Seaman
Robert
ANDERSON
,
RNR
26
Robert Anderson was born in Gateshead, Co. Durham on 30 April 1916. He joined the Royal Naval Reserve as an Ordinary Seaman. Having volunteered for ‘Special Service’ he was drafted to HMS VARBEL and trained as a Charioteer No. 2 Crewman.
He was paired up with a Sub Lieutenant J Sargent as his No. 1 Crewman. During their training they took part in a ‘night training’ exercise where the plan was to conduct an attack on the battleship HMS HOWE – which was anchored in Loch Cairnbawn – leaving their explosive charge under the battleship. Having cut their way through the anti-torpedo nets protecting the target Robert Anderson accidentally snagged his breathing bag on the cut wires of the nets. His breathing set started to flood up and he was breathing a mixture of oxygen & water. Although Anderson tried to continue the exercise Sub Lieutenant Sargent realised there was a problem and abandoned the exercise and returned to base.
Robert Anderson was then allocated to a team of charioteers formed for an operation to attack Italian shipping at the port of La Maddelena. The team was embarked in HMS P311 for the operation with three chariots – Nos. X, XVIII & one other. P311 had completed the passage through the Sicilian Channel – reported at 0130 on 31 December 1942 – but no further reports were received from the submarine and P311 was presumed lost with all hands in a minefield near La Maddelena on or about 2 January 1943. Also lost were the three chariots, the three chariot Crews and the team of four dressers – ten personnel in all.
The date of the loss of P311, her crew and her charioteer passengers was assumed to have been 8 January 1943 which is the date that the submarine was due to arrive back at Malta.
Robert Anderson is commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial on Panel 84, Column 1 and on the 12th Submarine Flotilla memorials at Rothesay on the Isle of Bute and at Kylesku.