John Patrick Midgley

John Patrick Midgley

Requiem

Born 24th July 1919, Cawthorne, South Yorkshire, England.
Christened Cawthorne Parish Church
Died 12th June 1999, Oakville, New South Wales, Australia.

He fought for his country and died for his family. A true warrior for peace.

1919-1924 Lived at Toll House and Rose Cottage Darton road, Cawthorne.
1924-1936 lived at Marsh Lane, Shepley, South Yorkshire With his father and mother, William and Lavinia and younger brother and sister Charles, Brian and Dione.
Pat later moved to 1, Benomley Crescent, Almondbury near Huddersfield.
Attended Kaye's Central College in Huddersfield where 'Pat' was awarded a medal in Gregg's Shorthand and undertook a business course in accountancy.
Worked at Crowther's woollen mill at Milnsbridge before enlisting in the Royal Navy. On a return visit to England and the the woollen mill in the 1980's he jokingly went to ask for his old job back as he had been told 50 years earlier that there was always a job there for him.

Service with the Royal Navy

Eldest son of William Midgley and Lavinia nee Milnes of Cawthorne. Born 24th July 1919 in the former Toll House, Cawthorne, South Yorkshire. Whilst serving in the R.N. as P.O. in WW2, saw action on H.M.S. Cumberland in the Russian convoys to Archangel and after the war (1947-9) action on H.M.S. London during the Chinese Revolution in the Yangtze Incident when H.M.S. Amethyst was trapped on the Yangtze and the London tried to help rescue her.
Dad's recollection of the Yangtze Incident

1949-1953 Based at Chatham Naval base, lived Harrow Road , Hempstead, Kent, Strood and Rainham .
1953-1956 Served at H.M.S. Ceres, lived in married quarters. Wetherby, North Yorkshire as C.P.O.
1956-1959 Served with British Forces, N.A.T.O., Naples, Italy.
1960-1963 Served at H.M.S. Ganges, near Ipswich, Suffolk.
1963-1965 Served at H.M.S. Collingwood, Fareham, Portsmouth, Hampshire.
1965-1968 Served on H.M.S. Supply and H.M.S. Triumph moored in the Straits of Johore, and H.M.S. Terror, Singapore following the Indonesian insurgency with a tour of duty to Mombasa and Freemantle.
1968-1969 Served at Rosyth nuclear submarine base in Fife, Scotland.
1969-Retired from the R.N. and enlisted with the Royal Australian Navy, commencing service at H.M.A.S. Nirimba, Quaker's Hill, New South Wales, Australia.

Service with the Royal Australian Navy

Pat retired from the R.N. in 1969 and with all the family except Tim, who was travelling in North America, boarded the Italian cruise ship the Achille Lauro* at Southampton Docks which sailed on 7th September 1969. * This ship was later hi-jacked by extremists and set on fire in the Mediterranean.
Pat took up a post as Lt. Commander R.A.N. at the shore based station of H.M.A.S. Nirimba, at Quakers Hill west of Sydney, N.S.W. Here he worked as the Captain's secretary and I/C of the stores and Pay Office. In 1985 he retired as Lieutenant-Commander, R.A.N. Captain's secretary at H.M.A.S. Nirimba.
After his retirement Pat continued to reside at 82 Stahls Road, Oakville until his death 1n June 1999, one month short of his eightieth birthday.
A long and travelled career.

These mist covered mountains are only for me
But the home is the loneliest and always will be
Some day you will return to me, your valleys and your farms
And you'll no longer yearn to be brothers in arms

Through these fields of destruction, baptisms of fire
I've witnessed your suffering as the battle raged higher
And only the faith in the care and the love
You did not desert me my brothers in arms

There are so many different worlds
so many different songs
And we have just one life
but we live in different worlds.

Now the sun's gone to heaven, moonlight at night
Let me bid you farewell, everyone has to die
But it's written in the stars, in every line in your heart
We are fools to make war on our brothers in arms.

John Patrick Midgley, for King, Queen, Country and Family