WILLIAM JOHN
LITTLETON
Plumber 1st
Class D/MX 46200
William John Littleton was born in 1905, the son of
William Henry and Kate Elizabeth Littleton.
No information is available at this time of his younger days, but we
know that his wife was called Kathleen Winifred and that they set up home on
Newton Hill at the house now occupied by Bistro Ferrers. A daughter, Joan Elaine, was born on 10 March 1927 and baptised in Holy Cross Church on 3 April 1927. A son, Brian
Jeffrey, was born on 5 May 1928 and baptised on 20 May 1928. William Littleton was serving
as a Petty Officer in the cruiser HMS BERWICK when another daughter, Beryl
Yvonne, was born on 2 January 1931 and baptised on 3 October 1931.
In May 1943 William Littleton was serving onboard the
battleship HMS DUKE OF YORK. The ship’s
log for 13 May records a routine day of exercises and training with other ships
based at Scapa Flow. At 8.00am the DUKE OF YORK weighed and
proceeded from the defended anchorage to exercise areas to the west of the Orkneys. The rest of the forenoon was spent in gunnery
practice against a surface target. At 3.00pm close anti-aircraft armament
firings were exercised, and the ship then returned to Scapa Flow, coming to “A Mooring” at 8.30pm. The entry in the log for 8.40pm reads:
“2040 Plumber
W J Littleton died of Primary Haemorrage
following a lacerated wound to the neck. D/MX 46200.”
There are no further details. William Littleton is remembered with honour
at Holy Cross by the only Commonwealth War Grave in the churchyard.
HMS DUKE OF YORK
King George V Class battleship completed in November 1941
Displacement: 44,500 tons
Main Armament: 10 – 14” Guns
Speed: 29
knots
Complement: 1,640
This photograph was taken in April 1943, the month before
William Littleton died onboard at Scapa Flow