JAMES Roland D

Roland James was born on 4th December 1920. He entered Foley House, Old Swinford Hospital on 18th June 1928 and left the school in 1936. In 1938 he joined the navy and commenced training to become a gunner.

Source for additional information: Old Foleyans Remembered Casualties of WW II published by the Old Foleyans Association, October 1996.

HMS Royal Oak was a battleship.  On the night of 13/14th October 1939 she was moored off the cliffs of Gaitnip in Scapa Flow.  Above the cliffs was the vital Netherbutton Radar Station and the ship was positioned so her anti-aircraft guns could defend the station against any air attack.  Under the cover of darkness the German U-boat U-47 managed to slip into Scapa Flow through Kirk Sound, avoiding the blockships which were supposed to have made entry impassable to enemy vessels.  The U-boat sighted HMS Royal Oak around 01.00 on 14^th October and over the next few minutes fired three salvos of torpedoes, the first striking the ship causing minor damage and the second one missing the ship completely. The third salvo hit with catastrophic results, the ensuing explosions causing the ship to heel over and sink rapidly.  From a crew of 1,208 men, 834 lost their lives including 120 boys between the ages of 14 and 18, the biggest loss in naval history of boy sailors.  Many of the sailors who survived the initial explosions died as they tried to swim the half mile to shore through icy waters slick with oil.

A letter from the Reverend J.L. Nordon, Clifton on Teme dated April 1950 can be found within war records held at Worcestershire Archives requesting that Roland James be added to the county roll of honour.

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