“Your Uncle Will has two sons. One was in the Navy and was sent to Singapore but his fate is not known, though his wife got back to England. The other son was in the R.A.F. in the last war (he was decorated) and he is the one who has received the order of G.B.E. for his service at Dieppe. He is of course, too old to fly.”
Letter from Walter E. Sprott to Louise V. Stong
January 21, 1943
My great-great-grandfather, Walter Edward Sprott, immigrated to America as a young man, while his sister and four brothers all remained in England. One of his brothers, William Hugh Sprott, born in 1857, served as a major in World War I. I am still searching for official records of his service.
William and his wife Louisa (Dansey Green-Price) had two sons - and both also served in the military. Their youngest son, James Humphrey Sprott (born in 1899), was a squadron leader in the Royal Air Force during World War I. According to his service record, he trained at Manston Flying School from October 1917 to March 1918. James served in 218 Squadron until April 12, 1919. On January 1, 1919, James was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. He returned to civilian life after the war, married Lena Gordon Grant in 1927, and died in Devon in 1964.
Alfred William Sprott, James' older brother served in both World War I and World War II. Alfred, born in 1893, began his career May 15 1906. He worked his way up through the ranks, becoming a midshipman in 1911, a Lieutenant in 1915, and a Lieutenant Commander in 1923. He was highly regarded, and retired with the rank of Commander in 1936. But his record has these surprising final notes: "Missing," then "Presumed dead 14th February 1942."
During World War II, Alfred's command was reactivated and he was captain of HMS Aberdare, a Hunt class minesweeper, from Sep 24 1939 to October 1939 in Singapore. He later captained HMS Dragonfly, a Royal Navy river gunboat on the Yangtse River. The HMS Dragonfly sailed in the early hours of 14 February for Australia - the day that Singapore surrendered. Later that day, in the Riau Archipelago, they were attacked by bombers and hit three times. The ship sunk within ten minutes. A few of the crew and passengers were able to evacuate and became prisoners of the Japanese.
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| HMS Dragonfly |
Alfred Sprott was 48 when he died on 14 Feb 1942, with about 50 members of his crew. He was survived by his wife, Winifred Denison (Hall) Sprott, and remembered on a War Memorial in Ugborough, Devon, England, where they made their home.
Another great read . Thanks, Cathy
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