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ALFRED REGINALD GURR , Petty Officer/Stoker - British Light Cruiser HMS
Naiad
1904 - 11th March 1942

Alfred Gurr was born in Milton, nr Sittingbourne, Kent just 10 years before the start of the
First World War. His parents, Henry and Adelaide Gurr, later moved to Rose Cottages,
North Cray. Alfred was educated at the North Cray Church of England School, leaving
during the last war at the age of 13 to work for Mr. Vinson at Manor Farm, North Cray. He
married local girl Annie Irene Harden in 1931 and the couple had two children.

Alfred first joined the Royal Navy in 1921, coming out in 1933 after 12 years of service. He
then took up employment as a caretaker at Dartford Technical College, where he remained
until the outbreak of war, when he once again joined the Navy as a Petty Officer and saw
service in the Mediterranean on HMS Naiad. In July 1940 HMS Naiad joined the 15th
Cruiser Squadron of the Home Fleet and was used for ocean trade protection duties
escorting convoys to Freetown, South Africa.

Diary of events:

28th Jan 1941 - HMS Naiad sighted the German battle-cruisers Scharnhorst and
Gneisenau south of Iceland, but the Cruiser lost contact after a short time, while the
German ships were forced to break off their attempt to go into the Atlantic.
May 1941 - HMS Naiad was based at Malta as flagship of 15th Cruiser Squadron in
"Force H" and took part in Crete operations and against Vichy-French forces in Syria.
9th March 1942 - HMS Naiad sailed from Alexandria as flagship of a cruiser force, Italian
cruiser, but consisting of a large number of cruisers, to attack a reported damaged ship.
This report proved to be wrong and the ships turned back to Alexandria together with HMS
Cleopatra and HMS Kingston from Malta. The task force was unsuccessfully attacked
several times by Italian torpedo planes and German bombers.
10th March 1942 - Deployed with HMS Dido and HMS Euryalus as Force B to intercept an
enemy supply convoy off Tripoli without success. Searched later for damaged Italian
cruiser but no contact made.

11th March 1942 - At 20.01 hours, during the return to Alexandria, HMS Naiad was
torpedoed on starboard side amidships by UB65 off Sollum. The Ship quickly capsized and
sank north of Sidi Barrani, Egypt, in just 35 minutes.

The casualty list was published on 4th April 1942 and Petty Officer Afred Gurr's name was
included as missing. But by 30th April 1942, the Board of Admiralty announced that as
Alfred had been missing since 11th March 1942 he must be presumed killed.

582 of the ship's company survived but 86 seamen were lost.

In Memoriam: Petty Officer Alfred Reginald Gurr is remembered on Chatham Naval
Memorial.

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