| Frederick Arthur Morgan
Frederick Arthur Morgan was my uncle, i never got to meet him as I was born after the war.
We were always told by our father that a plane had crashed onto the deck and caused the explosion, this is what he genuinely believed.
My granny died before i was born, she too never knew the truth. Uncle Fred has one survivng sister living in Hetton -e Hole, Tyne & Wear, now into her 90's.
Thanks for all your efforts, on behalf of the Morgan family.
Robert Morgan
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 Have just found your site, and I am dumbfounded to find out about a story my dad told me as a little boy is true. His ship was HMS Isle of Sark. The story is sad but I am now a proud son of 70 years who's dad always said sailors don't let sailors down. I have attached a photo of my dad who died in 1987.
all the best
Norman Russell
Click on the image to enlage
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George Lovegrove
My Grandad was one of the very lucky survivors of HMS Dasher, George Lovegrove. 84yrs old
I am his granddaughter Jenny Davis, Now 29 years old and have two wonderful great grandchildren for George. My Mother and Farther immigrated over to Australia 30 years ago, and i have only seen my Grandad a hand full of times.
I am extreamly privilaged to say that my Grandad recently moved over to Australia after the sad news of my uncle and Grandmother passing. It has been 17 years since we have seen Grandad and i will be forever greatfull after reading your sad emails on all the tragiclly lost lives, that we can get to know and enjoy what time my Grandad has left.
I have only just recently started looking up on what history is available after seeing my Grandads medals and seeing my 10 and 12 year old boys interested in the devistating sinking of the Dasher.
My sons, partner and I go to the Dawn Service every year for our Anzac's and later to the parade through our city centre Perth, Western Australia. In 2008 my children and I can now stand and honnor our Grandad and Great Grandad with our fallen anzac's, and how proud we are to have this oppertunity.
WE LOVE YOU GRANDAD/GREAT, YOU ARE A TRUE HERO, SURVIVOR. HOW PROUD WE ARE TO CARRY THE LAST NAME LOVEGROVE. OXOX
E mail received 4/1/08
Stan Lawson
I have just come across your website; my father has been asked to contribute a piece on the Hawker Hunter aircraft for a book, and in introducing him to the author I am describing dad's experiences.
The point is, he began his aviation career by volunteering for the Navy in January 1942 - up to then he had been an ATC cadet, cycling with his brothers to get to Battle of Britain crash sites ASAP for souvenirs ! We still have some...
Dad ( Stan Lawson ) was made a Fleet Air Arm engine fitter on Seafires, first on HMS Unicorn - which he hated due to the snobbishness of the officers - then on two Escort Carriers, Stalker and Khedive - he has particularly fond memories of the latter, and is in contact with one or two ex-crew mates including a pilot.
He was on Unicorn for the Salerno landings, when even that medium sized carrier proved useless for the Seafire, which required a good headwind to keep landing speed, and had a fragile undercarriage.
My point is though, an experience he had on 'Unicorn' - he and his chums found themselves struggling to fit an external 'slipper' fuel tank to a Seafire, in the hangar. The floor of the hangar was vee-shaped, with a central trough - with all the high octane fuel spilt during the process, they found themselves ankle-deep in it sloshing from side to side as the ship rolled ! This I am sure is the answer to the demise of 'Dasher'.
I asked dad if anyone smoked, even sneakily, in the hangars but he reckons not - also during this particular episode the tannoy was blaring ' no smoking in the hangars' repeatedly. On 'Unicorn' there was already a practice of filling the aviation fuel tanks with seawater as they were expended - but it would only take a few minutes delay for explosive fumes to build up...
Dad also reckons he was at HMS Daedalus - Lee On Solent - when survivors from ' an escort carrier which had blown up in the Clyde ' were brought in. The story, probably genuinely believed, was the ship was thought to have been torpedoed.
Dad went on to spend the vast majority of his career -over 37 years - with Hawker Siddeley, later British Aerospace - he ended up as crew-chief on the development Sea Harriers of the Falklands, and the Harrier 2 GR5 development fleet ( he refused promotion beyond what he knew he was good at, and a lot of Test Pilots were very grateful ! ) - not bad for someone who started on Seafires & Hellcats...
Anyway I hope that is of some interest, please do not hesitate to contact me if we can be of any help.
Regards,
Andrew Lawson
E mail received 4/1/08
Lionel Godfrey
My name is Alan Bull from geelong victoria Aussie
today I am going to a funeral of a great fella who saw the explosion of the DASHER from his plane as he was waiting for her to come into the wind to land on her, we had long talks about the ship and what happened. Because he knew of the tragedy, he was sent to a remote area so he could not repeat anything of what he saw. His name is Lionel Godfrey.
