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WILLIAM “BILL” TOUGH LEADING
STOKER 19th
June 1935 – 9th April 1937 Royal Navy Born in Glasgow, Scotland 1911 and passed away 26 September 1982
Royal Navy Career Veteran 1929 - 1946
HMS Tarantula – China Station Author’s Note In September 2013
we received a communication from Miss Tara Tough from Toronto, Ontario. She
is the grand-daughter of William Tough and had come across our website. She
has kindly sent us the following information and photographs.
Mary (May) Inglis Kennedy Tough and William (Bill) Tough Married on May 20th 1938 in Glasgow, Scotland “I have heard back from my Aunt in Scotland about my Grandfather. She mentioned a story, which my Dad confirmed, about a ship (I don’t know which) he was on that was torpedoed with very few survivors. Before this happened he asked for shore leave for his birthday and was refused. A couple of his mates persuaded him to jump ship so they could celebrate. Was this fate? She also said he was in My Dad told me that he boxed in the Navy and remembers a picture of him posing in his boxing trunks. I asked my Aunt about the pictures but she doesn't have them. She did confirm what my Dad said about him going to New York to visit Jack Dempsey’s.” Tara Tough further
advises: My Grandfather's Mom died in 1924 when he was only 13 years old. I have a copy of their birth/death records from Scotland) and his father died in 1940. I wonder if he was away at sea when that happened. Also his first born child, a daughter, died as an infant approx. 6-9 months old between 1939 and 1943. William Tough was survived by his four children Graham, Stuart, Fraser (my dad), & Elizabeth. (two of whom live in Canada) On a sad note, Graham Tough (William's oldest son) died on March 3rd 2014 in Glasgow (born Mar 10 1943).
Fraser, Graham and Stuart Tough in Glasgow Fraser and Elizabeth Tough His three Granddaughters Traci, Tara, & Brittany were all born and live in Canada and his four great-grandchildren Jaiden, Marlee, David, & Isabella were also born and are living in Canada.
Tara Tough (Our Website Contributor) and her older sister Traci, Fraser and wife Sharlene (Tara’s parents) and Tara Traci with their grandparents William and Mary on a visit to Toronto, Canada about 1980.
Fraser & David in March 2014. William's son and great-grandson. HM
Ships served on:
Notes to service Record: HMS Pembroke was the name given to a shore barracks at Chatham HMS Fitzroy was a survey ship launched in 1919 and later a minesweeper when she was sunk in 1942. HMS Orion was commissioned on 18 January 1934, for service with the Home Fleet HMS Cardiff HMS Cardiff (D58) was a C class light cruiser launched in 1917 and broken up in 1946. HMS Caledonia was a cadet training ship, formerly the liner RMS Majestic (1914). She was transferred to the navy in 1936 and commissioned in 1937. She was burnt by accident in 1939. The wreck was raised and scrapped in 1943. HMS Dragon (Curlew) HMS Curlew was a C class light cruiser. HMS Dragon formed part of the reserve fleet based at Nore at this time. It is assumed that HMS Curlew was assigned with her. HMS Royal Sovereign (pennant number 05) was a Revenge-class (also known as Royal Sovereign and R-class) battleship displacing 28,000 metric tons and armed with eight 15-inch (381 mm) guns in four twin turrets. She was laid down in January 1914 and launched in April 1915. HMS
Nile (Wryneck)
HMS Wryneck was an Admiralty
W-class destroyer which was sunk during the Battle of Greece on 27 April 1941 HMS Carlisle was a C-class light cruiser named after the English City of Carlisle. She was the name ship of the Carlisle group of C-class of cruisers. Carlisle was credited with shooting down eleven Axis aircraft during the Second World War, and was the top scoring anti- aircraft ship in the Royal Navy. HMS Phoebe was a Dido class light cruiser. She was built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, her keel was laid down on 2 September 1937. She was launched on 25 March 1939, and commissioned on 30 September 1940. In April 1941 she was transferred
to the 7th Cruiser Squadron in the and Phoebe was to have her fair share of the action. One of her first operations was the evacuation of troops from Greece and Crete, which was followed quickly by the Syria landings and transporting troops to and from Tobruk, where she was torpedoed by an Italian plane and went to
the HMS Badger was commissioned on 13 September 1939 as the headquarters of the Flag Officer In Charge, Harwich and was decommissioned on 21 October 1946. In its early days it provided a base for minesweepers, but by the end of 1940 also serviced a destroyer flotilla, a
submarine squadron and a Coastal Forces Motor Torpedo Boat base,
becoming the largest base for small craft in the Sunk
Head Fort – See below HMS Cochrane Shore Establishment Service Record
Click to enlarge HMS Tarantula 1935
Ship’s Complement HMS Tarantula circa 1937 Click to enlarge
HMS
Tarantula in dry dock – Click to enlarge
HMS Tarantula Launch coming alongside at Shanghai Note: The Tarantula Life Buoy
HMS
Tarantula at Click to enlarge
HMS
Tarantula at
Bill Tough (left) with shipmates Crew Member on Tarantula
Bill Tough (right) with other crew members on Tarantula HMS
Cumberland 1930
Shipmates on HMS Cumberland 1930 - 1933
Shipmates on HMS Cumberland 1930 - 1933
William Tough was a member of the rowing
team from HMS Cumberland which won the Yokohama Bowl in 1931. The Bowl was a
trophy competed for by ships of the China Station who were present in Wei Hai
Wei (
Also
from Stoker Tough’s time on HMS Cumberland were two photos which read: Died at Wei Hai Wei 10th July 1930
Aged 27 years. Erected By His Shipmates"
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge 1918-1939 - Casualty Lists of the Royal Navy and Dominion Navies (www.naval-history.net) has the following information. PLATT, James, Stoker 1c, K 64537, Cumberland,
10 July 1930, illness We have been unable to find
any further references but judging from the photographs the funeral was a
very serious affair. The Cumberland Crown (ship’s
emblem) is evident immediately above the Honour Guard beyond the grave itself and both civilians and Senior
Officers are present as well as the ship’s complement in dress uniform.
