Add Information to Record of a Person who served during the Second World War on The Wartime Memories Project Website

Add Information to Record of a Person who served during the Second World War on The Wartime Memories Project Website



Additions will be checked before being published on the website and where possible will be forwarded to the person who submitted the original entries. Your contact details will not be forwarded, but they can send a reply via this messaging system.


5043234

Richard John Bunt

Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve HMS Rawalpindi

My dad’s brother, Richard John Bunt, served on HMS Rawalpindi. Both brothers, from their S-459 Certificate of Service, were in the RNR. My dad joined 24 November 1923 and my uncle joined on 26 October 1925.

From what I recall, both brothers said they would stand side by side and were always on the same team. Due to being in the RNR they were both called up on the 26 August 1939 and as usual they stood together. This time however, their orders were my dad to HMS Hector and Uncle Richard to HMS Rawalpindi. My dad went south to Australia and my uncle headed up to Scapa Flow.

As one of the few survivors of the attack Richard was captured by the Germans and sent to a POW camp. I remember my Uncle Richard talking about a camp next to the camp where he was and how the lorries would go out with bodies on the back, some of the limbs still moving. We as a family thought he was in Germany but with this new publishing release of the POW details we found his name listed under Stalag XXB in Poland. Richard Bunt was a prisoner of war from 24 November 1939 until 26 April 1945.

As I read the pages of ‘A Defiant Slaughter’ (By Ian Johnson, posted on www.worldnavalships.com) it was so well written, I could actually picture the attack on the Rawalpindi in my mind, as if I was watching a film.



Please type your message:     

We recommend you copy the text about this item and keep a copy on your own computer before pressing submit.
Your Name:            
Email Address:       @

**Please type the first part our your email in the first box (eg. john.smith) the @ sign is added automaticallly, please type the second part in the second box (eg. gmail.com). Do not enter your full email in each box or add an @ sign or random spaces.**

Please type in the code shown here: CAPTCHA Image   

If you are unable to read the code please click here.

If you have received an error message for incorrect code, please click to refresh the code before resending. This should overcome the error message.