h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

My Uncle Archie was killed in action on 27th August 1941. He was 18 years old.

He had joined up earlier that year in the Royal Artillery but received a posting as a Marine Gunner attached to Atlantic Convoys. He was serving on the armed merchantman S.S. Saugor which was carrying stores of 28 disassembled Hurricanes, spares and munitions to the far east theatre. Uncle Archie was one of the two gunners on board responsible for manning the 4.7" naval gun mounted on the freighter. In addition to the gunners the ship carried 80 crew and officers.

59 of these were to perish when the ship went down during the voyage.

En route from Oban in Scotland to Capetown the convoy was steaming in five columns and S.S. Saugor was the rearmost ship in the second column from the starboard side.

Just before 1am in the morning on the 3rd night of the voyage in very rough seas S.S. Saugur was hit in the engine room by a torpedo fired at her by a german U-Boat. With the loss of electrical power the ship was plunged into darkness causing great difficulties for the men trying to flee the stricken vessel. The high seas caused the few lifeboats that were launched to be smashed against the sinking ship further contributing to the loss of life.

S.S Saugur finally slipped below the waves some 16 minutes after being hit.

Uncle Archie was one of the men that didn't make it. He would have been 80 years old this year.