Leading Steward Giuseppe Vassallo
Early in World War II, on November 21, 1939, the destroyer HMS Gipsy was blown up by a mine just outside Harwich, Suffolk, where it was based. It is believed some 35 sailors were killed or died of their wounds. The captain and eight men are buried in...
Early in World War II, on November 21, 1939, the destroyer HMS Gipsy was blown up by a mine just outside Harwich, Suffolk, where it was based. It is believed some 35 sailors were killed or died of their wounds. The captain and eight men are buried in St Mary's Cemetery (Naval Section), Shotley, Suffolk where HMS Ganges, the boys', and later adult, training centre was established.
Another casualty was Giuseppe Vassallo, a leading steward from Malta. It seems that his wounds merited specialist treatment and he was taken to the hospital in the nearby town of Ipswich some 10 miles away. Unfortunately, he died of his wounds on November 24 and is buried in the Ipswich Cemetery (Naval Section). Unfortunately, while his grave is among other sailors, it is not with his shipmates from Gipsy.
Following a recent article I wrote for HMS Ganges Association's magazine about some particular graves in St Mary's churchyard I was contacted by one member who drew my attention to the sailors from HMS Gipsy.
He told me that he joined HMS Ganges in 1938, as a 15-year-old boy, and heard the explosion which sank Gipsy on the evening of November 21, 1939. Bert Ward was then 16 years old. Later, he and his class formed the burial party which transported Giuseppe Vassallo to Ipswich and fired the rifle volley over his grave.
On making further enquiries I discovered that another member of our association, Captain Robert Franks, a former Captain of HMS Ganges, was the First Lieutenant of HMS Gipsy and knew Giuseppe Vassallo personally. He was himself injured in the explosion but survived. He is now in his 90s.
After having studied the report of the enquiry into the loss of HMS Gipsy at the Public Records Office I decided to undertake a little more research. I have now been able to locate another sailor who survived the ordeal who also remembers Giuseppe Vassallo.
In this the 60th anniversary year of the end of World War Two, I hope to record these events for posterity and perhaps also to arrange a commemoration bringing together some of those concerned, including, one hopes, relatives of Giuseppe from Malta.
If anyone has information on Giuseppe Vassallo they may call me on tel. (+0044) 1702-341-968 or fax (+0044) 1702-432-440 or e-mail: thipthorpe@btconnect.com