Senior Service

Senior Service

Surprisingly for a village some distance from the sea Edwinstowe was well represented in the Senior Service before the Second World War.

A list of naval regulars included Alan Egerton, Francis (Len) Godwin, George Lawrence, Joe McGann, Ron Pearson, and Stuart Worrell.

Stuart, who was taken prisoner in Crete, had served on H.M.S Bahram, which he was fortunate to leave before it exploded and sank in the Mediterranean.

This worthy contingent was joined after the outbreak of war by, Jimmy Alsop, Joe Bennett, Ernest Birdsell, Gordon Coupe, who served on the Arc Royal, Sid Lee, John Geddes, Jack Gibson, Percy Gibson, Walter Kirk, Frank Lawrence, Edwin Marson, brothers Alan and Peter Mason, Bill Moody, Charlie Reedman (killed in action). Harold Russon, Jack Thompson (later became a local insurance man) Tommy Thompson. Frank Lawrence was present when allied troops made two important landings – on the Normandy beaches and on the Italian mainland.

Bill Moody joined the Skudd, a Norwegian whaler which was engaged in mine-sweeping in Sierra Leone and Lagos, Nigeria. Bill then joined the Ben Hern another minesweeper which plied the North Sea.

Pete (Pop) Mason served on the destroyer, Musketeer (an escort vessel with the Russian Convoy) which helped in the pursuit of the battle-cruiser Scharnhorst which was finally sunk on Boxing Day evening 1943. Peter recalls that very few of the Scharnhorst crew survived even though the British fleet scoured the icy waters for a long time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alan Mason, a gunner was engaged on coastal defense work laying anti-submarine nets in British harbours.