from Northampton,
Dennis Lorriman from Cheshire,
Rosalind Harris from Staffs,
Kirk Gemmill from Lanark,
John Dixon from Gloucs,
Tony Campbell from Northampton

If youd like to write something for the website and put your knowledge in print so that its saved for generations to come, we have a plenty of webspace to publish it and plenty readers waiting to read it. Heres an open invitation. Give it a thought and email us at info@hmsbarham.com.

While im posting, we're also very keen to get photos of the past crew. We currently have pictures of 72 of the crew members - we'd really like that number to grow!

So if youre one of the 117 people who have recently added themselves as a contact to a crew member, or one of the 158 people who have updated crew information, please have a dig around for any photos you may have. We promise to return any sent via post.

13/10/2006 - Daily Mail VII

Another article printed in the Daily Mail regarding the Barham. You can see all the articles by clicking here.

10/10/2006 - Daily Mail comment VI

Another article printed in the Daily Mail regarding the Barham. You can see all the articles by clicking here.

02/10/2006 - Another article from the Daily Mail

Heres another article printed in the Daily Mail regarding the Barham.

You can see all the articles by clicking here.

28/09/2006 - Website analysis - pats on the back all round

Its been just over six months since the website relaunched with the new domain name and the new look.

We get emails whenever there is an update to crew information or there is a new message added to the guestbook so we know that the site is doing quite well, but it wasnt until i did a bit of digging around in the deepest depths of our database tonight, that the figures hit home. They made me smile, so i thought id share some of them.

In the last six months:
the site has had 5,037 visitors
you looked at 68,847 pages
and 68.57% of the visitors are brand new visitors to the site.

We've had:
158 people update their relatives profile information
117 people register themselves as a relative or a friend of 93 of the crew members
72 people leave messages in our guestbook

So on a personal note from all our editors, journos, roving reporters, photographers and programmers at Barham HQ, we'd like to say a huge thank you to all of our many readers and contributors for making this not only a website, but a community too, to make sure that the memories of the Barham wont be lost.

cheers
Andrew & Sara

28/09/2006 - A question for our readers

We received an email today from Charlotte Clark who found this photo amongst some family papers. Shes trying to do some research on her family and believes she may be related to Clarkes who were on the ship.

Can any of our readers help put names to the faces? Or maybe know what the significance of the paper they are holding?

Answers on a postcard please, or in an email to us at info@hmsbarham.com.

27/09/2006 - George Sweetingham

Unfortunately we heard the news that another survivor has passed away.

George Sweetingham died on 3rd June.

We extend our sympathies to his family.

25/09/2006 - Derek Allaway

We're very sad to have to announce the death of survivor Derek Allaway.

He passed away 4th September 2006 in Spain where he lived for the last 25 years.

Our sympathies go to his wife Anne, and the rest of the family.

24/09/2006 - Missing envelope from the reunion

We've had an email from Jack Nealons family recently regarding an envelope mislaid at the Barham reunion this May in Portsmouth.

The envelope contained photos and other personal papers so obviously these are of huge sentimental value to Jack and his family.

If anyone picked them up by mistake, please get in touch with us here and we can pass on the message. Our email address is info@hmsbarham.com.

22/09/2006 - Memories from South Africa

As you know, we love receiving your emails at Barham HQ, and so we were particulary pleased to receive one from Clive Talbot from South Africa out of the blue.

He has some fabulous memories of meeting some of the Barham crew in 1941 while the ship was docked in Durban.

The picture above hung on Clives bedroom wall while he was a child.

Clive has let us share his email here.

18/09/2006 - September '06 Newsletter

September is always a busy month for us here at Barham HQ. As regular visitors to the site will know, November is a newsletter month so there has been many a sleepless night spent writing and compiling the Associations newsletter.

You can download a free online version of the newsletter by clicking here.

We're always interested in your views and comments so please forward them all to info@hmsbarham.com.

12/11/2006 - Another follow-up from the Daily Mail query

There seems to be a few Daily Mail readers visiting the site recently, and also a few Barham experts reading the Daily Mail. Heres another follow up to a Barham related question published on 12th August.

Click here to see the latest article.

07/09/2006 - Annual memorial service

Is it really that time of year already?

