Tommy, second from right and the boys....

HMS Tyne, on the right, on the Suez

HMS Jamaica leaving Malta

HMS Doric leaving Malta

Your Responses:

Paula O'Rourke - Mar '07
Reginald Granville sadly passed away in the summer of 1967 due to long-term cycloalkane poisoning caused by exposure to uncovered photographic chemicals. He never married, although he was a friend of my grandfather's.

Joseph Norman Kidd - Feb '07
As one gets older strange coincidences come out of the woodwork. My cousin Joseph (Joe) Kidd joined the Navy as a boy sailor 1937-38 . He trained on HMS Caledonia and was sunk for the first time early in the war (1939). He then joined HMS Ghurka and was sunk again off Norway as recorded. Joe did a spell on MTB's and then became a Sub-Mariner on The Andrew specialising in radar and asdic. I have a Christmas card and wonderful picture of HMS Andrew..
Joe survived the full duration of the war untill de mob in 1952 following hospital treatment. He then married Evelyn and they had a son Philip. Joe succeeded in getting employment with ICI Billingham and life was going alon quite happily. He bought a Reliant 3-wheeler car. The family had been out for a picnic near Yarm-on-Tees and were returning home when a load slipped off a lemonade lorry killing Joe, scarring his baby boy and badly injuring a neighbour who had gone with them. It was an ironical and tragic end to a true sailor.
HMS Ghurka is commemorated in the War Museum at Valetta, Malta.
All the names of the lost crew are recorded and some find paintings of the ship on show together with the ship's badge (crossed ghurka knives).
Norman Kidd (cousin)

Mike Payne - Oct '06
I believe that my grandfather was on the gurkha when it was bombed his name was John Richard Lewis Payne dxj154998 any infomation will be greatly welcomed.

Christopher von der Borch - Oct '06
Dear Sir
My name is Christopher von der Borch and I have a friend that was in stalag IIID and his name is Reg granville. It is possible that you may have known him as he was trying to put together his memories of that time. He was aware of the British Free Corps in fact when he was working in a sugar factory they were handed a sheet of paper with the Free Corps Objectives. This was done
anonymously.

Edward Thompson - May '06
Very interesting. My uncle Norman Hunter was aboard the SS.Thistlebrae, when she was captured at the fall of NORWAY in 1940 untill VE Day 1945. At that time I was in the Royal Navy & was not released as one might say untill 1946. Norman was in the camp all the time he was a POW and always said the old German soldier was a very fair man and never had any complaits about them.

Jack Wright - April '06
I was sorry to hear of the passing tommy he was a fine man and will be sadly missed by all his friends and family. the first time i met tommy was on the empire doric which was a roll on roll off ferry which ran larne to preston in 1956, we were commissioned by the royal navy and went to the suez canal in late 1956. my name is jack wright, son fergie and agnes wright. I have lived in Australia since 1962. I have some photos of suez canal and tommy is in one of them. See below :

Edward Thompson - Jan '06
Tommy Shields was my great uncle and I am very proud to have known him. He was a great man that always brought a smile to people around him. I too was interested in his stories he told. I am glad he had the chance to tell people of his experiences, because these stories cannot be forgotten.

Gavin McAuley - Jan '06
Tommy Shields was my great uncle and I am very proud to have known him. He was a great man that always brought a smile to people around him. I too was interested in his stories he told. I am glad he had the chance to tell people of his experiences, because these stories cannot be forgotten.

I will never forget you Uncle Tommy, you will always be my 'Hero'.

Love you forever.

David McNeill - January '06
I knew tommy very well and he shared his experiences with me on numerous occasions. as a person with a great interest in both world wars i was a very avid listener. many a time we would have a chat in the vestibule of our church before we attended morning service. tommy was a man of great stature also very down to earth and the world is a poorer place without him. this article epitomises the character of the man.

Val Elmitt - Dec '05
What a wonderful, wonderful story of Tommy's wartime adventures - would have made the best movie adventure ever. Thank you so much. Does anyone have the names of the four sailors with Tommy?

Yvonne Fulton - August '05
I would like to belatedly send my sympathy to Tommy Sheilds family I was most impressed with his article as my father used to tell me of much the same happenings. I was very sorry to hear of his death. May Tommy rest in peace.

Stan Sloan, Cailifornia, U.S. A. - July '05
I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Tommy Shields, I really enjoyed his story while serving in the Royal Navy. My uncle from Wigan was in the rn. at that time and tells us some great stories of his service during the war. Deepest sympathy to Tommy's family, truly a real hero.

