BATLEY Anthony Roger Townend

Appears on the Royal Navy casualties list for Worcestershire.

Joined HMS Hood at 10.15 hours on 26th March 1941.
Anthony Batley was born in Leeds on 29th March 1901, the son of Sidney and Margaret Batley. From 1915 to 1919 he was educated at Lancing College and then commenced work for Messrs. Greenwood and Batley Ltd of Albion Works, Leeds. He later joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve as a Lieutenant, attaining the rank of Lieutenant-Commander in November 1939.

Further information and photographs from:  http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/b/BatleyART.htm

On 22nd May 1941 HMS Hood left Scapa Flow along with her sister battlecruiser Prince of Wales and a number of destroyers. Their mission was to intercept the German battleship Bismarck and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen before they could enter the Atlantic waters and attack Allied shipping. The two ships were sighted in the Denmark Strait between Greenland and Iceland. At 05.52 on the morning of 24th May 1941 the British ships opened fire on the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen. The German ships returned fire and within less than 10 minutes the battle was over. HMS Hood was hit by a number of shells, one of which triggered a massive explosion and led to the ship sinking in less than 4 minutes. Of her crew of 1,418, only 3 survived

A letter from the Treasurer of the Church Council, dated 27th May 1950, can be found within war records held at Worcestershire Archives requesting that A.R.T. Batley, Lt. Commander, Royal Navy be added to the county roll of honour.

Anthony Batley has no known grave, the photograph available shows his name on Portsmouth Naval Memorial.