BORN: 21 Apr 1918 in Magor, Monmouthshire, Wales.
UNIT: Royal Navy (HMS Cornwall).
DIED: 05 Apr 1942, aged 24.
BURIED: Lost at sea. Commemorated on the Royal Navy Memorial, Plymouth. Panel 64, Col. 3.
LOCAL CONNECTIONS: Grange Cottage, Lower Grange Farm, Bleak House (Redwick). St. Mary’s Church (Magor), St. Thomas’ Church (Redwick).
Early Life
Growing up in Magor
Frederick Henry COCHRANE was born on 21 Apr 1918 in Magor, Monmouthshire Wales. He was baptised in St. Mary’s Church, Magor a month later on 19 May 1918.
His parents, Frederick William COCHRANE and Alice Ann EVANS, had married in the same church a year earlier, on 01 May 1917. His father worked in Magor as a Haycutter and at 41 was quite a bit older than Alice who was 27.
In 1921, the 3-year-old Frederick lived with his parents in Grange Cottage, Magor. His father worked as a Horseman for W.H. BAKER at Lower Grange Farm, Magor. Two years later, on 23 Aug 1923, Frederick’s brother William Ralph COCHRANE was born.
We do not know when Frederick joined the Royal Navy. (Frederick’s service record is only available to his next of kin). However, it seems he had signed up before 29 Sep 1939 and was based at Devonport, Devon, England. He was not with his parents who, by 1939, had moved to Bleak House on the edge of Redwick village. Frederick [Sr.] was retired due to ill health and lived with his wife Alice. Their 16-year-old son William, described as ‘incapacitated’, was also with them.
Fred marries in Plymouth
In the last few months of 1939, Frederick married Evelyn LOVEDEN in the Plymouth registration district, Devon, England. Frederick was aged 21 and Evelyn was an 18-year-old Cinema Usherette. She lived at 17 Garden Crescent, Plymouth, but was originally from Rotherham, Yorkshire, England. Their marriage was likely prompted by Evelyn’s condition, as their daughter [Private COCHRANE] was born in Plymouth a few months later.
Frederick and WW2
HMS Cornwall
Frederick served aboard HMS Cornwall during WW2. She was a 10,000-ton Kent-class heavy cruiser built in 1928 in Devonport at a cost of £1.25m. When launched she carried a silk White Ensign, donated by the women of Cornwall, as a tie between the ship and the county after which she was named.
HMS Cornwall initially served out of the China Station and later as a training ship in home waters. However, at the outbreak of war she was sent back to the China Station as the Flagship of the 5th Cruiser Squadron, along with cruisers HMS Kent, Dorsetshire, and Birmingham.
Hunting the Hunters
During the war, Cornwall’s role was to protect the convoys that carried desperately needed goods. She not only escorted these convoys but also hunted for the German commerce raiders who were trying to sink them. In 1939 this included her search for the famous pocket battleship Graf Spee (Subject of the film The Battle of the River Plate). Cornwall’s various missions though the war were based in the Bay of Bengal, around the African coast, and also took her to the much colder climes of the South Atlantic.
A Victory for HMS Cornwall
On 10 May 1941 Frederick’s family and friends would have read in the Western Mail about HMS Cornwall’s victory in the Indian Ocean. She had sunk a large German armed merchant cruiser that had been hunting British ships in the area. Furthermore, 27 British seaman held prisoner on the German ship were rescued by HMS Cornwall. She suffered only minor damage in the battle. Her triumph was reported around the world, as the headline below in the Canadian North Bay Daily Nugget shows:
“Nazi Sea Raider Sunk After Prisoners Saved
Huge Vessel Is Outfought by Britishers”
The Japanese Threat
After repairs in Durban, South Africa, HMS Cornwall returned to duty protecting convoys in the Bay of Bengal. One of her many missions was to escort 12 troopships carrying ANZAC soldiers. The Japanese entry into the war in 1941 threatened Australia and New Zealand and troops were forced to return to home from the Middle East.
In March 1942, in response to the Japanese naval threat, Cornwall joined ‘Force A’ along with a battleship, 2 aircraft carriers, 4 other cruisers and 6 destroyers as part of the newly formed Eastern Fleet. Together they began the search for the Japanese navy.
Death and Commemoration
The Easter Sunday Raid: HMS Cornwall's Last Days
On 03 Apr 1942 HMS Cornwall and Dorsetshire were detached from Force A to escort a military convoy in the Indian Ocean. However, the following day Force A sighted Japanese warships and quickly ordered Cornwall and Dorsetshire to re-join the Force.
On 05 Apr, Easter Sunday, Cornwall and Dorsetshire were making their return passage to rejoin Force A. The two isolated ships were about 400 miles from land and 4 miles apart when they were spotted by a seaplane from the Japanese cruiser Tone. Sadly, Cornwall’s crew could not identify the plane. A few hours later, between 40 and 60 ominous specks appeared in the sky. They were dive bombers launched from Japanese aircraft carriers Akaghi, Soryu, and Hiryu.
Eye Witness Accounts
“We did not see them at first” said surviving crew member J. Wood. He presumed that the bombers must have hidden in the clouds and then dived with their engines turned off. “The first I knew of them was when we received our first hit” he added.
A direct hit made the ship list to port. The steep angle meant they could not train their 4-inch guns on the attacking planes. The Cornwall seemed to be the focus of the attack and suffered more direct hits. She was hit by nine 250-550 pound bombs. Eventually, the Japanese planes released the last of their last bombs and turned away, but the Cornwall was severely damaged. Amid numerous tales of heroism the crew began to abandon ship. One youngster who worked at the communications stations below deck called up for orders as his station was starting to flood. He was told to abandon his post but replied “I can’t. I’ve had both my legs shot off.”
HMS Cornwall's Final Minutes
Cornwall’s wounded were placed in a motorboat, but many men ended up floating in the warm but shark infested and oily waters. They watched as Cornwall sank headfirst, her screws still turning as she slipped beneath the surface. The whole attack lasted only 12 minutes. HMS Dorsetshire suffered the same fate. She sank only 6 minutes later.
HMS Cornwall had lost 190 men. By 09 Apr, the tragic loss had hit the headlines at home. Subsequently known as the ‘Easter Sunday Raid’ it was a major morale blow to the Royal Navy. Thankfully however, 1122 men from Cornwall and Dorsetshire had been rescued by HMS Enterprise, Paladin, and Panther.
Joyous News .... For Some
Newspapers across the country throughout May and June 1942 reported loved ones’ joy as the heard the official news that their sons, husbands, fathers, and brothers had survived. Sadly, no such news reached the Cochrane family in Magor. Frederick was missing, presumed dead. He was aged 24. He left a wife and young child.
His Burial
Frederick and his fellow crew members who lost their lives are commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial, Panel 64, Column 3.
What happened to his family?
Parents
Frederick’s parents lived out their lives in the area. His father Frederick died in 1952 and his mother Alice in 1971. They are buried in St. Thomas’ Church, Redwick.
Siblings
Frederick’s brother, William Ralph COCHRANE, also lived continued to live in the area. He and his wife are also buried in Redwick churchyard.
Widow
Frederick’s widow Evelyn moved back to Rotherham and remarried in 1949 to a Maurice MONK. However, it seems she may have returned to Wales as she died in Monmouth registration district in 1998.
Frederick and Evelyn’s daughter [Private COCHRANE] married in Rotherham.
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