As in previous years, the associations annual memorial servive will be held in Westminster Abbey, London. This year it will be held on Saturday 25th Novemeber, 2006.

Accounts and photos of other services can be found here.

More details will be posted here nearer the time.

06/09/2006 - September Newsletter

Writing Septembers newsletter is now well under way. As we speak the typewriters are being worked overtime and the writers are burning the midnight oil.

If anyone has anything they'd like to have included, we can be reached at the usual email address. All contributions would be gratefully received.

The newsletter should be available in the next few weeks. Check back soon for more details.

30/08/2006 - A follow-up from the Daily Mail query

After the question published in the Daily Mail on the 12/08/2006 (see below) wondering why the Barham isnt mentioned in accounts of the war very often, there was an answer sent in by a Mr Cubitt from Northampton.

Click here to see the article.

There seems a lot of background information and not much content regarding the original question but see what you think. Maybe he could have just posted a link to our website instead. ;)

Either way, its nice to see that the Barham can still make the papers after all this time.

25/08/2006 - A readers query

Dave Wolfson from South Africa has been in touch with us here at Barham HQ with a query for our readers.

His grandfather gave him a plaque bearing the Barham emblem and entitled 'HMS Barham July 1941', and he's trying to find out its history.

It's cast in steel and is mounted on wood and he was told that it came from the ship itself.

Does anyone out there recognise it, or have any idea whether its original or not? He would be very grateful if anyone could shed any light as to its history.

Email us at info@hmsbarham.com with any infomation.

12/08/2006 - Clipping from the Daily Mail

A reader of the website spotted this question in todays Daily Mail newspaper.

Mrs Deacon from Gillingham asks:
"HMS Barham sank in the Mediterranean in 1941. The Barham is rarely mentioned in contemporary accounts. Why?"

Maybe someone might like to suggest an answer!

Email us at info@hmsbarham.com and i'll post answers here.

09/08/2006 - Obituary to Douglas Lynd

An obituary to Douglas 'Ginger' Lynd who passed away in May is published in todays Daily Telegraph.

An online version can be read here.

02/07/2006 - A query from the MoD regarding a battle ensign

Survivor George Knott has received a letter from the Historical Branch of the Minitry of Defence regarding a battle ensign found in the Royal Naval Trophy store.

Click here to view it.

If anyone can throw any light on this find, or know where it might have came from, its the usual address please.. info@hmsbarham.com.

14/06/2006 - Irene Potts

Derick Potts, a member of the association, and whos brother was lost when the ship sank, has been in contact with us here at Barham HQ to inform us of the sad news that his wife Irene passed away on 27th January 2006.

Again, our thoughts are with their family.

25/05/2006 - Douglas Lynd

As you may have read in the guestbook, Mike Lynd has informed us of the sad news that his father, Lieutenant Commander Douglas Lynd, RN, MBE, a survivor of the sinking, passed away on 20th May 2006 at the age of 84.

His funeral is taking place at Eastbourne Crematorium on Monday 5th June 2006.

Our thoughts are with his family.

Mike also has a site with more Barham information and lots of photos here. Its well worth a look.

23/05/2006 - Another photo of the reunion

Jim Samuels has sent in a photo taken at the reunion this month. Four of the survivors are sitting in the front row. Thanks Jim.

Please include us on any other photos being shared. As always, our email address is info@hmsbarham.com.

18/05/2006 - Reunion dinner - what a success!

The Association held its final reunion dinner in the Royal Sailors Home Club, Portsmouth on Saturday 13th May. It was a resounding success with 118 attending, including 9 Survivors.

A huge thanks to all the organisers and attendees.

A report and some photos can be found here.

If anyone has any other photos taken at the reunion, and would like them put on the website, email them to us at info@hmsbarham.com.

09/05/2006 - Crew members medals on Ebay

An eagle-eyed visitor to our site has spotted medals belonging to crew member Alfred Meech, who was lost when the Barham went down, up for auction on Ebay, along with a picture and accompanying blurb. As of today there are still 5 days of bidding left with the current bid at £51.01. See here for more details. (update - the final price for the medals was £360)

02/05/2006 - Can you help?

This community will only continue to grow with your input.

We are always on the look out for any Barham-related photos, either old or new. Photos of crew members are expecially welcome, as are any stories and memories you may have regarding the ship and its crew.

