Letters
Operated X-Craft 4 man submarines (Mk. 5 ) March 2, 2011 Saw your site with the ORION raider. My uncle Thomas Cockburn was radio officer on the Chaucer. Around that time, his brother Peter was killed in a bomber and his sister died of T.B.. The family just knew that the ship was sunk. I went through life believing a U-boat had torpedoed him until just recently.I have a copy of a postcard sent from the p.o.w. camp to my mother and I. My father was in the Royal Navy - he was on Russian covoys aboard the Vigilant. After that he did a submarine course. He was sent to Australia by S.O.E. ( in civilian clothes ) to Melbourne where there was an office in St.Kilda road.He was billeted at Archies Creek,Victoria. Next he was on Garden Island, Western Australia - have a good quality photo of him in a group there. He was in in Darwin after that at the Lugger Wharf where he operated X-Craft 4 man submarines (Mk. 5 ). He did not speak about it except to say he was on his way to Balikpapen in Borneo when the Americans dropped the Atomic bomb on Japan. He
arrived home in Edinburgh in 1946 .We came to Australia in 1955 and one
of his Z force mates drove down from Canberra to see us. He died in
1992. I am his eldest son and have been trying for years to find yours Norman, Go to my website at: "Information about Welfreighter" to view all the correspondence between Bob Quinn ( who trained in Welfreighters in Australia ) and myself. You may find areas of interest. Regards, |