On Chatham Naval Memorial is the name of C/JX201144 Telegraphist Geoffrey Charlton, serving on M.V. Athelsultan with the Royal Navy who died 22/09/1942.

The son of Edward and Isabella Mary Charlton and the husband of Wirlifred Mary Charlton, of Whitley Bay, Northumberland.

At 00.19 hours on the 23rd September 1942, the tanker motor Athelsultan (Master James Dominic Donovan), ship number 161128, the ship of the convoy commodore in convoy SC-100, was torpedoed and sunk by the German U Boat U-617, commanded by Fregattenkapitän Albrecht Brandi, southeast of Cape Farewell.

She was sailing from Port Everglades, Florida via Halifax (12th September) to Liverpool, carrying a cargo of 13,250 tons of molasses and alcohol. The commodore (Capt N.H. Gale, DSO, RD, RNR), six naval staff members, 35 crew members, seven gunners and two passengers (DBS) were lost. The master and two crew members were picked up by HMCS Weyburn (K 173) (T/A/LtCdr T.M.W. Golby, RCNR) and seven crew members by HMS Nasturtium (K 107) (Lt C.D. Smith, DSC, RNR) and landed at Londonderry.
The master James Dominic Donovan was awarded the Lloyds War Medal for bravery at sea.

Geoffrey Charlton is remembered at Whitley Bay on W84.01 and W84.36 and in our List of Ships’ Crews.