On Tower Hill Memorial is the name of Second Officer Harold Hardy Davis serving on S.S. Otterpool (West Hartlepool) with the Merchant Navy who died 20/06/1940.

Dennis Lendrem has submitted the following:-

He was born in 1916, the son of Leo and Jane Davis of Eamont Gardens, West Hartlepool, Co. Durham.

Harry was Second Officer on the merchant vessel the SS Otterpool when it was torpedoed and sank in the Atlantic off the Scilly Isles. The Otterpool was built in the William Gray shipyard and had already seen plenty of action. Bombed and machine gunned on an earlier voyage, Harry recounted his adventures on his return from Narvik. He gave a vivid account to the Mail of heavy seas, temperatures ten degrees below zero and swirling snowstorms.  The Otterpool was the last ore carrier to leave Narvik.

At 21.42 hours on 20 June 1940 the Otterpool in convoy HG-34F was hit in the stern by one torpedo from U-30 and sank about 130 miles west of Ushant. The master, 21 crew members and one gunner were lost. 16 crew members were picked up by HMS Scarborough (L 25) (Cdr C.T. Addis, RN) and landed at Liverpool.

The Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail 24/04/1940 reports:
LAST ORE BOAT FROM NARVIK THE ADVENTURES OF THE OTTERPOOL
The last iron-ore boat to return from Narvik, the Otterpool one of “Ropner’s Navy” has just reached Cardiff Docks after an adventurous trip lasting a fortnight. It was machine-gunned by Heinkels and narrowly escaped the disaster which overtook the Stancllffe. the ship with which the Otterpool left Norway and which was afterwards torpedoed. But the Otterpool managed to surprise the Heinkels on a later occasion and drive them off The navigating and gunnery officer Mr. Harry H Davis, of 3 Eamont Gardens. West Hartlepool said: “Narvik was not a pleasant place. While we were there it was ten degrees below zero. The snow was heavier than it had been for years. The mountains went up sheer from the water, and there were heavy seas running. “Together with the Stancliffe we left Narvik and came down the coast of Norway as far as Christiansund. From there our captains had to find their own way because the Norwegian pilots would not take us any further. On our way over we were attacked by three Heinkels. We had been bombed and machine-gunned on the previous voyage, but this time had something to reply with which seemed to surprise the Germans. They were over us about an hour altogether, for a time we lost them in the clouds but they came back again. We let them have a burst of fire, and I am sure we damaged one which went off and we did not see any more of them

The Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail 28/06/1940 reports:-
DAVlS—Lost at sea enemy action. Harry Hardy aged 24. second officer Mercantile Marine, youngest son of Leo O. and Jane Davis. 3 Eamont Gardens. West Hartlepool. Deeply regretted.

Harry Hardy Davis is remembered at West Hartlepool on W111.002 and W111.055 and in our List of Ships’ Crews.