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Thread: Danish War Sailors - Newcastle upon Tyne

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    Default Danish War Sailors - Newcastle upon Tyne

    H. C. Andersen ("HC") has just joined this forum. With the Danish church in Newcastle upon Tyne, I am setting up this year's commemoration of the Danish War Sailors who sailed for the Allied merchant navies during World War Two. Several thousand went to British/French ports after the German attack on Denmark on 9th April 1945. After the fall of France, they were given Newcastle upon Tyne in North East England as their home port. Between 1940 and 1945, almost two thousand lost their lives in Allied service. We have their memorial in St. Nicholas Cathedral in Newcastle upon Tyne and will remember the fallen sailors and their surviving comrades at a service in the Cathedral on Sunday 5th May 2019 at 12 noon. If you have any information about the sailors or have a personal connection with them (or with the British War Sailors, whose memorial is near the Danish one in the Cathedral) or would details about how to attend, please contact me.

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    Keith at Tregenna's Avatar
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    Default Re: Danish War Sailors - Newcastle upon Tyne

    For your information, though from my home town not Newcastle.

    BARRY (MERTHYR DYFAN) BURIAL GROUND:

    Historical Information

    The cemetery contains war graves of both world wars, the burials of the 1914-1918 War being in various parts of the cemetery. Burials of the 1939-1945 War, 23 of which are in a group in Section R in the north-western corner of the cemetery, and the remainder are to be found elsewhere. There is a man belonging to the National Fire Service, who was buried in the group of war graves. Among the 14 men of the Merchant Navy are four Danish seamen who, with two other Danes, lost their lives in April 1942 in an explosion in the British Merchant vessel S.S. Soborg of Glasgow, in which they were serving. They are buried in the group of war graves. The body of the fifth Danish member of the crew was originally buried here but was later repatriated. The sixth body was not recovered. The names of all six are commemorated on a grey granite memorial which was erected on the empty grave of the repatriated Dane by the Danish Government, and unveiled by the Danish Ambassador in April 1948. The four graves are marked by Commission headstones.

    LINK 1: https://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery...URIAL%20GROUND

    LINK 2: http://www.barrymerchantseamen.org.u...ntNavyTour.pdf

    Keith.

    PS: Link 2 shows:

    Danish Memorial Stone

    The names of all six are separately commemorated on a grey granite memorial placed on the repatriated grave. It was unveiled by the Danish Ambassador, Count Eduard Reventlow in April 1948.

    The stone was funded by donations from the surviving crew, the Free Danish Movement in London and Danish seamen visiting South Wales.

    And -

    3. August Jorgensen Grave R941 S.S. Sőborg. Able Seaman. Died 06/04/1942 Age 35.
    4. Svend Hansen Grave R1031 S.S. Sőborg. Donkeyman. (A rating that attends to the donkey boiler and helps in the engine room) Died 06/04/1942 Age 22.
    5. Askel Frederiksen Grave R1123 S.S. Sőborg. Able Seaman. Died 06/04/1942 Age 17.
    6. Borge Herskind Grave R1215 S.S. Sőborg. Fireman. Died 06/04/1942 Age 35.

    These four Danish seamen lost their lives in April 1942 when the British registered vessel S.S. Sőborg exploded. They are buried in a group together in section R. The body of a 5th Danish member of the crew was repatriated later and a sixth body was never recovered.

    .
    Last edited by Keith at Tregenna; 8th March 2019 at 10:00 PM.

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    Keith at Tregenna's Avatar
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    Default Re: Danish War Sailors - Newcastle upon Tyne

    Quote Originally Posted by Hans Christian Andersen View Post
    H. C. Andersen ("HC") has just joined this forum. With the Danish church in Newcastle upon Tyne, I am setting up this year's commemoration of the Danish War Sailors who sailed for the Allied merchant navies during World War Two. Several thousand went to British/French ports after the German attack on Denmark on 9th April 1945. After the fall of France, they were given Newcastle upon Tyne in North East England as their home port. Between 1940 and 1945, almost two thousand lost their lives in Allied service. We have their memorial in St. Nicholas Cathedral in Newcastle upon Tyne and will remember the fallen sailors and their surviving comrades at a service in the Cathedral on Sunday 5th May 2019 at 12 noon. If you have any information about the sailors or have a personal connection with them (or with the British War Sailors, whose memorial is near the Danish one in the Cathedral) or would details about how to attend, please contact me.
    Uncertain if attendance will be possible but, interested in hearing more.

