On the Chatham Naval Memorial is the name of C/TD/5 Chief Petty Officer Richard Fenton, serving on H.M.S. Avenger with the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve who died 15/11/1942.

Richard Fenton was the son of William and Mary Edwards Fenton and the husband of Ethel Fenton, of Fenham, Newcastle upon Tyne.

HMS Avenger was a Royal Navy escort aircraft carrier during the Second World War. In 1939 she was laid down as the merchant ship Rio-Hudson at the Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Company yard in Chester, Pennsylvania. Launched on the 27th November 1940, she was converted to an escort carrier and transferred under the lend lease agreement to the Royal Navy. She was commissioned on the 2nd March 1942.

Avenger’s capacity allowed for a maximum of 15 aircraft. In September 1942, she took part in what was the largest and most successful Russian convoy to date. Upon her return home, after observing a number of design faults, Avenger’s captain drew up recommendations for future escort carrier design. In November 1942 she took part in Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of North Africa, where she suffered engine problems. While leaving North Africa to start the journey home Avenger was sunk by the German U-Boat U-155 on the 15th November 1942 at 3:20am GMT, commanded by Korvettenkapitn Adolf Cornelius Piening, 9 hours after leaving Gibraltar for Britain, with a heavy loss of life among her crew.

Acknowledgements: Barney Rice

Richard Fenton is remembered at Gateshead in G69.103, at Newcastle on NUT023 and in our List of Ships’ Crews.