DURKIN Arthur Michael

Appears on the Royal Navy casualties list for Worcestershire.

HMS Cornwall was a heavy cruiser.  In late March 1942 reports were received of an impending attack on Ceylon by the Japanese resulting in HMS Cornwall and her sister ship HMS Dorsetshire being sent to Colombo.  On the 4th April the Japanese carrier fleet was sighted and the two ships left Colombo.  At midday on the 5th April, the two cruisers were sighted in the Bay of Bengal by a Japanese spotter plane from the Japanese cruiser Tone.  The two vessels came under heavy and sustained attack by dive bombers from the carriers Akagi, Soryu and Hiryu.  Within minutes HMS Cornwall was disabled with damage to her boiler and engine rooms and with little defence she sank in 12 minutes with the loss of 190 men either killed or missing presumed killed.  HMS Dorsetshire sank 6 minutes later.  Survivors from both ships were rescued by HMS Enterprise, HMS Paladin and HMS Panther on the following day.

The following information has been researched by and is courtesy of Fiona Rice:
Parents: Michael and Frances May Durkin (maiden surname Radburn)
Sister: Mary Durkin, born 1921
Brother: Thomas Edward Durkin, born 1924
Birth Register: DURKIN, Arthur Michael, Mother’s Maiden Surname RADBURN, birth registered 3rd/S Quarter, 1918 at Pershore, Worcestershire. General Register Office: Vol 06C p.264.

1921 Census:
Mr Michael DURKIN, Head, 37, Married, Born Hulme District, Manchester, Resident in UK, Profession: Farm Labour, Employed by Mr W R Deakin, The Mount, Pershore. 2 children under 16 years (both alive), 1 under 1yr, 1 aged 2 at their last birthday.
Mrs Francis May DURKIN, Wife, 26, Married, born Pershore Parish, Worcester. British Born. 2 children. Arthur Michael DURKIN, Son, 2 years 11 months, born Holy Cross, Pershore, Worc.
Mary DURKIN, Daughter, 2 years, born Ramsden, Pershore, Worcester.
The Schedule was signed by Michael DURKIN, Ramsden, Pershore.

For more details about the loss of HMS Cornwall see:
https://www.world-war.co.uk/loss_cornwall.php
Link still valid 27th February 2025

Arthur Michael Durkin has no known grave, the photograph available shows his name on Chatham Naval Memorial.