Edgar Lawrence Willoughby
Place of birth: Walmer, Kent, England
Service: Royal Navy
Rank: Leading Seaman (Acting)
Service Number: P/JX 142590
Joined Hood: 8th September 1936
Left Hood: 2nd June 1939
Biographical Information:
Born 16 November 1908.
Joined sea/naval cadets Kent 1919, on reaching 18 years of age may have transferred to Royal Navy Reserve or Volunteer Reserve. Look at the date 16/11/29, [21st birthday] probably took ten years in the reserves to go from ordinary seaman to able seaman (AB). July 1931 probably out of work because of depression so applied to join Royal Navy.
Oct 1931 joined Royal Navy by purchase. He's purchased a trade and agreed to pay thirty six pounds. He was sent to Pembrooke near Chatham on the River Medway to do initial training, ST = Visual signals, ie flag signals, semaphore signals, electronic signals. Victory 1. 26/6/33 Barracks attached to HMS Victory Portsmouth Naval Base.
- Osprey 25/07/33 C class destroyer of 1897/98. Probably a hulk used for training purposes. No other reference to Osprey. Not uncommon to have old ships tied up to some pier in a backwater used occasionally for training. Cant find any reference to the James Ludford but it may be a trawler hired or leased to the RN for some specific use for a short period.
- Victory 1 15/1/35 Back to barracks
- Vernon 30/08/35 'Wrestler'. Vernon is a large distribution centre for seaman just across the bay from Portsmouth. 'Wrestler' is a V & W class destroyer of WW1 vintage, launched 25/02/18, mined Normandy 6/6/44, sold for scrap 15/8/44.
- Victory 2 15/1/35 Back to barracks. Victory 1 15/2/36 Still in barracks.
- Victory 2 28/2/36 'Sabre' S class destroyer of WW1 vintage, beautiful little ship. Launched 23/9/18, modified for escort work 1941/42, crew of 90. Withdrawn 8/45 sold for scrap 12/45.
- Vernon 22//5/36. Barracks/training
- Hood 8/9/36 to 2/6/39 Battle cruiser launched 1/9/16, 49140 tons crew of 1418, lost 24/5/41. 3 survivors.
- Effringham 2/6/39. Cavendish class cruiser. 12190 tons, 712 crew. Laid down 6/4/17, launched 8/6/21 completed 7/25. Served during Norwegian campaign, hit an unchartered rock 18/5/40, scuttled 21/5/40.
- Vernon 17/9/39
- Southern Prince 26/6/40 to 7/4/42 . Minor vessel. Carried 7x20mm guns, 2x4inch guns and 560mines. Made up to leading seaman 1/9/40 Acting PO 7/4/41, TY signals Full PO 7/4/42 NB Edgar was in Southern Prince at the same time as long time Hood Association member and former Hood veteran Eddie Goggins
- Victory 21/4/42. This is the Victory
- Vernon 08/5/42
- Malaya 24/10/42 to 15/10/43 21/7/43 appointed PO permanently. Malaya is a Queen Elizabeth class battleship from WW1, commissioned 02/1916, fought at Jutland, hit 8 times with 12/15 inch shells. Paid for by the federated states of Malaya. Torpedoed by U 106 20/3/41, mined by Italian frogmen. Taken back to UK in a very poor state. Laid up 1943. Recommissioned 05/44 for Normandy landings, decommissioned May 1945, sold for scrap Feb 46.
- Valiant 15/10/43, same class as Malaya, badly damaged by Italian Frogmen. Repaired and joined British Far East Fleet Jan 44. Badly damaged whilst undergoing repairs in dry dock at Trincomalee Ceylon. Taken back to UK July 45. Training hulk for stokers from Aug 45 until sold for scrap Jan 48.
- Victory 24/03/45
- Vernon 5/5/45 (R) may have been doing radio course but not sure
- Vernon 20/5/45 (P) ?
- Marlborough 8/7/45 No reference to this ship or establishment. May have been a single specialist building attached to Vernon.
- Victory 4/10/45
- St Angelo Malta. St Angelo is actually Fort St Angelo but also known as HMS St Angelo.
- Fareham 18/03/46. Home on leave.
- Ajax 25/4/46. Joined her in the Med. Leander class cruiser completed 12/4/35. Ajax remained in the Med from 1943 until early 1948 when she returned to the UK to pay off. Arrived Chatham Feb 48, sold 1949 for scrap
- PO (9) 1/4/47 did he go up or down a Pos grade, my RN contact is baffled by this and the next one
- ELECT (9) 14/4/47. Maybe he sat for exams at the time.
- Victory 11 8/11/47 Back to Barracks
- Resource 11 18/12/47 Shore Base? No reference to any ship or shore establishment. May have been a supply centre.
- Argonaut 18/12/47, Dido class anti aircraft cruiser, very active ship during WW11, spent most of its time in Med, had both bow and stern blown off by Italian sub. Served in Pacific 45 to 46, sold for scrap 1955.
- Ceylon 1/1/50, Cruiser of 10,850 tons. 730 crew. Sold to Peru 1960, scrapped 1980.
- Collingwood 15/2/50 Training school for tradesmen.
- Bellerophon 15/8/50 (Adamant) No ship by the name of Bellerophon but possibly a shore base. Adamant was a submarine depot ship.
- Adamant 1/9/50. This ship would probably have spent little time at sea during this period. The subs would have come to it not the other way round. May have been doing a course at this time to upgrade his qualifications.
- Bellerophon 8/3/51 (Rattlesnake) Minesweeper of the Algerine class, built 1943, 104 crew.
- Implacable 11/04/51 Aircraft carrier, 32000 tons, 2000 crew. Withdrawn 1955, sold for scrap 11/55.
- Victory 11 2/5/51
- Mars (Reserve Fleet at Harwich) 1/7/51
- Collingwood 28/11/51 to 29/2/52 leap year. Discharged ashore.
- Approved to retire 9/50, re-entry Portsmouth Div Mar 51, Finally retired 28/10/53, 22 years and 20 days of service.
Additional Photographs
None at this time.
No known memorials
Sources
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
'Register of Deaths of Naval Ratings' (data extracted by Director of Naval Personnel (Disclosure Cell), Navy Command HQ, 2009)
Laurie Willoughby (information, Jan 2005)