A memorial to the crew of HMS Kite is to be unveiled in Braintree.
Lionel Irish, one of the last two survivors of the sinking of HMS Kite, will unveil the memorial at the Braintree and Bocking Memorial Gardens.
He will be joined by relatives of those lost on HMS Kite, members of the HMS Kite Association, local members of the Royal Naval Association and British Legion, as well as Jackie Pell, chairman of Braintree Council and Braintree MP Alan Hurst.
It will be 60 years ago on Saturday, the date of the unveiling, that German submarine U-344 attacked the Arctic convoy and sank HMS Kite.
Of the 266 crew, only 16 men were pulled from the sea by HMS Keppel, and of those seven died from their wounds or exposure before the Keppel docked.
Just nine of the HMS Kite crew survived.
Braintree, like other towns in the UK, participated in the Warship Week by investing in National Savings Certificates.
By 1941, a total of 99 National Savings Groups had been formed in the town at factories such as Crittall's and Warner's as well as businesses like Townrow's, the Town Hall and The White Hart Hotel.
The success of these groups meant that enough money was invested to enable the Kite to be officially adopted by Braintree in March 1942.
Published Tuesday August 17, 2004
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