Frederick John Mallen
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: John and Annie Mallen
Home address: Hednesford, Staffordshire
Date of birth: 28/06/1920
Place of birth: Staffordshire
Date of death: 04/04/1943
Buried/Commemorated at: Died at sea and commemorated Plymouth Naval Memorial Devon and the Maritime Memorial Thornbury
Age: 22
Further information:
Frederick was born and raised in Staffordshire and was the eldest of two brothers. He enlisted in the Royal Artillery in 1940.
On the day of his death, Frederick was serving aboard the British Motor Merchant ‘Shillong’ which was part of convoy HX-231 on route from New York to Belfast carrying a cargo of 4000 tons of zinc concentrates and 3000 tons of grain and general cargo. In the late evening on 4 April 1943 the convoy was torpedoed and the ‘Shillong’ and another vessel were damaged by U-boat U-635. In the early hours of the following day U-boat U-630 again attacked the convoy and sank the ‘Shillong’. The master, 67 crew members and three gunners including Frederick were lost. 7 survivors were picked up and landed at Halifax Canada.
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/2847.html