Cyril Herbert Punter

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: Herbert Lawrence William and Lilian Maud Punter

Home address: 149 Beaumont Road, Leyton, Essex

Date of birth: 1921

Place of birth: Essex

Date of death: 27/07/1942

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

Age: 21

Further information:

Cyril was the son of a docker, born and raised in Essex and the eldest of 2 brothers.

On the day of his death Cyril was serving aboard the Norwegian Steam Merchant 'Leikanger' part of dispersed convoy FN-20 on route from Cape Town to Trinidad carrying a cargo of 1000 tons of chrome ore. At 14.14 hours on 27 July 1942 the unescorted vessel was hit by two torpedoes from U-boat U-752, broke in two and sank immediately. The master, 16 crew members and one British gunner, Cyril, were lost. Thirteen survivors were rescued after 4 days and landed at Cape Town.

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/1969.html