    I will watch this space for updates.

    Regards,

    Keith.

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    Default Re: Danish War Sailors - Newcastle upon Tyne

    Dear Keith - Thank you for pointing this out. Interestingly, the name "Sřborg" looks very similar to the Danish "Sřborg" (literally "lake fortress" but also a Danish placename just north of Copenhagen). I have now seen on the warsailors homepage that she was indeed a Danish ship, taken over by the MOWT and that she had ledft "Belfast Lough in Convoy BB-157 on the 3rd April 1942".

    When Danish ships arrived in the UK to join the British war effort, they were officially taken prize by the British government and then allocated to British shipping companies for the duration. In that respect, the Sřborg was a British ship at the time she went down but she belonged to the Danish merchant navy


    Quote Originally Posted by Keith at Tregenna View Post
    For your information, though from my home town not Newcastle.

    BARRY (MERTHYR DYFAN) BURIAL GROUND:

    Historical Information

    The cemetery contains war graves of both world wars, the burials of the 1914-1918 War being in various parts of the cemetery. Burials of the 1939-1945 War, 23 of which are in a group in Section R in the north-western corner of the cemetery, and the remainder are to be found elsewhere. There is a man belonging to the National Fire Service, who was buried in the group of war graves. Among the 14 men of the Merchant Navy are four Danish seamen who, with two other Danes, lost their lives in April 1942 in an explosion in the British Merchant vessel S.S. Soborg of Glasgow, in which they were serving. They are buried in the group of war graves. The body of the fifth Danish member of the crew was originally buried here but was later repatriated. The sixth body was not recovered. The names of all six are commemorated on a grey granite memorial which was erected on the empty grave of the repatriated Dane by the Danish Government, and unveiled by the Danish Ambassador in April 1948. The four graves are marked by Commission headstones.

    LINK 1: https://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery...URIAL%20GROUND

    LINK 2: http://www.barrymerchantseamen.org.u...ntNavyTour.pdf

    Keith.

    PS: Link 2 shows:

    Danish Memorial Stone

    The names of all six are separately commemorated on a grey granite memorial placed on the repatriated grave. It was unveiled by the Danish Ambassador, Count Eduard Reventlow in April 1948.

    The stone was funded by donations from the surviving crew, the Free Danish Movement in London and Danish seamen visiting South Wales.

    And -

    3. August Jorgensen Grave R941 S.S. Sőborg. Able Seaman. Died 06/04/1942 Age 35.
    4. Svend Hansen Grave R1031 S.S. Sőborg. Donkeyman. (A rating that attends to the donkey boiler and helps in the engine room) Died 06/04/1942 Age 22.
    5. Askel Frederiksen Grave R1123 S.S. Sőborg. Able Seaman. Died 06/04/1942 Age 17.
    6. Borge Herskind Grave R1215 S.S. Sőborg. Fireman. Died 06/04/1942 Age 35.

    These four Danish seamen lost their lives in April 1942 when the British registered vessel S.S. Sőborg exploded. They are buried in a group together in section R. The body of a 5th Danish member of the crew was repatriated later and a sixth body was never recovered.

    .
    - - - Updated - - -

    Dear Keith - You are very welcome to attend: the memorial service starts at 12 noon in Newcastle Cathedral (St Nicholas), it will be attended by the Lord Mayor of Newcastle and the Danish Defence Attache and comprises a service (in Danish) in the Cathedral chancel and a laying of wreaths at the memorial. There is a lunch at the nearby Vermont Hotel and if you would like to attend that I would need a binding book from you by return.

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    Keith at Tregenna's Avatar
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    Default Re: Danish War Sailors - Newcastle upon Tyne

    Thanks for the update and info, sadly I cannot attend, in for a scan on the day
    but, will try to lay a wreath locally at Merthyr Dyfan.

