The Battle of the River Plate in the South Atlantic on
December 13, 1939 was the first significant naval battle of the Second World
War. The German pocket battleship the
Graf Spee, engaged in ambushing merchant ships en route for Britain, was
attacked by three cruisers, the Ajax, the Achilles and the Exeter.
However, prior to this battle, 300 British seaman, already taken
prisoner by the Graf Spee, were transferred to the Altmark, a German fleet
tanker.
The men should have been released into Norwegian custody when
the Altmark sailed past Bergen, but in direct contravention of international
law the prisoners were hidden below decks in storage lockers. Despite two
searches by Norwegian officials, the whereabouts of the men was only detected
when prisoners released from the scuttled Graf Spee informed the British
government.
Among those on board HMS Cossack engaged in a daring raid to
rescue the prisoners was a Swindon man, Edward Albert Head, the son of Francis
and Winifred Head. Edward, known as Ted,
enlisted on February 24, 1939, serving aboard the Cossack as an Engine Room
Artificer.
In the summer of 1939 Ted returned home to Swindon where he
married local girl Rose Hulme, but the couple were soon parted when Ted
rejoined his ship. To be closer to her
husband, Rose made her home in Dunfermline where Ted joined her when on leave.
On April 13, 1940 just two months after the infamous Altmark
incident, HMS Cossack formed part of a convoy to escort the battleship HMS
Warspite. The ships were on a mission to
destroy German vessels left after the 1st Battle of Narvik.
During fierce fighting the Cossack was hit seven times,
putting her steering gear out of action.
Whilst undergoing running repairs during the battle the Cossack
continued firing and managed to silence a field gun shooting from behind
Narvik. Nine members of the Cossack crew
were lost with 21 wounded, among them Ted.
Ted returned to Scotland and was nursed on the Ardgowan estate
on the Firth of Clyde used as a military hospital during both the first and
second world wars.
Ted and Rose’s son was born on July 30, 1941 but by the
beginning of August Ted was at sea again, this time aboard HMS Tonbridge. Engaged in netlaying off the East Anglian
coast, the Tonbridge was bombed by German aircraft. The engine room took a
direct hit and 35 men, including Ted, were killed.
The telegram informing Rose of her husband’s death was sent to
her parent’s home at 188 Drove Road where she and Ted had begun their married
life together. Her sister and brother in
law travelled to Scotland to break the news to her.
Ted died on August 22, 1941, the day after his 26th
birthday. His son William Edward Frank
was just 23 days old. Ted had seen him
once.
Ted’s name appears on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
website. He is also one of 25,000
sailors from both world wars commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial,
situated
on Southsea Common overlooking the promenade. A copy of the Memorial Register
is kept at the Civic Offices in Guildhall Square.
In 1949 Rose received a financial entitlement accrued during
Ted’s naval service - £8 5s residue of wages; £16 2s War Gratuity and £6 6s
Naval Prize Money.
Ted & Rose pictured on their wedding day in the garden of
188 Drove Road
Ted (front row, far right) recovering at Ardgowan
Damage sustained by the Cossack during the 2nd
Battle of Narvik
Many thanks to Louise Liddell, Ted’s granddaughter, for access
to family records and photographs.
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