Norman Beadle
Memorial: Thornbury & District Museum: 6th Maritime Regiment Memorial
Regiment: 6th Maritime Regiment
Medals: 1939–45 Star, War Medal 1939–1945
Rank and number: Gunner
Parents: Robert and Effie Beadle
Marital status: Married
Home address: Edward Burdis Street, Southwick, Sunderland, Co. Durham
Date of birth: 24/09/1919
Date of death: 24/01/1942
Buried/Commemorated at: Died at sea and commemorated on Chatham Naval Memorial and the Maritime Memorial Thornbury
Age: 22
Further information:
On the day of his death, Norman was serving aboard the unescorted British Motor Tanker Empire Gem which was sailing from Port Arthur Texas to Halifax Canada carrying a cargo of 10.692 tons of motor spirit and 920 tons of machinery. At 02.40 hours the Empire Gem was hit by two torpedoes from U-boat U-66 15 off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The tanker immediately caught fire and later broke in two and sank. 43 crew members and six gunners, including Norman, were lost and only the master and the radio operator survived. They were picked up by a US Coast Guard vessel and landed at Hatteras Inlet.
Name is incorrectly stated on Memorial as Beadle M.
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
This information has been provided by Sarah Hands, Volunteer Researcher for the South Gloucestershire War Memorials Web Site.
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
https://www.cwgc.org/
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/
https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/
https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ship/1289.html