Tom Hartley
Enlisted in the Royal Navy on 21st August 1913 and he served until 20th August 1935.
- Family History
- Military history
- Extra information
- Photographs
Son of Thomas and Anne Hartley of South Collingham.
Siblings: Charlie (1882), Violet (1886), Miriam (1890) and Henry (1895).
He was married to Kate and they had one daughter Doris born in 1918.
In 1939 Kate was living with Doris at 18 Bentinck Street, Mansfield.
He was recalled to the service on 22nd August 1939 and was posted to HMS Dunedin.
In the early part of the war they were involved in the hunt for the German battleships, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau before being posted to the Caribbean. On the 15th June 1941 they captured the German tanker Lothringen and an Enigma Cipher machine.
On 24th November 1941 they were off the coast of Brazil where they had been tasked to intercept the German supply ship. Python and U-124 but were spotted and the u-boat who fired several torpedoes from a great distance. They struck after 5 mins and the ship quickly sank there were 67 survivors and 417 died.
Mansfield Chronicle Advertiser: 19/12/1941:
Also reported to be missing in his 25th year of service in the Royal Navy is Stoker Petty Officerr Tom Hartley whose wife lives at 18 Bentinck Street, Mansfield. He retired on a pension after 22 years of service but was recalled after 5 years of civil life. He is a native of Warsop and his father passed awat recently.
Two other men from Mansfield died on the Dunedin, William Douglas Commons and Cyril Candy.
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