On Portsmouth Naval Memorial is the name of P/JX 138436 Able Seaman George William Armstrong serving on H.M.S. Daring with the Royal Navy who died 18/02/1940.

The son of Luke and Gertrude Armstrong, of Bentley, Doncaster, Yorkshire.

George William was born in 1917 the son of Luke Armstrong and Gertrude nee Darwood at Tantobie. At some point the family lived in the West Pelton area. In 1939 the family had moved to Bentley in Yorkshire. Father Luke born in 1888 was a Contractor Stone Ripper underground, mother Gertrude was born in 1890 and brother Robert born July 22nd 1919 was an underground haulage man all living at Ern Road Bentley.

On the 18th February 1940 HMS Daring (Cdr. Sydney Alan Cooper, RN) was torpedoed and sunk about 40 nautical miles east of the Pentland Firth in position 5840’N, 0135’W by the German U Boat U-23 commanded by Fregattenkapitn Otto Kretschmer.

HMS Daring was escorting convoy HN-12 from Bergen to Methil. On the 18th, HMS Daring was torpedoed and sunk by German U-boat U-23. HMS Thistle sights the sinking destroyer and directs the other destroyers to the rescue. HMS Inglefield picked up one officer and three ratings from a Carley float and HMS Ilex another rating from wreckage, they are the only survivors. 156 of the crew are lost. HMS Ilex also hunted the U-boat without success. There were only 5 survivors.

George William Armstrong is remembered at West Pelton in W112.03 and in our List of Ships’ Crews.