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Ordinary Seaman John Robinson Austin-Smith

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Ordinary Seaman John Robinson Austin-Smith

Birth
Death
22 May 1941
At Sea
Burial
Simon's Town, City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality, Western Cape, South Africa Add to Map
Memorial ID
View Source
67336 Ordinary Seaman, South African Naval Forces. Served on H.M.S. Gloucester. Son of Mr and Mrs J Austin-Smith of East London, Cape Province, South Africa. Died when HMS Gloucester was attacked in the Kythira Strait off Crete by German JU87 Stuka dive bombers and sunk. Also commemorated on Panel 58 Column 3 of the Plymouth Naval Memorial, Devon, England.

HMS Gloucester was one of the last batch of three Town-class light cruisers built for the Royal Navy during the late 1930s. Commissioned shortly before the start of World War II in August 1939, the ship was initially assigned to the China Station and was transferred to the Indian Ocean and later to South Africa to search for German commerce raiders. She was transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet in mid-1940 and spent much of her time escorting Malta Convoys. Gloucester played minor roles in the Battle of Calabria in 1940 and the Battle of Cape Matapan in 1941. She was sunk by German dive bombers on 22 May 1941 during the Battle of Crete with the loss of 722 men out of a crew of 807.
67336 Ordinary Seaman, South African Naval Forces. Served on H.M.S. Gloucester. Son of Mr and Mrs J Austin-Smith of East London, Cape Province, South Africa. Died when HMS Gloucester was attacked in the Kythira Strait off Crete by German JU87 Stuka dive bombers and sunk. Also commemorated on Panel 58 Column 3 of the Plymouth Naval Memorial, Devon, England.

HMS Gloucester was one of the last batch of three Town-class light cruisers built for the Royal Navy during the late 1930s. Commissioned shortly before the start of World War II in August 1939, the ship was initially assigned to the China Station and was transferred to the Indian Ocean and later to South Africa to search for German commerce raiders. She was transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet in mid-1940 and spent much of her time escorting Malta Convoys. Gloucester played minor roles in the Battle of Calabria in 1940 and the Battle of Cape Matapan in 1941. She was sunk by German dive bombers on 22 May 1941 during the Battle of Crete with the loss of 722 men out of a crew of 807.

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  • Created by: Peter H
  • Added: Jul 19, 2017
  • Find a Grave Memorial ID:
  • Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/181544818/john_robinson-austin-smith: accessed ), memorial page for Ordinary Seaman John Robinson Austin-Smith (unknown–22 May 1941), Find a Grave Memorial ID 181544818, citing Simon's Town Naval Memorial, Simon's Town, City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality, Western Cape, South Africa; Maintained by Peter H (contributor 47423563).