Looking for Contact with the following Family's

Kieron Hoare; Would like to contact the following family's, Especially the ones from Wales;

Family of Evan David Bowen.

John Marshall about  his father Walter Marshall.

Francis McLennan Bushey about James McIlravie 

Family of Petty Officer Rees from Wales.

Family of Able Seaman Rees from Wales. 

Tina Mann about William (Jock) Brackenridge. from Scotland.

David Hart about George Richard Laverack  P/JX 383140.                         

David Slade: Would like to hear from friends or family of Eric John Rowan BEM RN, Chief Engine Room Artificer, son of Bertram and Annie Rowan from Sutton, Surrey. you can contact him on the following email davidslade@yahoo.co.uk , please state HMS Mahratta in subject box.

Hazel; Would like to hear from anyone who remembers her Uncle David Annear, you can contact her on the following email sirenehazel@hotmail.co.uk , please remember to state HMS Mahratta or David Annear in the subject box.

Karen Treharne; Would like to try and find the two sailors that are in the photo with her Uncle Hugh, were not on the Mahratta, they're  names were Andy Henderson and Bob Calder, or even would like to hear from family members. Please contact me on hoare63@yahoo.co.uk put HMS Mahratta in subject box and I will pass your email on to Karen.

Samantha Oakes: Would like to find out more about her father's brother George Oakes, who died on HMS Mahratta when it was sunk. you can contact her at samantha.oakes@googlemail.com please state HMS Mahratta in subject box.

Elizabeth Urmston: Would like to find anyone that know Alfred H Urmston, he was her great great Uncle, he grandfather was only 9 years old when the ship was sunk and sadly her grandfather is no longer with her too tell her about Alfred. you can contact her at lizzy_screamo@hotmail.com please state HMS Mahratta or Alfred Urmston in the subject box.

Bill Forster: Would like to hear from family,s of Robert Ackerman.

 AB ROBERT JOSEPH ACKERMAN (D/JX 202937) was 24 when HMS Mahratta was torpedoed and he lost his life.

The names of Robert and his twin brother, James Ackerman (JX194994) are on the crew list for HMS VENOMOUS on the night of the 11 - 12 November 1942, Armistice Day, when HMS HECLA was torpedoed. They probably joined VENOMOUS at Troon in April 1942 and left no later than October 1943 when she was decommissioned at Falmouth prior to a major refit.

During that time VENOMOUS escorted Arctic Convoy PQ.15 to Murmansk, took part in Operation Pedestal to Malta, rescued 550 survivors from HMS HECLA off the coast of North Africa on Armistice Day 1942, escorted the invasion fleet to Sicily (Operation Husky) and then limped home to Falmouth in October 1943 in need of a complete overhaul and refit.

Robert and his brother, James Ackerman, were the sons of Albert and Mary Ackerman and were born in Ardwick, Manchester. There were at least two younger siblings, Marion (1923) and Leslie Ackerman (1926). According to the men who served with them on the lower deck of HMS VENOMOUS they were twins and I am hoping to trace their family and obtain a photograph of them in naval uniform to include in the new edition of A HARD FOUGHT SHIP: THE STORY OF HMS VENOMOUS to be published as a 500pp hardback in Spring 2017. Can anybody help me trace their families?

As far as I know his brother James Ackerman survived the war and he and his younger sister and brother might still be alive today and probably married and had children.

For further details of A HARD FOUGHT SHIP see: http://www.holywellhousepublishing.co.uk/A_Hard_Fought_Ship.html