In El Alamein War Cemetery, Egypt is the Commonwealth War Grave of C/JX212028 Able Seaman Norman Walker serving with the Royal Navy on HMS Welshman who died 01/02/1943.
In Cockfield Cemetery is a family headstone which reads:
In
loving memory of
a dear husband and Dad
Joseph Gibson Walker
who died 9th Feb 1973
aged 76 years,
Also Effie,
beloved wife of the above
who died 16th Nov 1980
aged 81 years.
Also sons of the above
Arthur,
accidently killed
18th Oct. 1938, aged 18 years.
Norman
dear husband of Frances Ellen
killed in action
1st Feb. 1943, aged 25 years.
Jean Longstaff has submitted the following:-
Norman Walker was born 9th October 1917 at Evenwood, the son of Joseph Gibson Walker from Cockfield and Evenwood girl Effie Tarn, who had married in in 1917. At the time of his birth his father was still in the Grenadier Guards and was finally discharged two months after Norman’s first birthday. Norman had a brother Arthur, born in Cockfield in 1920, and a much younger sister Lilian Ethel born in 1931 in Evenwood. In 1921 the family were living at 3 Centre, Evenwood and father Joseph worked at Gordon House Colliery in Cockfield.
On 18th October 1938 Arthur aged 18 was working as a pony driver at Randolph Colliery, Evenwood where he was accidently killed. At the inquest it was said he had been riding on the limbers and had struck his head against a prop. The coroner on returning the verdict of accidental death said: “I am rather horrified to hear that in this district safety helmets are almost unknown, and I hope that this fatality may be the cause of the helmets being put into more extensive use. In the opinion of the Mines’ Inspector this boy’s life might have been saved if he had been wearing one.”
In 1939, the family lived at Esperley Lane near Cockfield where Joseph worked as a bus driver and Norman as a general labourer. The following year Norman married local girl Frances Ellen Wallace.
Kevin Richardson has provided the following service information:
The service details of Able Seaman Norman Walker have not been researched, the following details indicate the circumstances surrounding his death.
HMS Welshman [M84] was a Royal Navy “Dido” class, cruiser-minelayer launched in September 1941 at R. & W. Hawthorn, Leslie & Co. Ltd., Hebburn on Tyne. She had a complement of 289 officers and men. She served with the Home Fleet carrying out minelaying operations before being transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet in mid-1942 for the Malta Convoys. HMS Welshman also saw service during Operation Torch, supporting the Allied landings in North Africa.
On 1 February 1943 while transporting stores and personnel to Tobruk, HMS Welshman was hit by a torpedo fired by U-617. At 17.45, the U-Boat fired 4 torpedoes, 2 hits and a boiler explosion were observed. The ship capsized and sank by the stern 2 hours later, 45 miles north east of Tobruk at position 32˚12’N 24˚52’E with the loss of 167 lives, including Able Seaman Norman Walker. Some survivors, 124 in total, including the Commander, Captain W.H.D. Friedberger DSO, 5 officers and 112 ratings, were rescued by destroyers HMS Tetcott and HMS Belvoir. Another 6 survivors were rescued by small craft from Tobruk. Survivors were taken to Alexandria.
An account is provided by a survivor, Robert Ferry, a Telegraphist on HMS Welshman and reported in the Times of Malta:
After a short period, the captain sent a brief distress signal giving our position, which I transmitted on a local frequency that could be read by any British warships in the area. We had been struck by two torpedoes fired from a German U-boat, U-617. The torpedoes hit the stern, putting the propellers and steering out of action and killing about 20 of the crew. The third explosion happened when some of the Welshman’s ammunition blew up. The ship remained in an upright position and the repair parties set to work shoring up the internal bulkheads in an attempt to prevent the sea from entering the mining deck. For a short period of time, this seemed to be working.
Mr Ferry came off his watch at 8pm and went to the upper deck. Many of the ship’s company had returned to the mess decks to eat because the ship appeared as if it would remain afloat. However, suddenly, at about 9pm, the damaged bulkheads gave way and within minutes it rolled onto its starboard side.
I made my way down the side of the ship and jumped about 15 feet into the water and swam away. When I was about 50 yards away, I turned to see our beautiful ship disappearing stern first. No one had the time to lower the lifeboats and those people who had managed to get over the side were swimming about trying to locate any floating object they could hang on to.
Mr Ferry swam close to Capt. William Friedberger who was calling out for everybody to keep together as he knew help was on the way. He exhorted everyone to sing and they did, mainly Roll Out The Barrel.
I had lost my lifebelt when I jumped over the side but eventually managed to find a small raft to cling on to. This raft was very unstable and turned turtle a number of times, depositing the occupants into the water. After about four hours of this, I was beginning to lose consciousness and the next thing I remember was being assisted up the netting on the side of a ship and a voice saying: ‘OK Sparks, you’re alright now’.
Norman Walker is remembered at Cockfield on C112.01, on our List of Ships’ Crews and on the HMS Welshman Memorial at Gillingham, Kent.
