In Yokohama War Cemetery, Japan is the Commonwealth War Grave of:

C.R. Ashton
Leading Telegraphist
C/SSX.20134
Royal Navy
1st November 1943   Age 24

“With Christ which is far better”.

He was the son of William and Edith Kate Ashton, of Gateshead, Co. Durham.

Jean Longstaff has submitted the following:-
Born on 15th February 1919 Cyril was the son of steel erector William Ashton and his wife Edith Kate (nee Stone) who were both originally from Devon.  In 1921 the family, consisting of Florence (b.1901), Bessie (b.1903) and Mabel (b.1905) all born in Middlesex, George (b.1906) in Worcestershire, Olive (b.1911) in North Shields, Dorothy (b.1914) in South Bank, Yorkshire, and young Cyril then aged 2 and born In Gateshead, were living at 36 Saltwell Road.

In 1941 Cyril was part of the crew of H.M.S. Tamar, the Royal Navy’s base ship in Hong Kong.  On 8th December 1941 during the Battle of Hong Kong she was towed out to a buoy and scuttled four days later once it was clear that the advance could not be arrested and to avoid being used by the invading Japanese forces.

Cyril Ashton was captured by the Japanese on Christmas Day 1941 and originally held at Shamshuipo Prisoner of War Camp in Hong Kong, he died from cardiac beri beri on board the Lisbon Maru on 1st November 1943 whilst being transferred to a POW camp in Osaka, Japan.

Cyril Richard Ashton is remembered on our List of Ships’ Crews.