209031 Acting Ldg Sea David Cox MIDRoyal Navy HMS Penelope from:London My father served on HMS Penelope from June 1941 until she was sunk by enemy action in February 1944. He was mentioned twice in Dispatchs, first in 1942 following the siege of Malta where he served as a naval air gunner on Penelope and then later when he saved the lives of two shipmates when they spent between 24 and 48 hours in the water waiting to be picked up.
Dad told me of the horror when the American rescue ship came in too close to the survivors, killing some with their propellors.
Following the sinking, my mother received a telegram telling her my father was missing presumed drowned whereupon she gave up her flat where she was living with my brother then aged 2 and returned to live with her parents. Imagine the shock when one dark night the door bell rang and my father was standing there!
In April 1945, my father joined HMS Nelson and was at Penang for the surrender of the Japanese and then one month later, he was at Singapore and the liberation of Chiangi jail which held many British POWs. Dad was in the advance party that entered the jail and he said that they entered full of high spirits at setting their countrymen free only to be met with suspicion and distrust as these poor men had learnt to trust no one and nothing. This could only have been another trick of their captors!
Dad was demobbed in February 1946 and returned to civvy life with the same dedication and good humour he had shown during active service. He was a reservist for many years and I can remember his kitbag residing in our understairs cupboard until after I started school and I wasn't born until 1947, 2 years after the war ended.
My father died in 1975 aged only 54 and I have little doubt that his war service contributed to his early demise.
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