Roy Hurrell

A Seaman with H.M. trawler Myrtle, Roy died on 14 June 1940, aged 26.

Roy was born at Streatham, London, on 28 or 29 September 1913, a son of William Hodge and Mabel Hurrell. What happened to Roy’s parents is not known, but in 1921 Roy was living at the London County Council Boys’ Home, Kings Avenue, Wandsworth. At some point, possibly in the 1920s, Roy was given into the guardianship of Benjamin Thomas and Ethel Shorten who lived at 72 Beaconsfield Road, Lowestoft. 

In 1932-33 Roy worked as a Cook on the trawler Mirador, R 368. He then joined the trawler Young Sid, LT 1175, as a Deck Hand. In 1934 he was a Cook/Deck Hand with the smack Pathway of Lowestoft, LT397, before joining the trawler Peace Wave, LT 47. Next, he served with the Gloria Sutton, HL 88, and in 1935 joined the Festier King, LT 1122. In 1936 he joined the Ocean Sunbeam, LT 568, before joining trawler YH 263. In 1937 Roy worked as a Deck Hand on the trawler Abiding Friend, and the following year he worked on trawler LT 740 before joining the trawler Peace Wave, LT 47. 

On 3 September 1935 Roy married Violet Audrey Lawn at Saint Margaret’s Church, Lowestoft. Roy was a fisherman living at 56 Tennyson Road, and Violet lived at 17 Dove Street. In 1939 they lived at 2 Beech Road, Carlton Colville, and for a time during the war Violet lived at 214 Lord Street, Fleetwood, and later returned to Lowestoft. 

Roy joined the Royal Naval Reserve on 19 February 1932 and re-engaged for service in March 1937. Roy’s service record shows that in late 1932 he had applied to join the Royal Navy but did not pass the medical. In 1938 he was mobilised for thirty days as part of the Royal Navy’s preparations for a future war. In June 1939 he was allocated to the trawler Myrtle and, when called out for service at the start of World War Two, Roy continued to serve with the Myrtle which was being used as a minesweeper. 

On 22 November 1939 the Myrtle rescued survivors from S.S. Lowland which had been mined off Clacton on Sea. On 14 June 1940 the Myrtle was in the Thames Estuary and the crew attempted to take a magnetic mine on board when the mine exploded killing all of the crew. 

With thanks to Andy Pearce