Frederick Waddington was born in Lancaster on 4 October 1918. His parents had married in Galgate four years earlier. Fred’s father James was born in Brighouse, but by 1911 was in Main Road Galgate with his family. In 1916 James joined the Navy and served until 1919. In 1939 they lived at 8 Stoney Lane Galgate nr Lancaster.

Frederick joined the Navy in October 1939. Fredrick was lost on board HMS P-32 in the Mediterranean in August 1941 - His body was never recovered.

HMS P32 was a Royal Navy U-class submarine built by Vickers-Armstrong at Barrow-in-Furness. The submarine left Malta on 12 August 1941 for a patrol area near Tripoli. Six days later, she sighted a small Italian convoy of five merchant ships protected by destroyers and torpedo boats heading towards the port. P32 and two other U-class submarines attempted to attack the convoy.

P32 was not in a good position to make an attack, and so attempted to improve it by running underneath a moored minefield. Believing that she had cleared the minefield, the commanding officer, Lieutenant D.A.B. Abdy ordered the submarine to rise to periscope depth to resume the attack. A mine exploded against her port side and flooded the portion of the boat forward of the control room, killing the eight crew members in that part of the vessel. The submarine developed a severe list and sank to the seabed.

Most of the 24 survivors retired to the engine room to attempt a DSEA escape. However, Abdy, the coxswain Petty Officer Kirk, and ERA Martin attempted to escape using the conning tower. Martin was killed in the attempt, but the other two men survived and were picked up by an Italian ship. No other crew members survived. 

The wreck was discovered in 1999; it lies about 15 nautical miles (28 km) east-north-east of Tripoli, at a depth of about 200 feet (61 m).

Obituary

'Waddington. Frederick James. Able Seaman. Missing, lost on active service August 1941, aged 22. Younger son of Mr & Mrs J Waddington, of 8, Stoney Lane, Galgate.' Lancaster Guardian, date 27 February 1942 page 8, 6 March 1942, page 5, & 13, March 1942, page 5.