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PO/Tel Michael Edward Richard SHERIDAN
RN
(ARTICLE WRITTEN BY JOHN KIRKE IN
MEMORY OF EDWARD SHERIDAN)
Introduction:
It is not generally well known that during World War 2, at least
130,000 people from the Island of Ireland served in the British
Armed Forces. There were already some 20,000 serving at the
outbreak of the war, and these were joined by approximately
110,000 wartime volunteers, shared more or less evenly between
Northern Ireland (part of the United Kingdom) and the Irish Free
State (which became the Republic of Ireland in 1949). My mother’s
brother “Eddie” was one of those already in the British Forces
prior to the war, and this is his story.
Michael Edward Richard SHERIDAN: (These were the forenames given
to him at birth, however he was always known as Edward or
“Eddie”.). Petty Officer Telegraphist, D/JX 138387 Royal Navy:
Early life:
He was born in Portumna, Co. Galway, Ireland, on the 28th
September 1917, the first child of Daniel Sheridan and his wife
Angelina (nee Gibbons). They had two more daughters, Angela and
Annie who was my mother. Daniel was then a member of the Royal
Irish Constabulary, stationed in Eyrecourt, Co. Galway, and
Angelina was a National School Teacher. They had married in
September 1916. In 1922, with the achievement of independence and
the establishment of the Irish Free State, the Royal Irish
Constabulary was disbanded and the Sheridan family returned to the
farm of Angelina’s ageing parents in Collinstown, Co. Westmeath,
where Daniel managed the farm.
His initial education was in the local National School, and 1929
he was sent to
Blackrock College, in Dublin City, as a boarding
student to complete his secondary level education. This college,
founded in 1860, was situated on its own parkland and was regarded
as one of the pre-eminent secondary colleges for boys in Ireland.
He was a student there from 1929 to 1932, sitting his Intermediate
Certificate examination in that year. However he did not complete
his secondary education; family lore indicates that Eddie had
other ideas on his mind however, and it is said that at some point
in his time there he ”ran away” to join the Royal Navy, but that
as he was under age, and, with mediation from College authorities,
he was returned to college. However, the wish to go to sea
remained, and on the 12 January 1933 being now 15 years old, he
joined the Royal Navy as a “Boy 2” and reported to
HMS Ganges
training centre on the East Coast of England near the port of
Harwich. By June he was promoted to “Boy 1”. Ten months later he
was a Boy Telegraphist and on the 29 March 1935, being now 18
years old, he became an Ordinary Telegraphist. By the end of the
year, having qualified for accelerated advancement he moved to the
rank of telegraphist and commenced a 12-year engagement in the
navy.
Second World War 1939 -
1945:
At the outbreak of war he was now in the
Submarine Training School
at HMS Dolphin after spending the previous 18 months on
HMS
Bridgewater based in Simonstown in South Africa. From January 1940
to March 1942 he was a submariner operating initially in North Sea
and Eastern Atlantic and then, from April 1940, in the
Mediterranean Sea out of Malta and Alexandria. The Mediterranean
Sea was a dangerous place for submarines as it was not very deep
and aircraft could sometimes see submerged submarines depending on
sea and light conditions. He served on the following boats during
his time in the Mediterranean:
HMS Tetrarch – January 1940 to January 1941 (Sunk by mine in Oct
1941 - Sicily)
HMS Perseus – 01 - 06 January 1941. 01 Oct 1941 - 01 Jan 1942
HMS Regent – 06 January 1941 - 01 July 1941 (Sunk my mine on 18
April 1943 - Italy)
HMS Parthian – 01 July 1941 - 01 Oct 1941
HMS Truant – 01 January 1942 - 05 March 1942
In January 1942 Truant was ordered to the Far East and reached the
Dutch East Indies in February with Leading Telegraphist Sheridan
on board. In February Truant was involved in the opening phase of
the
Battle of Badung Straits.
