Interpreting record of officer on board HMS Glatton

[Caravaggio]

Hi Jonathan

Thanks for that. Like you I've dug a little deeper and found that he was "Decrypting German Army and Air Force Enigma signals. Moved to Block D in February 1943 " He may have attended Captain Ridley's Shooting Party. Of course this is topical at the moment because of the release of "The Imitation Game" - Alan Turing Story.

Kind regards............Brian

[Jonathan Saunders]

Thanks for the further reference. Good work (by you and Galpin)!

Regards,

Jonathan S

[Liz in Eastbourne]

Thank you very much, Brian, for this very interesting addition to Walter S Galpin's life story (also for alerting me - as a result of forum updates I had lost the automatic alert from this thread.)

As I mentioned earlier in the thread, my interest in him was initially because his family lived in the Victorian house on the site of the block of flats where I live, and though he and others were what took me into WW1 interests in the first place, my interest in the inhabitants isn't restricted to the war. And one of these days I'll finish writing up the story of the house and the people who lived there - I blame the forum for distracting me from that task!

I would be very interested in any further information you find. I have family background info (grandfather Thomas Dixon Galpin, partner in Cassells publishers) but not a great deal beyond what is on this thread on his later life. His parents were the last private owners of the house and are buried in the cemetery in Eastbourne.

Thanks to you and Jonathan.

Liz

[seaJane]

It is interesting to note that the Medical Officer aboard H.M.S. Glatton that fateful day also suffered blindness ( permanent or temporary ? ) and was subsequently decorated for his part in the event having saved several members of the crew. Details of his award were given in the press. I can be more specific but I may be repeating things that you already know.

Brian

This was Edward Leicester Atkinson ("Atch" of Capt Scott's Terra Nova expedition). The blindness can only have been for a short period as he was back in service on the Dvina River in 1919 and remained in service till invalided out 1927 (died 1928).

[CGM]

Temporary blindness can be a side effect of being present when there is a huge flash from an explosion.

My father was unable to see for some days after he was injured when his house was demolished in the London Blitz.

CGM

[Caravaggio]

Thanks for the interest and reply. I discovered that Edward Leicester Atkinson was a member of Capt. Scotts 'Terra Nova Expedition' and lead the party that recovered the bodies from the ice. Digging a little deeper I discovered a press announcement of his death in the Dundee Evening Telegraph from 22 February 1929. He was returning from a trip to India and died at sea. The article also states that he had married in November of the previous year and had settled in Queens Park, Glasgow so sadly he had a short married life. The article also stated that he lost an eye in the fire and explosion on HMS Glatton.

Brian

[seaJane]

Ah, thanks for that, Brian. The Dundee article is new to me and I have a researcher who would be interested. Can you by chance direct me to where I might find it?

seaJane

[Caravaggio]

Yes! I found it on a straight name search at - www,britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk.........I find this site particularly useful.

[seaJane]

Thanks - I'll investigate!

sJ

[Jerry B]

Not at all relevant but a book I purchased arrived today and it is signed dated and dedicated by the Author to Lt.Commander Galpin. The book is A Short History of the Royal Welch Fusiliers by Major E.O.Skaife O.B.E. It also has a Galpin familly library sticker inside the front cover. The dedication is dated 13/2/25.

[seaJane]

Ooh. Nice!

[Caravaggio]

In the same year (1925) Walter S Galpin RN applied and was admitted to the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers as a preparatory step to becoming a 'Freeman of the City Of London'. I don't know but I suspect that he had no particular connection to that craft and that it was simply a flag of conveniece. His proposer was his father Sidney Clement Galpin of The Moorings Meads, Eastbourne, Sussex. ( Publisher Retired ). SCG must have already been a member of that Guild in order to propose his son, which had become a common practice by 1925. What is more interesting is that Walter Sidney Galpins' address is given on the application form as The Navel and Military Club, 94 Picadilly. W1. The connection to E O Skaife OBE may have been made at that address (The In and Out Club ) which was a Navy and Military Club known to be connected to military intelligence.

Galpin would go on to serve at Bletchley Park for virtually the whole of its secret years. He is credited with that service on the Bletchley Park Role of Honour but that was not published until after his death in 1955 so, sadly, he never received any of the deserved recognition for his secret services during his lifetime. When he died the announcement in the press read 'Funeral private, No mourning or flowers, at his request. So he bowed out very quietly in 1955 presumably still keeping the secrets which bound him under the OSA.

He had married immediately after the war in1946 and lived privately in Crowborough. Liz (above) gave the full details of the marriage and his spouses re-marriage in 1967 but for completeness I can add that Margaret Clare Gray ( nee Galpin ) died only last year 2014 in a Notheast nursing home.

[Liz in Eastbourne]

Thank you very much, Brian, for all you've added to my understanding of Walter S. Galpin's life. Hope we can discuss the non-WW1 aspects of Galpin's life more, off the forum. Btw the Spectacle Makers seem an apt flag of convenience, given that he was invalided out after Glatton with astigmatic myopia!

And of course thanks to everyone else - it was actually Martin who put the marriage details on the thread earlier and my very first post on this thread, and on the forum, in early 2009 was promptly answered with the links to the relevant enquiry reports. As a result of being a serial self-distractor I am working on another WW1 subject at the moment so the house history research (from the 1880s to WW2) is waiting to be written up, Still, if I'd been quicker I'd have missed some very interesting contributions.

Liz