Electrical Artificer 

Ronald Frederick 

RUTTER

Royal Navy

Died On:
Aged:
6 May 1942

24

Ronald Rutter was born in Uxbridge in Middlesex on 31 July 1917, the youngest of the four children of William Thomas Rutter (a Metropolitan Police Sergeant) and Ellen Louisa Rutter (née Powell). At the time of the 1921 Census the family were living at 121, Waterloo Road, Uxbridge – Frederick’s father was still a Police Sergeant, Metropolitan Police and was stationed at the No. 4 Stores Depot at RAF Ickenham (later RAF West Ruislip). Frederick’s older siblings were brothers Edmund (20 – an audit clerk with Great Western Railways), Albert (11 – at school) and sister Grace (10 – also at school). After leaving school Frederick trained as an Electrician at Willesden (family information) and qualified as a fitter and turner (as per his Service Certificate).

He joined the Royal Navy as a ‘Direct Entry’ Acting Electrical Artificer 4th Class at HMS VICTORY II at Portsmouth on 24 May 1939. Following ‘New Entry’ training he was drafted to HMS VERNON (the Torpedo and Mining School) at Gunwharf in Portsmouth for electrical training. On completion of his training he was drafted to HMS PEMBROKE (the Royal Naval Barracks at Chatham and the Accounting Base for Chatham Ratings) on 6 June 1940 where he was awaiting a draft to a ship. This draft, dated 12July 1940, was to the Submarine Depot Ship HMS MEDWAY which, at that time was the Depot Ship for the 1st Submarine Flotilla, at Alexandria in Egypt. Ronald Rutter served in HMS MEDWAY until March 1941 when he received a draft to HMS St ANGELO at Malta and the 10th Submarine Flotilla taking passage in the cruiser HMS BONAVENTURE.

According to UBoat.net transcriptions HMS BONAVENTURE sailed from Alexandria at 0430 on 20 March 1941 as part of an escort for ‘Force C’ – a convoy to Malta – arriving there on 23 March 1941. He then continued to serve at HMS St ANGELO. It is understood that he joined HMS URGE ‘for passage’ on 27 April 1942 – the day that the submarine left Malta. Ronald Rutter died in HMS URGE which is now known to have been sunk with all hands after striking a mine shortly after leaving Malta. Twenty four year old Ronald Rutter, who named his father as his Next of Kin, is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial on Panel 63 Column 3.

Sometime before leaving for the Far East to join HMS MEDWAY, Ronald Rutter met Edna Winifred Yates from Park Avenue, Purbrook, near Waterlooville, Hampshire. It is likely that Ronald met Edna whilst he was serving in HMS VICTORY or HMS VERNON.  His engagement to be married to Edna Winifred was announced in the Portsmouth Evening News on 26 June 1941.

Very poignantly, an announcement in the Hampshire Telegraph of 31 July 1942 reads: “E.A. Ronald Rutter, of Uxbridge, was reported missing about two months ago. Any news of him would be welcomed by Miss E. W. Yates, of 163, Park Avenue. Purbrook.”

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