On Portsmouth Naval Memorial is the name of P/JX 579317 Telegraphist Sydney William Davis serving with the Royal Navy on H.M.S. Capel who died 26/12/1944.

In Darlington West Cemetery is a family headstone which reads:

In loving memory of
Sydney,
dear husband of
Ada Davis
died 7th May 1983
aged 86 years.

Also of the above
Ada
died 1st November 1986
aged 89 years.

Also their dear son
Sydney,
lost at sea
26th December 1944
aged 19 years.

Sydney Davis was born 2nd May 1925 in Darlington, the son of Sydney and Ada (nee Chilton) Davis who had married in the 2nd quarter of 1924. Father Sydney was a wood machinist at the waggon works and in 1939 the family were living at Branksome Terrace, Darlington

Young Sydney enlisted with the Royal Navy and by 1944 was serving as a Telegraphist (wireless operator) on board HMS Capel.

HMS Capel was a frigate attached to 1st Escort Group based at Belfast and was part of the anti-submarine screen patrolling the western end of the English Channel, in order to protect the Normandy landings of 6th June 1944.   In late 1944 the group moved to the eastern end of the Channel, patrolling the convoy route to the newly liberated port of Antwerp.

At 14.14 hours on 26th December 1944 Capel and the rest the Escort Group were patrolling northeast of Cherbourg when  U-486 sighted the group and fired three torpedoes, one of which hit Capel and another HMS Affleck.

Affleck was towed to port, but declared a total loss, while Capel sank with the loss of the crew of 76.

Sydney Davis is remembered at Darlington on D40.035 and on our List of Ships’ Crews.