# RFI: HMS Lowestoft July 1942 & David Goldie Booth Allan (Blondie)



## convent girl (Feb 11, 2008)

My father David Goldie Booth Allan (also known as Blondie)
was Chief Engineman on the above ship which was part of Convoy OS 33 sailing to West Africa when it was in collision with the FS Leopard on the night of 11th/12th July 1942. He was the only casualty and it appears he was taken off the Lowestoft as she was badly damaged, her funnel apparently came down on the engine room. He was reported to have died on board the HMS Holly on 12th JULY, but I have never been able to establish where the Holly was as she is not listed as part of the convoy.

I would be grateful if anyone has any information on the Holly or the Lowestoft or who knows anyone who sailed on them or who knew my dad.My dad came from Aberdeen and was in the Royal Naval Patrol Service from September 1939.until he was killed in July 1942.

Hope someone out there can help.
convent girl


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## K urgess (Aug 14, 2006)

I've moved your post to a thread of it's own to make it stand out from the crowd.
I'm sure some of our crew will be able to point you in the right direction if not answers.


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## RBH (Oct 18, 2007)

Hi,
HOLLY was a Royal Navy trawler, built as the merchant KINGSTON CORAL at Beverley in 1930 and bought by the RN in 1935. She was sold in 1947 as DRAGABERG and was wrecked off Greenland 28/7/1961.
LOWESTOFT was a sloop, built in 1934. After the war she was sold as a merchantman and renamed MIRAFLORES and was broken up in Belgium 8/1955.
For more (although fairly bare) details look on www.miramarshipindex.org.nz and run a search on the two ships, ID numbers 1160895 and 6109704 respectively. 
That'll give you a start point.

Good luck 
Rodger Haworth


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## Hawkeye (Dec 7, 2005)

Hi
Here is another site to look at:
http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/6966.html
http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/3895.html
Hope this helps


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## Peter4447 (Jan 26, 2006)

Hi Convent Girl
I am not sure as to whether you have ever checked but I can find no reference to your Father on the Commonwealth War Graves website although perhaps this was because a collision was involved. 
They do have an e-mail contact service and it may well be worth getting in touch with them to establish why your Father is not listed.
Kind regards
Peter


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## JoyceW (Sep 24, 2007)

Hello Convent Girl, do you mind if I ask you to clarify your father's full name as being David Goldie Booth Allan whose name, with details as you give above, appears in both the Royal Naval Patrol Service and Commonwealth War Grave websites (which Peter was looking at also). It is indeed certainly a mystery about HMS Holly which is not recorded as an escort with convoy OS33 but both websites record the same information. I am sure someone will come up with an answer. I notice that HMS Lowestoft was, in fact, towed by the French destroyer, Leopard, to the Azores for repairs but required further extensive repairs.

Good Luck in your search for more information, Joyce


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## Peter4447 (Jan 26, 2006)

Hi Joyce
Covent Girl very kindly PM'd me to say that the gentleman's name was indeed David Goldie Booth Allan so that the details which you have are, in fact, correct.
Kind regards
Peter(Thumb)


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## Peter4447 (Jan 26, 2006)

Hi again Convent Girl
This is proving a puzzle!
Clearly there is no reference to HMS Holly forming part of the escort for OS.33 and she was fitted as a Minesweeper. From the information you have already received from the RNPS site it appears Holly was based in the Mediterranean from 1940 until 1942. 
I have seen two different versions of what happened to HMS Lowestoft after the collision in that she was either towed to the Azores or towed to Gibraltar for repairs. If the latter is correct and HMS Holly was based at Gibraltar it is likely she may have been sent as an escort for the tow which having been detached from the convoy would not then have been regarded as part of OS.33.
The other alternative is one of co-incidence. Could it have been that 'Holly' and possibly other minesweepers of her Flotilla sailed independently from the UK (or possibly from Gibraltar) to take up station at their new base in Freetown at the same time as OS.33 was passing through the area? As such they would not have formed part of the escort but the may well have been in the vicinity and would thus have been in a position to assist with HMS Lowestoft.
I appreciate this is pure speculation but perhaps the 'lads' of the RNPS maybe able to shed some further light on this.
Have found a little bit of information which although after the dates you require confirms she went to Freetown. She was there at the end of 1942 as part of Minesweeping Group 100. Her Commanding Officer at that time was Lieutenant J E Freestone RNR and the others ships in the Group were 'Runswick Bay' 'St Melante' and 'Syringa'.
Kind regards
Peter


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## convent girl (Feb 11, 2008)

*Re HMS Holly AND HMS Lowestoft*



JoyceW said:


> Hello Convent Girl, do you mind if I ask you to clarify your father's full name as being David Goldie Booth Allan whose name, with details as you give above, appears in both the Royal Naval Patrol Service and Commonwealth War Grave websites (which Peter was looking at also). It is indeed certainly a mystery about HMS Holly which is not recorded as an escort with convoy OS33 but both websites record the same information. I am sure someone will come up with an answer. I notice that HMS Lowestoft was, in fact, towed by the French destroyer, Leopard, to the Azores for repairs but required further extensive repairs.
> 
> Good Luck in your search for more information, Joyce


Hello Joyce 
thanks for taking time to reply to my query. As Peter has already confirmed my dad's name was David Goldie Booth Allan but he was known to all his ship mates as Blondie because of his very blonde hair.
I hope some one connected with R.N.P.S can come up with some more details. Thanks again. convent girl


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