William Sleath
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He was the son of Herbert and Millicent Sleath and the brother of Herbert and Emily Sleath. In 1921, they lived at Gorton, South Manchester but they were a Brinsley (Nottinghamshire) family).
CHATHAM NAVAL MEMORIAL 45, 3.
H.M.S. President III United Kingdom
Sleath was assigned to HMS President III, the accounting and administrative base for Royal Navy personnel deployed on Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships (DEMS). He was serving out at sea aboard the British steam merchant vessel Robert L. Holt.The Attack (4 July 1941): While sailing as part of Convoy OB-337, the Robert L. Holt was intercepted in the North Atlantic by the German U-boat U-178 (commanded by Hans-Dieter Heinicke).The Outcome: The merchant ship was fiercely attacked and sunk by torpedoes and gunfire. Tragically, there were no survivors.Casualties: The sinking claimed the lives of the Master, 42 crew members, 8 DEMS gunners, and 5 passengers (including Vice-Admiral Norman A. Wodehouse).RemembranceBecause he went down with the ship and his body was never recovered (listed as Missing Presumed Killed), Signalman William Sleath is commemorated on Panel 45, 3 of the Chatham Naval Memorial in Kent, United Kingdom.
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