On Tower Hill Memorial is the name of Junior Engineer Officer David Robson, serving on M.V. Siamese Prince (London) with the Merchant Navy who died 17/02/1941.

The son of Noble Giles Robson and Jane Robson, of Southwick, Sunderland, Co. Durham.

At 21.19 hours on the 17th February 1941 the unescorted Siamese Prince (Master Edgar Litchfield) was hit forward on port side by one G7a torpedo from U Boat U-69, commanded by Korvettenkapitn Jost Metzler, while steaming in very rough seas with a moderate swell at 13 knots about 150 miles north-northwest of Rockall. The U-boat had chased the ship for more than five hours and she even remained afloat after being hit on port side aft by another torpedo at 21.41 hours. The ship sank by the bow five minutes after being hit on starboard side amidships by a third torpedo at 22.12 hours. The Germans had observed how the crew abandoned ship in lifeboats, but no survivors were ever found. The master, 56 crew members, two gunners and nine passengers were lost.

Acknowledgments: Barney Rice

David Robson is remembered at Southwick on S130.15 and S130.22, at Sunderland in  S140.159 and in our List of Ships’ Crews.