The first ship adopted by Bridgend, H.M.S. Urge, left Malta on her final mission on April 27, 1942, bound for Alexandria in Egypt. Aboard the submarine were not just her 32 crew, but 11 other naval personnel and a war correspondent.
She was armed with four torpedo tubes and commanded by Lieutenant Commander E.P. Tomkinson DSO RN. Sadly, H.M.S. Urge was lost shortly after setting sail. It is believed she struck a mine off the coast of Malta. But her story does not end there.
In October, 2019, Lieutenant Edward Tomkinson's grandson, Francis Dickinson, was determined to find out what happened to the Urge by locating the wreck. He was part of a marine archaeology project involving a search team from The University of Malta and a Canadian naval researcher. You can get more Bridgend news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
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Their efforts saw what they believed to be the wreck of HMS Urge located off the coast of Malta. Although they were almost certain, a dive was needed just to make sure - and they even found out that it had been damaged by a maritime mine.
On Remembrance Day, he and other family members of the crew of HMS Urge took part in a special commemoration in Bridgend.
Describing the experience of finding the wreck, Francis who is originally from London, said: “We had a fairly good idea of what the fate of HMS Urge was but with the knowledge that was brought by the others in the team, then the opportunity to make the search presented itself to find the wreck and confirm what had happen. It’s impossible to know exactly if you will find it, all you can do is search the area with the information you have.
“In HMs Urge's Path there was one German minefield that had been laid and we also had the coordinates of an Italia minefield that had been laid. And I think it’s just not possible with these searches whether you will find anything or not.”
On the event in Bridgend, he added: “This event in Bridgend was for all of the town’s war dead, but for us the invitation this year was a special privilege because we were invited to take part in the parade as our ancestors would have done if they had returned from the second World War.
“It is a privilege for HMS Urge families to take part in Bridgend’s Remembrance Day Commemorations, 80 years after the submarine was lost with all hands in World War Two. We greatly value our ties with Bridgend, just as HMS Urge’s ship’s company did during the intense warfare of the Mediterranean naval campaign.”
Members of the group, Commander Steve Foster, RD, RNR (Rtd), and Mrs Alison Foster, cousin of Lieutenant David Allen, DSC, RN, added: "The families are honoured finally to fulfil the invitation from Bridgend to march through the town in recognition of the joint sacrifice made by town members who funded the cost of the submarine and those who were proud to serve in her."
Communities across Bridgend County Borough fell silent at 11am on Friday, November 11, in memory of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women. Also, on Sunday the Mayor, Cllr Martyn Jones, and council leader, Cllr Huw David, attended the Remembrance Sunday Parade in Bridgend Town Centre to represent Bridgend County Borough Council.
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A Cardiff Remembrance Garden is opening in the grounds of the castle
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