IN MEMORY OF JAMES PLATT STOKER FIRST CLASS HMS CUMBERLAND DIED AT WEI HAI WEI 10TH JULY 1930 ERECTED BY HIS SHIPMATES Click to enlarge
HMS Cumberland – Christmas 1930 Admirals
Yacht 1931
These two photos of HMS Petersfield were among William Tough’s photos. It is unknown whether he was involved.
The Friday 13 November 1931, page 15 Text Reads: H.M.S.
Petersfield. ADMIRAL
ON BOARD. H.M.S. Petersfield, a mine- sweeper, which
was being used as the Admiral's yacht, went ashore near (Australian Press Association.) SHANGHAI, November 12. H.M.S. Petersfield, carrying Vice Admiral
Sir Howard Kelly (Commander-in-Chief on the and Lady and Miss Kelly, went ashore early
this morning on the north side of The vessel was badly holed fore and aft,
and latest advices described her as a total loss, though ail the members of
the crew were safe. The Norddeutscher-Lloyd steamer
Derfflinger, which was standing by, reported at midday that the majority of
the Petersfield's crew had been landed. The Canadian Pacific liner, Empress
of Asia, arrived on the scene shortly before 9 a.m., and H.M.S. Suffolk soon
afterwards. H.M.
Destroyer Seraph travelled full speed from The Petersfield was a twin-screw
minesweeper, of 800 tons, and was used as the Admiral's yacht.
Text Reads: Commander D. C. Lang, captain of H.M.S. Petersfield, was court-martialed for: 1. That he negligently or by default caused the Petersfield to be lost. 2. Negligently or by default did strand the Petersfield. 3. Negligently or by default did hazard the Petersfield. It was alleged that Admiral Kelly interfered with his command on three occasions, telling Lang that he (Lang) was not there to do as he liked, but to obey orders. Lang stated that he would have stopped the ship an hour before, but in consequence of a message from the Admiral accused told the navigating officer; “We’ve got to damn well go on, because the Admiral says so.” It was submitted that an officer overruled by an Admiral is bound to feel the psychological effect. The verdict was not guilty on charge one, but guilty on two and three. Captain Lang was severely reprimanded. Submarine
Two photos taken inside a submarine The boat’s name and date is unknown but possibly 1931 and she may be in the photo below. Click to enlarge The warship in the harbour appears to be HMS Cumberland. (Year unknown)
Also among William Tough’s Memorabilia was the following item. The rest of your life is a long time to preserve something and it seems it must have been important to him. It so happens that the story of HMS Poseidon did not end with her sinking. HMS Poseidon (P99) was a Parthian-class submarine launched on 22 August 1929. China secretly salvaged the vessel in 1972. This website recommends that you look it up. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Poseidon_(P99)
Click to enlarge HMS
Fitzroy 1933
Sunk Head Fort
1943
Two photos – Sunk Head Fort
Sunk Head Fort from the air (Source – Wikipedia) Maunsell
Naval Forts
The Maunsell naval (sea) forts, built in the Thames estuary and operated by the Royal Navy, were to deter and report German air raids following the Thames as a landmark, and attempts to lay mines by aircraft in this important shipping channel. There were four naval forts:
The design of these concrete structures is equal to a military grade bunker, due to the ends of the stilts, (under water) that are solidly locked into the ground. Many species of fish live near the fort(s) because the forts do create cover, and have provided landmark references for shipping. The design was a concrete construction; a pontoon barge on which stood two cylindrical towers on top of which was the gun platform mounting two 3.75-inch guns and two 40 mm Bofors guns. They were laid down in dry dock and assembled as complete units. They were then fitted out — the crews going on board at the same time for familiarization — before being towed out and sunk onto their sand bank positions. The naval fort design was the latest of several that Maunsell had devised in response to Admiralty inquiries. Early ideas had considered forts in the English Channel able to take on enemy vessels. ________________________________________________________________________________________________
William (“Bill”) Tough (right) with his son Fraser (centre) and friend |
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