    K.

    https://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery...urial%20Ground

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    Default Re: Danish War Sailors - Newcastle upon Tyne

    Cargo ship Sřborg,1,992grt, (MOWT, Claymore Shipping Co. Ltd) sailed in ballast from Birkenhead bound for Barry. On the 6th April 1942 whilst in the in the Bristol Channel one of the DEMS gunners, as he was passing a machine gun down into the ships hold to be stripped down accidentally discharged a live round striking a drum of cordite resulting in a fire causing deaths of six crewmembers and three DEMS gunners. The ship eventually arrived at Barry where the fire was brought under control.

    Commemorated Tower Hill Memorial, Panel 99

    ARRHENIUS, Able Seaman, ANNING, S.S. Soborg (Glasgow). Merchant Navy. 6th April 1942. Age 37.

    Buried Ashore: Barry (Merthyr Dyfan) Burial Ground, Wales).

    FREDERIKSEN, Able Seaman, ASKEL, S.S. Soborg (Glasgow). Merchant Navy. 6th April 1942. Age 17. Sec. R. Grave 1123.

    HANSEN, Donkeyman, SVEND, S.S. Soborg (Glasgow). Merchant Navy. 6th April 1942. Age 22. Sec R. Grave 1031.

    HERSKIND, Fireman, BORGE, S.S. Soborg (Glasgow). Merchant Navy. 6th April 1942. Age 20. Sec. R. Grave 1215.

    JORGENSEN, Able Seaman, AUGUST, S.S. Soborg (Glasgow). Merchant Navy. 6th April 1942. Age 35. Sec. R. Grave 941.

    Repatriated:

    KRUSE, Chief Officer, BORGE HENNING, S.S. Soborg. Merchant Navy. 6th April 1942. Age 27. Repatriated to Denmark. (formerly buried in Barry (Merthyr Dyfan) Burial Ground, Wales).

    DEMS Gunners:

    BURGESS, Able Seaman, JOHN THOMAS, P/JX 312788. H.M.S. President III. Royal Navy. (SS Soborg) 6th April 1942. Age 20. Son of George and Ethel Clara Burgess, of Leicester.

    MAYLOTT, Able Seaman, HAYDON, D/JX312402. H.M.S. President III. Royal Navy. (SS Soborg) 9th April 1942. Son of Mrs. S. Maylott, of Port Talbot.

    WALKER, Able Seaman, GEORGE ALAN, D/JX255432. H.M.S. President III. Royal Navy. (SS Soborg) 6th April 1942. Age 22. Son of Ernest Arthur Asling Walker and Florence Elizabeth Walker, of Syston.
    "Across the seas where the great waves grow, there are no fields for the poppies to grow, but its a place where Seamen sleep, died for their country, for you and for peace" (Billy McGee 2011)

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    Default Re: Danish War Sailors - Newcastle upon Tyne

    Quote Originally Posted by Hans Christian Andersen View Post
    If you have any information about the sailors.
    I have on file the names of 235 Danish Merchant Seamen commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial in London as well as the names of a further 26 buried ashore lost from British Merchant ships. It will take a bit of doing, but I can compile all the names onto one file if of any use.
    "Across the seas where the great waves grow, there are no fields for the poppies to grow, but its a place where Seamen sleep, died for their country, for you and for peace" (Billy McGee 2011)

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    Default Re: Danish War Sailors - Newcastle upon Tyne

    Hello (HC), Following your sad but interesting thread on Danish War Sailors. I served on the Danish ship Asbjorn from July '44 to Aug '45. All N. Atlantic convoys, great shipmates, officers all Danish, many memories of many incidents. Have pictures of many of my ships, including the Asbjorn after the war. If you are interested in the ship's history I could tell you of my experience with the ship and the crew at that time and the reason she was operated by Canadian National Steamships. Also have a list of all her convoys when first arrived in Halifax N.S. to wars end. If you you agree send me a P.M. and we can swap email addresses. Cheers, Eric. P.S. We celebrated VE day with Schnapps in Mid Atlantic

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    Default Re: Danish War Sailors - Newcastle upon Tyne

    Hi Eric.
    Was only thinking about you yesterday and wondering how you were getting on.
    Cheers Des

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    Default Re: Danish War Sailors - Newcastle upon Tyne

    Hi Des, Thanks for your thoughts. Nice to be concerned about me. I do OK on my own but it gets more and more difficult. Hope all's well with you too. Cheers, Eric

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