Bill Wheeler transferred to the Royal Navy from the Australian Navy and joined the crew of the destroyer HMS Cossack at Rosyth, Scotland in January 1940, and the following month was sent to neutral Norwegian waters to apprehend the German cargo ship Altmark that had been supporting the Graf Spee in the South Atlantic. When the latter was sunk in the Battle of the River Plate, the former returned to Europe with three hundred Allied prisoners captured from raided British ships. Pursued by Cossack, it ran aground in Jossingfjord, southern Norway, and all the prisoners were released during a daring nocturnal raiding party that included Bill.
He transferred to HMS Afridi, and returned to participate in the British invasion of Norway at Namsos during April in an attempt to drive out the German occupational troops. This failed, due largely to lack of air cover, and while evacuating British troops on 3 May the Afridi was sunk by Stuka divebombers.
Bill was commended by his captain as working ‘indefatigably in smoke and darkness to
save others who had been overcome by the fires’ and also mentioned in despatches ‘for his
courage and devotion to duty’, but still forty-nine officers and crew were lost.
When HMS Cossack which had been repaired he rejoined it.Their first action involved dashing across the North Sea at over thirty knots (60 km/hr) on 13 October 1940 to intercept a German convoy . The action was successful and Bill, as torpedo officer, was principally responsible for sinking several enemy merchant ships. HMS Cossack was engaged in the action that sank the Bismark and Bill was awarded a Distinguished Service Cross for his significant part in the action,
He was killed on 23 October 1941, when HMS Cossack was torpedoed off Gibraltar by U-Boat 563 while escorting a convoy back to England. The destroyer was taken in tow, but sank during a gale on 27 October with the ultimate loss of 159 lives.
-----
Age: 26
Regiment/Service: Royal Australian Navy, H.M.S. Cossack
Honors: D S C, Mentioned in Despatches
Son of Harold Charles Fearon Wheeler and Thelma Edith Wheeler, of Narrabri, New South Wales, Australia.
He transferred to HMS Afridi, and returned to participate in the British invasion of Norway at Namsos during April in an attempt to drive out the German occupational troops. This failed, due largely to lack of air cover, and while evacuating British troops on 3 May the Afridi was sunk by Stuka divebombers.
Bill was commended by his captain as working ‘indefatigably in smoke and darkness to
save others who had been overcome by the fires’ and also mentioned in despatches ‘for his
courage and devotion to duty’, but still forty-nine officers and crew were lost.
When HMS Cossack which had been repaired he rejoined it.Their first action involved dashing across the North Sea at over thirty knots (60 km/hr) on 13 October 1940 to intercept a German convoy . The action was successful and Bill, as torpedo officer, was principally responsible for sinking several enemy merchant ships. HMS Cossack was engaged in the action that sank the Bismark and Bill was awarded a Distinguished Service Cross for his significant part in the action,
He was killed on 23 October 1941, when HMS Cossack was torpedoed off Gibraltar by U-Boat 563 while escorting a convoy back to England. The destroyer was taken in tow, but sank during a gale on 27 October with the ultimate loss of 159 lives.
-----
Age: 26
Regiment/Service: Royal Australian Navy, H.M.S. Cossack
Honors: D S C, Mentioned in Despatches
Son of Harold Charles Fearon Wheeler and Thelma Edith Wheeler, of Narrabri, New South Wales, Australia.
Bill Wheeler transferred to the Royal Navy from the Australian Navy and joined the crew of the destroyer HMS Cossack at Rosyth, Scotland in January 1940, and the following month was sent to neutral Norwegian waters to apprehend the German cargo ship Altmark that had been supporting the Graf Spee in the South Atlantic. When the latter was sunk in the Battle of the River Plate, the former returned to Europe with three hundred Allied prisoners captured from raided British ships. Pursued by Cossack, it ran aground in Jossingfjord, southern Norway, and all the prisoners were released during a daring nocturnal raiding party that included Bill.
He transferred to HMS Afridi, and returned to participate in the British invasion of Norway at Namsos during April in an attempt to drive out the German occupational troops. This failed, due largely to lack of air cover, and while evacuating British troops on 3 May the Afridi was sunk by Stuka divebombers.
Bill was commended by his captain as working ‘indefatigably in smoke and darkness to
save others who had been overcome by the fires’ and also mentioned in despatches ‘for his
courage and devotion to duty’, but still forty-nine officers and crew were lost.
When HMS Cossack which had been repaired he rejoined it.Their first action involved dashing across the North Sea at over thirty knots (60 km/hr) on 13 October 1940 to intercept a German convoy . The action was successful and Bill, as torpedo officer, was principally responsible for sinking several enemy merchant ships. HMS Cossack was engaged in the action that sank the Bismark and Bill was awarded a Distinguished Service Cross for his significant part in the action,
He was killed on 23 October 1941, when HMS Cossack was torpedoed off Gibraltar by U-Boat 563 while escorting a convoy back to England. The destroyer was taken in tow, but sank during a gale on 27 October with the ultimate loss of 159 lives.
-----
Age: 26
Regiment/Service: Royal Australian Navy, H.M.S. Cossack
Honors: D S C, Mentioned in Despatches
Son of Harold Charles Fearon Wheeler and Thelma Edith Wheeler, of Narrabri, New South Wales, Australia.
He transferred to HMS Afridi, and returned to participate in the British invasion of Norway at Namsos during April in an attempt to drive out the German occupational troops. This failed, due largely to lack of air cover, and while evacuating British troops on 3 May the Afridi was sunk by Stuka divebombers.
Bill was commended by his captain as working ‘indefatigably in smoke and darkness to
save others who had been overcome by the fires’ and also mentioned in despatches ‘for his
courage and devotion to duty’, but still forty-nine officers and crew were lost.
When HMS Cossack which had been repaired he rejoined it.Their first action involved dashing across the North Sea at over thirty knots (60 km/hr) on 13 October 1940 to intercept a German convoy . The action was successful and Bill, as torpedo officer, was principally responsible for sinking several enemy merchant ships. HMS Cossack was engaged in the action that sank the Bismark and Bill was awarded a Distinguished Service Cross for his significant part in the action,
He was killed on 23 October 1941, when HMS Cossack was torpedoed off Gibraltar by U-Boat 563 while escorting a convoy back to England. The destroyer was taken in tow, but sank during a gale on 27 October with the ultimate loss of 159 lives.
-----
Age: 26
Regiment/Service: Royal Australian Navy, H.M.S. Cossack
Honors: D S C, Mentioned in Despatches
Son of Harold Charles Fearon Wheeler and Thelma Edith Wheeler, of Narrabri, New South Wales, Australia.
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Records on Ancestry
Advertisement
