Alfred Charles Malpas

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: David William and Anne Malpas

Marital status: Married

Home address: 35 Cherry Avenue, Southall, Middlesex

Pre-war occupation: Carpenter

Date of birth: 20/12/1910

Place of birth: Margate

Date of death: 07/11/1942

Buried/Commemorated at: Died at sea and commemorated on Chatham Naval Memorial and the Maritime Memorial Thornbury

Age: 31

Further information:

Alfred was born in Margate. He married Jennie Colledge in 1936 and signed up to the Royal Artillery in 1942, the same year that he was killed.

On the day of his death, Alfred was serving aboard the British Steam Merchant 'Roxby' which was a straggler from convoy ON-142, on route from Gourock Scotland to Halifax Canada carrying a cargo of 6400 tons of coal. At 15.40 hours on 7 November 1942 the unescorted vessel was hit by a torpedo from U-boat U-613 about 670 miles north of the Azores and sank 25 minutes later. 28 crew members and five gunners, including Alfred, were lost. The 12 survivors were picked up and landed in Newfoundland, 2 weeks later. Alfred was initially reported as missing which was changed to presumed killed in action 12 months later.

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.ancestry.co.uk/
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/
https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/
https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ship/2385.html