Hugh Topping
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: Mary and Thomas M Topping
Home address: Southfield, Cockermouth, Cumbria
Pre-war occupation: General Labourer
Date of birth: 15/02/1911
Place of birth: Lancashire
Date of death: 09/08/1942
Buried/Commemorated at: Died at sea and commemorated on Chatham Naval Memorial and the Maritime Memorial Thornbury
Age: 31
Further information:
Hugh was born in Lancashire. He was the son of a colliery worker and the youngest of 8 children with 2 older brothers and 5 older sisters. In 1939 he was lodging with another miner's family, the Ackerlays.
On the day of his death, Hugh was serving aboard the British Motor Tanker 'San Emiliano' which was dispersed from convoy E-7 and on route from Trinidad to Table Bay, South Africa carrying a cargo of 11,286 tons of aviation spirit. At 03.24 hours on 9 August 1942 the unescorted ship was hit by a torpedo from U-boat U-155 about 450 miles west of Trinidad and sank in flames after breaking in two. The master, 33 crew members and six gunners including Hugh were lost. There were 8 survivors who were rescued and landed in Suriname, South America.
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/2021.html