We both had something in common, as I served on HMAS VENGEANCE an aircraft carrier here in Aussie. He reckoned stokers were the salt of the earth and it was fair dinkum too, I was one of them.
Best wishes
Alan Bull
E mail received 27/9/07
Lt. Cmdr William Lothain Allan
I was interested to read the article on the Dasher in the Scotsman during June. I havent any direct information to contribute, but the incident left a lasting impression on me due to the fact that the Wife of Lt. Cmdr William Lothain Allan (known as Lothian) was my Mother's best friend when they lived near Glasgow.
I was Four and a Half at the time and the understandably shocked look on Mrs Allan's face as she broke the news to Mother has left a lasting impression on me. Shortly after the war I accompanied Mother and Mrs. Allan on the Boat from Ardrossan to Arran, I assume to allow her time for reflection near the site of the sinking.
I have very vague memories of him as a bright and cheerful individual who visited our house and would join in the parties held when my Aunt and Uncle's leaves coincided with his own.
As I said my memories are not directly connected but may add a little background information to the Saga
J. Ireland
iregapland@aol.com
E mail received 14th Sept 2007
Last communication
I've been heavily looking into my ancestry, tracing branches of my tree back to the 1500s. I've recently been told a family story by my mother, and on looking into it, have found your email address. Here is the story as she told it to me, about her sister, my aunt.
Jean was a wireless telegraphist in the Wrens and was stationed in Largs in the 1940's. They were in close contact with the ships in the Clyde, and Lord Louis Mountbatten's HQ were also in Largs. When their opposite numbers in the Royal Navy came on shore they were able to meet up with them and all became friendly, and ship-to-shore they were able to add their own little signatures when signing on and off duty.
On the night in question Jean knew whom she was in contact with on The Dasher when all of a sudden a message came over from him in plain text Morse, not in code, to say 'we've been hit'. She was so shocked that she replied 'say again' but that was the last she heard.
Best wishes
Lorna Evans
le3@york.ac.uk
E mail received 11th Sept 2007
Dennis Ingram
I am looking for any information relating to Dennis Ingram, one of the crew who went down on HMS Dasher. I believe my father-in-law may have been related to him.
I would like any information relating to Dennis if anyone has anything.
Megan Peterson
peterson.family@inspire.net.nz
E mail received 2nd May 2007
K. H. Flower
I have just watched your video on HMS Dasher and felt I had to write to you.
My father, Kenneth Henry Flower, Acting Petty Officer, Air Mechanic , photograph attached, was just one of the many who perished.
I am now 64 years of age and have only over the last 10/12 years been finding out about the Dasher. As a child growing up all I was ever told was "your father died during the war - he went down with his ship" Nobody ever talked about what happened about the war years or what happened to my father's ship. I must have been about 8 or 9 years old when I was shown a newspaper, The Scottish Daily Express dated 19th May 1945 which first reported the loss of the Dasher. I still have this newspaper,together with the telegrams " missing on war service" "presumed dead" and a letter from Comodore E Thornton stating "it has become necessary to presume your husband's death to have occured on 27th March 1943". That letter was dated 23rd April 1943.
That day I lost not only my father but my mother. She couldn't cope with the loss of her husband , widowed at such a young age and being left with a 5 month old baby. She eventually abandoned me with my maternal grandparents who brought me up in Orkney. Although I always knew that they were my grandparents because they brought me up from infancy I always called them Mum and Dad and still refer to my maternal grandmother today as "my mum". I only referred to my mother by her name Minnie.
I never really got over the sense of being "abandoned" but began to understand how and why it happened after discovering a little of the story of the Dasher albeit that by that time I was in my 50's and my mother "Minnie" had been dead for many years, "accidental death" - overdose of sleeping pills! So I never got to tell her that I understood why it was that she abandoned me and that I "forgave" her.
There must be many other 60 something year olds who have similar stories to mine. I think we deserve to know the whole true story of what really happened. My mother died early in life never knowing the truth, probably feeling guilty about abandoning me so I think that the Admiralty/Government should come clean and tell those few of us left who have been affected all our lives by this tragedy what really happened. In my heart I know that they never will.
Maybe in my daughters' life time or maybe even in my grandsons' life time they will but it will be far to late to mean anything to anyone and that is exactly what they are banking on. Who knows one of my grandchildren or maybe someone elses grandchild or even great grandchild will take them to task one day.
Thank you for making your film and keeping the memory of HMS Dasher and all those who perished alive.
Valerie MacDougall (Mrs)
born Valerie Flower 5th October 1942
Flightdeck pieces