Mike Cooksey - July '05
Sadly I have heard that Tommy died just a few days ago and was laid to rest today. (July 21st ) He was the last survivor of the crew of the 1030. It was a privilege to have met him and shared his memories. May they all Rest in Peace. They earned it.

Derek Nash - July '05
People like Tommy are gradually disappearing month by month. In many cases their personal history is vanishing with them. Stories such as Tommy's are being lost forever. This is why it is vital that you continue to do what you are doing on your web site while you still can, to record and reflect these priceless web-logs of people's lives. Keep going!

RIP Tommy.

David Jackson (Tom's Grandson) - July '05
Just a note to once again thank all the friends and family who attended Tommy's funeral. It made what could have been a very sad occasion into a celebration of his life. I am sure Tommy knows what you all thought of him and he would have been delighted with the turn out. From all the family. Thank you and God Bless

Michael Lynch - November '04
Tommy and I are very friendly, he is not into using e-mail and has asked me to thank all who have responded to his experiences. Tom is very interested in the memorial in Norway mentioned by Torstein Saksvik, he knows of Tom Houston's family (At the Head of the Town). He was greatly thrilled and pleased to met Michael Cooksey, sorry that Peter Siddall couldn't make the trip to Larne. The comments by Rosie Toms and Paulo R impressed him immensly.
Now Carlos Telles stimulated quite some discussion in our local "Probus Club". Our fellow member Hugh Mc Manus was a Sergeant in the Royal Artillery ( later transferred to the Signal Corps) in Italy and after Monte Cassino met up with members of the Brazilian Brigade. He became friendly with Carlos Moreros at Borgo A Mozzano where they were based for a short time. Tom has asked me to handle e-mail messages for him.

Hans Schmidt - November '04
Read your story with interest ; how lucky you were, thanks to God; at the moment I am working on a video about a WW2 crew member of a Liberator bomber shot down not far from me...A HitlerJunge captured him in the woods and turned him over to the Germans : But Frank Bertram managed to get to freedom and now lives in Calif. I feel guilty in many ways that even my father was a criminal who knows? Sorry if my Achtung German English is not without mistakes. God bless...

Peter Siddall - August 2004
I am so happy to read this. My name is Peter Siddall and my father served with Tommy on ML1030. (Dad's memoirs are refered to in the above text). Dad often talked about how brave Tommy had been when they were under attack. I would love to be put in contact with him.
Best wishes, Peter Siddall

Michael W Cooksey - August 2004
Tommy,
I am the son of the skipper of ML 1030. Harold Siddall's son Peter and I would so much like to be in touch with you. We believe that you may be the last survivor of the crew.
We are collecting the story of the short but action packed life of this "Little Ship" and your input would be invaluable. It was so pleasing to us to see that you are clearly in such good health.
With every good wish
Mike Cooksey
Bristol

Tom Houston -  August '04
I was thrilled to read of Tommys exploits. I am originally from Larne and wonder if he or any other reader knew my father Hugh Houston of Pound Street? He was in the Royal Navy and was involved in the Battle of the Atlantic

Torstein Saksvik - June '04
I live in Norway. I will just mention that I managed to finance and put up a memorial plaque on the nearest place on land to where HMS Gurkha was sunk. It was unveiled 9th of April 2000 by a Commander from the RN and a Rear Admiral from the RNN. The unknown story (for us Norwegians) was printed in some local papers in the Bergens area. I am interested in getting in contact with Tommy.

Rosie Toms - June '04
A truly amazing story, I listened first on the radio and I was moved to tears. To read the complete 'story' was riveting. Truly a brave man not just through the war. I wish you happiness and peace Tommy, and Thank you, for todays world would not be as it is without you and those like you.

Carlos Telles - April '04
Mr. Tommy Shields is a hero.
My father fought against the Japanese in the Paicfic (he was portugues)and my god-father (he is Brazilian,like I'm.)agaisnt the Nazi at Mount Cassino,Italy. There generation had a terrible burn to carry.The must never be forgoten. Thank you very much.
Captain Carlos Telles

Paulo R, Costa Lima - August '03
I appreciate your history so much. It was wondeful and it's very important to us and to the younger people all over the world.

I congratulate you and your life's lessons to us. I was lived in Berlin for three years and I understood what the second world war was. Now I live in Recife, capital of Pernambuco, located in the north west of Brazil. I enjoy to know special history like yours because that was the real situation in humanity's story. God Bless you and your family. Thank you so much.

Sincerely Paulo R, Costa Lima