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Able Seaman
William Victor
PESTER
Royal Navy
Died On:
Aged:
1 July 1945
27
William Pester, the son of Thomas and Margaret Pester of Bournemouth, was the sole survivor of the sinking of HMS SPEARFISH on 1 August 1940. Having only just joined the boat before sailing, he had been the bridge lookout when the submarine was hit by a torpedo fired by U-34 off the Norwegian coast. Pester’s binoculars snagged on the submarine’s fin dragging him down as she sank. He was caught by a massive air bubble forcing him upwards, breaking the strap and allowing him to swim to the surface. He was picked up by U-34 and spent the rest of the war as a PoW in Germany.
He was killed in a motorcycle accident on 1 July 1945 and is buried in Bournemouth East Cemetery.
VISITOR COMMENTS
One Response
Such bad luck, after two years in a P.O.W. camp to be killed in a motorcycle accident. He went to St. Johns School in Boscombe and my father also went to this school and he was a mate of his. So very sad.