Norman Leslie White
Place of birth: Carshalton, Surrey, England
Previous occupation: Errand boy
Service: Royal Navy
Rank: Able Seaman
Service Number: J101025
Joined Hood: 8th September 1936
Left Hood: 1st June 1939
Biographical Information: Norman was born in Carshalton, Surrey, in 1905 and worked as an errand boy before enlisting in the RN as a Boy 2nd Class in 1921. In the early years of his service he served in the Monarch (1921-22), Argus (1925) and several other ships in home waters, the Mediterranean and China
Norman served in Hood from 1936 to 1939 and was awarded his Long Service and Good Conduct Medal in 1938, named to him as "A.B. HMS Hood".
Norman was then drafted to the destroyer Vanoc and remained in her until 1 September 1941. On the night of 15 March 1941 the Vanoc rammed U-100 and, together with HMS Walker, attacked U-99, which surfaced and was abandoned by her crew. These two U-boats were commanded by Joachim Schepke and Otto Kretschmer, the top two U-boat aces of the German Navy.
After leaving the Vanoc White had a spell ashore in Excellent, then joined Fisgard (1943-44) and Marguerite, a Flower class corvette. He retired from the Navy in January 1946, rated leading seaman, and worked as an electrician. He died in Havant in 1986.
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)