Mark Williams killed during the war on the Rawalpindi. On 23rd November 1939 the Rawalpindi was patrolling North of the Faroe Islands off Iceland when she encountered two of the most powerful German warships; the Scharnhorst and the Gneisenau.
The Rawalpindi signalled their location and the Germans demanded that they surrender. However, despite being hopelessly outgunned, captain C. E.C. Kennedy (father of the broadcaster Ludovic Kennedy) decided to fight and opened fire. The German warships returned fire and sank the Rawalpindi within forty minutes.
Two hundred and thirty-eight men died, including Captain Kennedy and Mark. Thirty-seven men were rescued by the German ships and taken prisoner and a further 11 were picked up by HMS Chitral (another converted passenger ship). |
1904 - 1939 (35 years)