On June 8, 1940, the aircraft carrier HMS Glorious, along with her two escort destroyer escorts HMS Ardent and HMS Acasta, were sunk by two German pocket battle ships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau as they sailed independently from Narvik, in Norway to Scapa Flow, in Scotland.

The Norwegian campaign launched by the allied forces had failed and the allied forces were ordered to evacuate between June 4 and 8. 

The sinking of the Glorious and her two escort destroyers, with the loss of over 1,531 men, resulted in huge debates in the British parliament. The relatives of the men lost on the three ships and the public wanted answers to their many questions but, unfortunately, none were forthcoming. 

Because of the added pressure on parliament and the looming fear of invasion from the German forces, the British government decided to seal all documents related to this tragedy for a period of 100 years. This remains the only aircraft carrier to have a 100-year Secrecy Act imposed on it.

The men serving on HMS Glorious had spent a lot of time in Malta when Glorious replaced her sister ship Courageous in the Mediterranean fleet in 1930. They grew to like the people and their customs. Some became friends and some even married into Maltese families, with their children and grandchildren now part of the Glarac Association (Malta). 

A large number of Maltese ratings served on HMS Glorious. The raw ruggedness of the Maltese landscape at that time also contrasted with the rich culture that Maltese history had to offer. Many of these men tried to capture these elements on film. 

The Imperial Airways Heracles at Ħal Far in December 1938. John James Parsons, known as Jack, is on the left.

One such young man was a 22-year-old wireless electrical mechanic corporal from Totley, in Yorkshire by the name of John James Parsons. Family and friends usually called him Jack. He was stationed at Ħal Far and the surrounding area was something that Jack found fascinating. He would write to his mother and father and, in his letters, he would include interesting photos and information about activities in Valletta as well as around the island. 

"More than 80 years have passed and we are nowhere near the truth than our relatives were 80 years ago. I think that enough time has passed and all documents to do with the tragedy should be available to the public. Information to do with this story is still sought by relatives and friends of all who died on the three ships"

His younger sister, Daisy Joyce Parsons, or Joy as she was fondly known, joined the navy as a Wren. While serving in Gibraltar, she met and married an Australian carpenter in the Australian Air Force by the name of Jim Perry. 

Jim and Joy Perry on their wedding day in Gibraltar.

I met their son, John and his wife, Ros when they came to visit Malta in the hope of retracing John’s uncle Jack’s footsteps on the island. He showed me photographs and letters that his uncle Jack wrote about Malta. Some of these photos gave an interesting insight into the family and society in general. 

John and Ros were kind enough to give me a DVD containing all the information and photos to do with Jack’s family and history. 

When Jim and Joy returned to Australia as a married couple, they worked tirelessly to try and bring Joy’s parent to live with them in Adelaide. When her parents eventually went to Australia, they brought with them all the photos and letters Jack had written to them. 

Photos of rural families, fishermen, carnival as well as opera presentations in the opera house showed Jack’s love for photography. Wherever he went, his camera was his companion. As a very young boy, Jack’s mother taught him the piano and, as he grew older, he came to appreciate the fine arts. He was an accomplished pianist with a taste for musicals and operas. 

The opera 'Aida' performed at the Royal Opera House Malta in 1938. Photo taken by Jack.

June 10 was the day that the Ministry of Defence accepted the fact that the Germans had indeed sunk the Glorious and her destroyer escorts. The effect of this news here in Malta, as well as the UK, was devastating. 

Families in Malta could not believe what they heard or read. No clear news as to how and why this happened was given. Pressure was growing on the British parliament to conduct a full inquiry. 

But, in a memorandum that came to light years later, the head of the military branch, a certain Mr Powell, wrote and advised strongly against a detailed investigation into the tragedy of the Glorious. He wrote: “A full report at this date would make for dismal reading and would invite Mr Stokes and other MPs to ask why this or that was not done.” 

Here in Malta, not much could be done as news trickled and then stopped shortly afterwards. Malta was now being bombed by the Italians and was feeling the first direct effects of the war, with men and women killed in air raids or losing their homes due to their destruction by the bombs dropped by Italian planes.

When Jack’s mother first heard the news about the Glorious, she was slightly relieved because they told her he was a prisoner of war (POW). However, after months of trying to reach him failed, Jack was declared as “missing presumed killed” by the Ministry of Defence. 

This was the case even here in Malta, where my wife’s grandmother lost her son, Francis Polidano on the Glorious. She was asked to give parcels of food and clothing for her son erroneously given as a POW. On hearing the news, Jack’s mother closed her piano and never played the piano again. She never got over the loss of her son.

More than 80 years have passed and we are nowhere near the truth than our relatives were 80 years ago. I think that enough time has passed and all documents to do with the tragedy should be available to the public. Information to do with this story is still sought by relatives and friends of all who died on the three ships.

The Admiralty is still causing a lot of pain by refusing to release all the documents related to this story. The men who died on the three ships certainly deserve better from a country they served with loyalty, ultimately paying with their own lives.

Jack sitting on a cliff in Ħal Far.

The Glarac Association aims to conduct its annual Service of Remembrance for all the men lost on the three ships and, especially for the Maltese ratings on Sunday, June 12.

Acknowledgements

My thanks and appreciation to John and Ros Perry from Lismore, New South Wales, Australia for their help in making this feature possible.