Stoker 1st Class C/KX 141642 William Henry Weeden, HMS Porpoise was born the 18th of October 1924 at Tunbridge Wells, the son of William Charles Weeden and Gladys May nee Cole.

The 1939 Register finds William residing with his parents at 34, Quarry Road, Royal Tunbridge Wells. William (senior) born the 1st of April 1903 was an omnibus driver. Gladys, born 20th May 1901 was unpaid domestic duties. William is a coil winder of aircraft radio power units.

One record is officially closed. William joined the Navy in 1942 and was posted to join the submarine HMS Porpoise (N14) which had returned from the Mediterranean to the UK in December 1942 for a refit.

This completed in January 1944, the submarine conducted exercises and training under the command of Lt Commander H.A.L Marsham OBE, prior to sailing to Trincomalee, Ceylon (Sri Lanka) to join the 4th Submarine Flotilla, departing on the 17th of April together with the submarines Clyde and Telemachus.

Porpoise arrived at Trincomalee on the 12th of June 1944. On the 1st of July, Porpoise departed on her first war patrol in the Far East (her 20th war patrol since 1939). This was to lay mines in the Malacca Strait.

During this patrol, one enemy ship was sunk by gunfire and the mines laid claimed more. In August, Porpoise arrived at Freemantle, Australia from where it operated until returning the Trincomalee in November.

The 3rd of January, 1945 saw Porpoise leave Trincomalee for her 23rd war patrol, en-route to lay a minefield off Penang. Sources disagree over the point but others say that on the 9th a signal from Porpoise reported the successful laying of the minefield.

A Japanese message, decrypted by “Ultra” indicated that on the 11th, at a Japanese bomber of Air Group 331 based at Penang had attacked a submarine at 10.00.

The bomber had dropped two 60kg bombs, one of which struck the submarine on the bow; this attack was not fatal but damaged the fuel tanks which left behind an all too visible oil slick.

A second attack, seventeen miles from Perak Island, was carried out at 11.45 when another bomber dropped two 60kg bombs on a submerged submarine leaking oil; six more bombs were dropped at 20.57.

At 01.01 hours, on the 13th , the submarine Stygian, commanded by Lt G.S.C. Clarabut, DSO,RN, received a signal from Trincomalee informing it that the Porpoise was in trouble.

Stygian immediately went to the area indicated in the message and searched for signs of the submarine or the crew, whilst trying to contact it by radio. However, nothing was seen or hear.

With no trace of the submarine nor any indication of its fate, Porpoise was reported lost with all hands, the submarine was most likely sunk on the 11th or 12th but the 16th of January 1945 is the date given for the loss of the crew.

The Courier for the 23rd February 1945 reported upon William, crew member on the submarine Porpoise which had been reported missing the previous Saturday.

The paper notes that “A wide circle of friends in Tunbridge Wells will learn with regret that 1st Class Stoker William Henry Weeden, only son of Mr and Mrs Weeden, of 34 Quarry Road, Tunbridge Wells, was amongst the crew of the famous submarine HMS Porpoise which was reported overdue on Saturday. Stoker Weeden, who was 20, who was educated at St. James’ School.

"Before joining the Navy in October 1942, he was a popular member of the staff of Messrs. Mortley Sprague and Co.Ltd., radio generator manufacturers, of Tunbridge Wells.”

William has no known grave and is remembered on the Chatham Naval Memorial and in Tunbridge Wells on the War Memorial and upon a memorial plaque in St James Church. 

Porpoise was a minelaying submarine commissioned in 1933. Armed with twelve torpedoes and a 4-inch gun, it could carry fifty mines and normally had a crew of fifty nine. It was the last British submarine lost during the Second World War.

At the time, the Japanese erroneously proclaimed that they had sunk the submarine Strongbow and that one Tetsunoke Moriama had been awarded the the order of Imperial Treasure 3rd class for the achievement.