Leading Stoker Alexander Adamson

Leading Stoker Alexander Foster Adamson, Royal Navy. He was lost at sea, aged 24, aboard H.M.S. “Curacoa” on 2nd October 1942 and is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial. He had been born in 1918 in Ormiston, East Lothian and was the son of Robert and Margaret Adamson. His father had been stationmaster in Selkirk. Before enlisting he had been a forward with Selkirk Football Club. The ” Curacao” was a ” C” Class cruiser of 5,400 tons built at Pembroke Dockyard and commissioned in February 1918 to see limited service in World War 1. In 1939 she was converted into an anti aircraft cruiser and saw service during the Norwegian campaign in 1940 followed by. escorting convoys around the British Isles. On 2nd October the ” Curacao” rendezvoused north of Ireland to assist in escorting the liner” Queen Mary” which was carrying 10,000 U,S. troops of the 29th Infantry Division to England. However there was some confusion regarding the too close zig zag pattern of each ship with result the ” Queen Mary” struck the cruiser amidships and cut her in half. The liner was under orders not to stop and radioed for help to pick up survivors. 337 Officers and men were lost but amazingly 101 survivors, including Captain William Boutwood, were later picked up by one of the other escorts H M.S. “Bramham”.

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