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P/JX 193333
Able Seaman
John William Taylor
1921 - Born
Royal Navy
HMS Scorpion
Service
With Japan entering the war, the HMS Scorpion along with two other gunboats, the ‘Grasshopper’ and ‘Dragonfly’, sailed from Hong Kong to Singapore.
The Dragonfly and Scorpion helped rescue a brigade of 2000 men cut off at Batu Pahat.
1942/02/10 - The HMS Scorpion left Singapore for Batavia, commandered by Lieutenant Commander G.C. Ashworth, R.N.V.R.
Damaged by an attack by Japanese Japanese aircraft, the gunboat’s speed had been restricted.
1942/02/13-14 - After covering about 70 mile to the South of Singapore, off Berhala Island in the Banka Straights, she was attacked and sunk by a Japanese destroyer at 1845 hours in position 01.25'S, 105.00'E.
The Japanese ships which attacked the Scorpion were the Japanese light cruiser ‘Yura’ and the Japanese destroyers ‘Fubuki’ and ‘Asagiri’ after being damaged by Japanese aircraft five days previously.. There were believed to be 20 survivors, although reports state 8 were picked up by the Japanese and 6 were picked up by the ‘Mata Hari’, making it a total of 14 survivors.
Died
Aged 21
13th February 1942 (CWGC)
Loved Ones
Son of Alfred and Florence M. Taylor, of Ruislip Manor, Middlesex
Memorial
Panel 65, Column 1.
PORTSMOUTH NAVAL MEMORIAL
Information
‘Singapore’s Dunkirk’ by Geoffrey Brooke
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
KEW:- No records found
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