In the Plymouth (Weston Mill) Cemetery is the Commonwealth War Grave of Lieutenant Noel Page, serving on H.M.T. Asama, with the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, who died 21/03/1941.
Noel Page was born on the 25th December 1900, baptised on the 11th March 1901 at St Michael’s, Westoe. He was the youngest of three sons of James Page, born Lanark, 21st June 1864, died 14th July 1937, and his wife, Frances Charlotte Mary ‘Lily’ Page, born Quitre, Canada, 1867 and who died 16th January 1932 at 3 South View Terrace, Harton, South Shields. They were married in 1890.
The other children were :-
Thomas Alexander Page, born 10 Broughton Road, South Shields, on the 17th October 1891, baptised on the 9th December 1891, died 28th July 1970. He married Dorothy Marion Wood, born 27th May 1908, died 26th June 1995, on the 13th July 1930 at St Peter’s at Harrogate. In 1939, they were residing at Field House, Grosvenor Road, South Shields. Thomas was a Chartered Accountant and a Special Constable. They possibly had four children, Sarah M. Page, born 25th November 1933, who married Thomas R.F. Fenwick in 1957, Derek Henry Alexander Page, born 1941, died 19th January 2011, Sally and a Thomas?.
Mary Kathleen Page, born 4th July 1896, baptised 18th September 1896, died 1980.
The father James was an Architect and in 1871 was residing at 59 Winchester Street, South Shields with his parents. He was described as 5 feet 11 inches tall, dark complexion, dark hair, blue eyes. In 1890 he married Frances Charlotte Mary ‘Lily’ Page, who had been born in Canada. She was 5 feet 4 inches tall, with fair hair, blue eyes, fair complexion. They now resided at 10 Broughton Road at South Shields.
By 1901, they had moved to 14 Ravensbourne Terrace and employed a domestic servant.
Noel Page was a solicitor and was in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. Noel married in 1930, and took his wife Doris on a cruise, departing from London on the 17th April 1930 on board the SS Moldavia, ship number 145973, for Sydney Australia. On the 9th May 1930, Noel Page, minus his wife, had arrived back from the UK, from Marseilles to London, on board the SS Razmak, ship number 147316. The ship had called in Gibraltar; Port Said; Aden; Malta; Marseilles; Plymouth. He gave his address as the Regent Hotel in London.
They were residing at ‘Redpath’ West Avenue, Harton, South Shields. Noel Page in 1939 was based at 255 Sunderland Road, with another solicitor, Donald Harvey, born 20th March 1904. Noel was a partner in the firm Wheldon, Page and Houlsby solicitors.
Lieutenant Noel Page was killed on the 21st March 1941 at the height of the Plymouth Blitz, sunk in a huge air raid on the night of the 21/22nd March 1941, when 187 tonnes of high explosive bombs and 36,108 incendiary bombs were dropped between the entrance to the Hamoaze and Sutton Pool. LLoyd’s report that she was beached at Torpoint, which suggests that she was refloated or broken up.
The trawler HMT Asama, ship number 148315, was built for Neale and West of Cardiff by Smith’s Dock at Southbank, Middlesbrough, Yard number 894, and was launched on the 18th November 1929, with the registration number of CF18. She was requisitioned by the Royal Navy in 1939, converted to a Mine Sweeper and was armed with a single 12 pounder gun.
Source: The Ships Project.
Lieutenant Noel Page was posted missing originally.
The Shields Gazette, Saturday, 17/05/1941 describes the funeral:
The body has recently been picked up at sea. The firing party attended, and the Last Post was sounded by buglers of the Royal Navy. Among others attending the funeral were Mr T.A. Page (brother), Miss K. Page (sister), Captain McKenzie R.N., Lieut. Commander Moloney commanding minesweepers, Lieut. Commander Rayer and many other officers and men.
The Shields Gazette ran a number of articles under the heading It’s A Shieldsman’s Diary, which was a column based on letters written by Noel about his experiences at sea, and published them in 1940. He was a member of Collingwood Navy League Cadets, H.M.S. Collingwood.
Acknowledgments: James Pasby; Ron Carson.
Noel Page is remembered at Harton on H104.09, at Westoe in W101.08, page 68 and in our List of Ships’ Crews.