Extract from
Truant’s Log:
“24 Feb 1942
HMS Truant fires 6 torpedoes against the
Japanese light cruiser Nagara north of Bali, Netherlands East Indies. All torpedoes fired
missed their target.
2045 hours - While on patrol to the North-West of Bali, in
position 354°, Pulau Terawangan, 22 nautical miles sighted smoke
of several ships ahead bearing 020°.
2100 hours - Distinguished 6 ships. 3 Were thought to be
merchants, the other cruisers of destroyers.
2105 hours - Dived to attack. The port wing ship of the convoy was
soon identified as a cruiser. It was followed by a destroyer.
Decided to attack this cruiser.
2148 hours - Fired 6 torpedoes from 1200 yards. Enemy speed was 12
knots. Two hits were obtained but both torpedoes failed to
explode. Truant was now depth charged. Two were very close and
rocked the submarine.
2348 hours - Asdic transmissions of the destroyers died away. Came
to periscope depth and saw two destroyers leaving the area.”
On the 27 February, Truant docked
at Surabaya in Java and L/Tel. Sheridan disembarked there. He did
not sail again with Truant, but moved to Australia and eventually
Durban, South Africa, before returning to the United Kingdom on
HMS Dragon in late 1942. There followed periods as Instructor in
the Naval Wireless Telegraphy and Radar Schools and in mid-1943 he
returned to Ireland where he married his fiancé Elizabeth “Dolly”
Rowe, and they then set up home in the Isle of Man.
Though now married and having spent over a year in training posts
he missed being at sea and on the 08 July 1944 he was posted to
the sloop
HMS Lapwing, now with the rank of Petty Officer Telegraphist (PO/Tel).
Russian Convoys:
In October 1944
Lapwing was assigned to the Home Fleet for Russian
Convoy escort duty. These convoys sailed from
Lough Ewe in Western
Scotland, to
Murmansk in Russia and returned to Lough Ewe. Lapwing
sailed on five outbound and four return convoys.
His final convoy, JW 065, arrived at Kola Inlet on the 20 March 1945. Lapwing was
the point ship when they were attacked by five U-boats from a
fleet of eleven in the vicinity. Lapwing was hit amidships by T5
homing torpedo fired from
U968 in position 69 26N 33.44E. It seems
that the ship broke in two but the stern section remained afloat
for 20 minutes which enabled some survivors to be rescued. Of the
229 officers and men aboard there were 61 survivors, rescued by
HMS Savage, which, due to the U-boat presence was a risky thing to
do. Unfortunately, Edward Sheridan was not among the survivors.
Both he and the ship's surgeon were posthumously awarded a Mention
in Despatches, published in the London Gazette of the 7 August
1945.
"For gallantry
and outstanding devotion to duty whilst serving in. H.M. Ships
Savage, Allington Castle, Orwell, Lapwing and Honeysuckle in
escorting convoys to and from North Russia: Mention in Despatches
(Posthumous).
Temporary Surgeon Lieutenant Alexander Grahame Moray WILSON,
M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., M.B., B.Ch., R.N.V.R. (Troon).
Petty Officer Telegraphist Michael Edward Richard SHERIDAN, D/JX.
138387 (Isle of Man)"
His name is remembered on the
Plymouth Memorial and on the family gravestone in Collinstown, Co.
Westmeath.
He and Dolly had one daughter, Mary, and they both returned to Co.
Westmeath after the event. Mary resides in Co. Westmeath. Dolly
subsequently married a local man, James Kearney, and had a second
family. He passed away some years ago but Dolly lived on to
celebrate her 100th birthday with all her family and many friends
in 2018. She passed away in late 2019, in her 101st year.
Medals awarded:
1. Arctic Star
2. 1939-45 Star
3. Atlantic Star
4. Africa Star
5. War Medal 1939-45 with Oak Leaf (Mention in Despatches).
Credit: Author
John KIRKE retired from Irish Defence Forces (Air Corps)
as Lieutenant Colonel in 2007 and then was Head of Safety
in Cityjet DAC (Dublin) until 2020.
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