James William Dobson

Memorial: Thornbury & District Museum: 6th Maritime Regiment Memorial

Regiment: 6th Maritime Regiment

Medals: 1939–45 Star, War Medal 1939–1945

Rank and number: Lance Bombardier

Parents: James and Mary Dobson

Marital status: Married

Home address: 43 Oxford Road, Bournemouth, Hampshire

Pre-war occupation: General Labourer

Date of birth: 29/07/1909

Date of death: 31/10/1942

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

Age: 33

Further information:

James was born in Essex the son of a dock labourer. He had an older sister and a younger brother. James married Anne Flanagan in 1937 and in 1939 was living with her, his sister and his brother.

On the 31st October 1942, James was one of 12 gunners serving aboard the British Motor Merchant vessel ‘Aldington Court’. The ship had originally been part of convoy TRIN-16 but the convoy had dispersed 2 weeks previously. The now unescorted vessel was travelling from Trinidad to South Africa on route to Alexandria, carrying a cargo of 6614 tons of government stores and general cargo, including coal, tractors, fuel and beer. The ship was hit by 2 torpedoes from U-172 about 1000 miles west of Port Nolloth, South West Africa. After 10 minutes, the vessel rolled over and sank but 38 survivors (from a complement of 44) managed to abandon ship successfully. 28 boarded a lifeboat and 10 a Jolly boat. Both boats made for land but became separated and the lifeboat was never seen again. The 10 survivors from the Jolly boat were rescued by another ship on the 13th November. James however was one of the 34 fatalities.

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/2333.html