Please email them to info@hmsbarham.com.

If you havent access to a scanner you can always send them to us via post. Again, please email us at info@hmsbarham.com for an address. We promise to return all photos.

Cheers, Andrew Gillespie

22/04/2006 - HMS Barham Reunion Dinner - 13th May 2006

As you know, the 50th annual reunion is almost upon us and what a celebration it is promising to be. So far over 110 tickets have been sold, with people flying in from as far afield as Canada to attend.

Details can be found in April's newsletter (see here), and anyone still wanting tickets or any other information should get in contact with one of the names on the About Us page.

But hurry - we are almost at full capacity and are already organising extra accommodation!

09/03/2006 - April '06 Newsletter

The April 2006 Association newsletter has been posted on the website. You can view it here or download and read it here

27/02/2006 - George Oliver

We are sad to hear that survivor George Oliver, a regular at our reunions and a member of the Royal Naval Association died on 19th November 2005 after a short illness. His funeral was held on 28th November 2005 at Southend Crematorium. Mick represented the Association with the Barham standard.

08/02/2006 - Video Clip of the sinking of Barham

Geoff Wearmouth, son of Melvin Wearmouth has put up a video clip of the tragic end to the ship here

08/02/2006 - Vandalising of war memorials

This matter brought to our attention by Anne Randall of the Dunedin Society.
She writes, "I am a researcher for the Dunedin Society and wonder if you could put me in touch with someone in your Association who might know about the damage to personal plaques at the War Memorial, Southsea Common.

As you will know, Hood, Dunedin, and so shortly after Barham, were the main ships lost in 1941, and it is under these panels that most of the personal memorials have been vandalised. We had 2 badly smashed and there are 7 altogether. Very upsetting for the families concerned.
To bring such desecration to the public notice, our PRO, Michael Gill, is doing an article for the Portsmouth Evening News, who are keen to run it, and also it will go in Navy News.

I have already been in touch with Paul Bevand of the Hood Association and they were not aware of the situation but would like to help by being involved. So I wondered if you would like to incorporate Barham's name too when you have more details. The damage has only occurred during this last year.

I have contacted Roger Young of the P. City Council parks dept. who are responsible to the CWGC for the upkeep, and they do know of the vandalism, and other damage to memorials in the area."

08/02/2006 - Cap for sale

Matt Blair has been offered a cap for sale - he writes, "Can I ask your opinion on whether it looks authentic or not?"

See pic and click link on his name to email him.

15/12/2005 - Sidney Petherbridge

We have heard the sad news that Sidney Petherbridge, a survivor who made a great contribution to the Association died on 12th December 2005. His funeral is to be held on January 3rd, at 12pm at St Paul's church, Winchester.

04/10/2005 - George Elliot

Geoge Elliot, stoker, founder member and past Chairman of the HMS Barham Association died 4th October 2005. George was an inspiration to the Association as well as a man determined to keep alive the memory of the ship mates he lost when Barham sank. He had been ill for some time and last attended an Association meeting in August 2004.

We extend our sympathies to his family.

01/10/2005 - The People's War Website

BBC - WW2 People's War Website has just announced that they will accept no further contributions after December 2005 when it will be "sealed" for all time. Their purpose will have been accomplished - a history of personal experiences recorded in cyberspace for posterity accessible for research, family memorabilia or for any other reason. If you would like to record and shareyour experiences of the war either as a participant, child, or in any other way hurry and get them in. There are is a good deal of material on Barham submitted already by Graeme Sorley, son of Surgeon Commander E.R. Sorley who has put his father's letters written from the Barham on the website. Go ahead! Share you experiences for future generations. Visit the site and have your say at http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/ww2/

02/09/2005 - HMS Duchess

We've added a new page to the site concerning the sinking of the HMS Duchess by the Barham on 12th December 1939, off the Mull Of Kintyre. Read about it here.

01/09/2005 - The Battle of Matapan

A new page has been added about the Barhams role in the Battle of Matapan in March 1941. Read about it here.

01/08/2005 - Art for sale

Paintings done by Mick Tapsell, son of a survivor are now available for £5.00 including p&p contact webmaster for more details or call (+ 44) 01306 640841. You can see both the pictures here.