Mervyn Jasper Swingler Marklove

Memorial: Wickwar - Holy Trinity Church

Regiment: Royal Navy

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

Rank and number: Stoker 1st Class D/KX 101040

Parents: Rosina Bessie Marklove and stepson of Hector MacDonald Blaken

Marital status: Single

Home address: Wickwar, Glos

Pre-war occupation: Not known

Date of birth: 07/09/1919

Date of death: 31/03/1941

Buried/Commemorated at: Died at sea. Commemorated Plymouth Naval Memorial (Panel 52, Column 2)

Age: 21

Further information:

On the day of his death HMS Bonaventure was taking part in operation Lustre escorting a transport convoy of thousands of troops from Alexandria to Greece. The Bonaventure was torpedoed amidships by the Italian submarine Ambra and sank in 6 minutes about 100 nautical miles south-south-east of Crete. There were 310 survivors but Mervyn plus 138 other crew perished.

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://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/4015.html
https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/UK/LondonGazette/38293.pdf
World War II Sea War, Volume 3: The Royal Navy is Bloodied in the Mediterranean By Donald A Bertke, Gordon Smith, Don Kindell page 360
http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-06CL-Bonaventure1.htm