Friday 17 June 2022 12:25 AM Last WWII survivor British of warship sunk by German U-Boat dies, aged 99 trends now
The last remaining survivor of a British warship sunk by a German U-Boat during WWII who sang 'There'll Always Be An England' for 16 hours before being rescued has died aged 99.
Reg Bishop was among 568 sailors who were rescued after HMS Hecla was sunk by German torpedoes in an attack near Morocco which killed 281 of their crewmates on November 11, 1942.
He slid down a rope off the ship and clung to a liferaft when 'out of the darkness' he heard a voice sing the patriotic tune popularised by Vera Lynn.
He and his crewmates joined in with the singing to keep their spirits up before being plucked to safety by another British warship.
Reg Bishop sang 'There'll Always Be An England' for 16 hours after the the HMS Hecla was torpedoed by a German U-Boat in WWII. He was the last remaining survivor of the warship has died aged 99
Mr Bishop remained active well into his 90s, and the only thing stopping him from attending his regular Mecca Bingo nights was Covid restrictions. His daughter in law Mary Bishop described him as a 'tower of strength for the whole family'
After 16 hours Mr Bishop and his crewmates were saved by HMS Venomous, whose crew lowered a scrambling net over the side of the ship.
After climbing on board they then offered him a cup of tea and a tot of rum.
The father-of-three - described as a 'tower of strength' by his family - lived nearly 80 more years before he died earlier this month at his home in Cawston, Norfolk.
He remained an active person well into his 90s Covid restrictions eventually slowing him down by stopping his regular visits to the Mecca Bingo hall in Norwich.
Mr Bishop recalled how he was asleep in his hammock when the 11,000 ton destroyer tender HMS Hecla was struck by the first of three torpedoes off the coast of Morocco in North Africa.
He quickly got dressed up and rushed to man one of the ship's in pitch black darkness.
Mr Bishop remembered: 'My pal, Herbert Barker, had been sleeping on the upper deck when we got hit.
