Brenda McMahon has submitted the following:-
Harold was born at Middridge on December 31st 1922 the son of Percy and Nora Jane (nee Goundry). The couple had married at Aycliffe village on June 5th 1917.
His siblings included Ronald, Jean and Peter. The family appeared to be quite affluent as they had a large house with several rooms.
John snr was an agricultural engineer as per 1939 register. He was also a special constable. His son, Ronald, was an agricultural student located in Glasgow. Harold is shown to be still at school at this time.
Harold joined the Royal Navy and was a member of the crew of HMS Palomares. HMS Palomares was originally MV Palomares, built by William Doxford & Sons, Sunderland yard in 1937 and sailed as a merchant fruit carrier ship (13.5 knot banana boat) for service on the MacAndrews Line in January 1938 with their Spanish service.
She was purchased by the British Admiralty in 1940, as these fruit ships were considered to be fast and manoeuvrable. In 1941 the Admiralty converted her and seven others to Anti-aircraft Artillery ships and eventually Fighter Direction Ships (seagoing Anti-Aircraft Auxiliaries). Most likely the conversion took place at Fairfields yard in Govan on the Clyde with her sister ship HMS Pozarica.
In November 1942, HMS Palomares took part in the Operation Torch landings in Algiers as an Anti-Aircraft ship. The ship left Gibraltar on the 3rd and arriving on the 8th. However, the next day Palomares was hit by a bomb suffering a large number of casualties, engulfed in flames her steering gear was put out of action. Deceased seamen were transferred to the corvette Samphire for burial at sea and her steering gear was repaired by the 10th.
Harold Edgar Pearce is remembered at Middridge on M51.01 and at Shildon on S122.02
