Hawks, Fred: Ldg. Telegraphist, Survivor
Fred Hawks, HMS Carysfort
The sole survivor of Dunedin’s wireless staff, Fred tried in vain to get off a signal when the ship was hit. The two men with him in the picture above are Richard Laland and Barnie (surname unknown). He recounted his story in a letter in 1942 to the mother of one of his telegraphist colleagues, Joe Jackson:
Letter to Mr and Mrs Jackson 1942
Later, Fred’s wife wrote her own account to her grand-daughters, based on what Fred had told her. I am grateful to Gail Willox, Fred’s daughter, for making this available, below.
