HELPED SINK SCHARNHORST

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 79, 10 January 1944, Page 2

HELPED SINK SCHARNHORST

St W ZEALANDER ON NORFOLK London, Jan. 8. Lieutenant C. W. J. Crocker, an Englishman, who married a former Wellington girl, Miss Willow Horton, and who before the war was a member of the literary staff of “The Dominion” for 18 months, commanded one of the, forward turrets of the Norfolk. This County class cruiser was the first to sight the Scharnhorst, the first to hit her with 8-inch shells, and the first to be hit by her, but was in for the kill. Lieutenant Crocker had the unusual experience of reporting the launching of the Scharnhorst and helping to sink her. Before the war, he was second in charge of the Berlin office of the “Morning Post,” when he described the Scharnhorst’s launching. Crocker’s guncrew was at action station for 10 hours during the action. Though the Norfolk was hit twice by 11-inch chells, one of /which caused a few casualties, nobody in Crocker’s turret knew their ship had been hit till after the action. It was their job to keep the guns loaded and trained. The guns were actually fired on the bridge by the English gunnery officer, a. G. Hancock, who was also in action against the Bismarck. Crocker was the only one with New Zealand connections in the Norfolk. He previously served in the submarine Trident for 18 months. Crocker said: “There was a terrific din during the action, but of course we in the turret got no chance of seeing the Scharnhorst go down.” First-hand accounts by New Zealanders in action against the Scharnhorst are still not available, but it is known that the following were in the battle in addition to those previously mentioned: Lieutenant H. Boyack, R.N.Z. N.V.R.. in the Jamaica, Sub-Lieutenant D. L. Matheson, Plumber B. H. Barker, and Joiner J. B. Hickey, in the Duke of York, and Ordinary Seamen K. Perrin, E. W. Hindle, H. D. Bell, E. Brayshaw, L. C. Lynhan, D. A. Davies, W. R. Hocking, R. W. Jones, D. E. Lamb, W. Jarvie in the Sheffield. —P.A. Special Correspondent.