PRANGNELL, Donald Thomas William

Portsmouth Naval Memorial, UKCredit: CWGC

Ordinary Seaman
HMS Grenville - G Class Destroyer
Royal Navy

Donald was born 1920 in Calbourne the only son of Harry & Alice Maud (nee LOCKE) PRANGGNELL. At the time of Donald’s death his mother Alice was living at Crepe Cottage, Gunville in Carisbrooke.

HMS Grenville operating out of Harwich with six other ships & was returning from an operation off the Dutch coast when on the 19th of January 1940 at 1250, in calm weather, she struck a mine in the Thames estuary, 23 nautical miles E of the Kentish Knock light vessel in a field laid by the German destroyers of FK Berger. She quickly capsized, with her bow being the last part of the ship to disappear. 77 crew were lost.

Donald was one of those lost, his body was never recovered for burial & so he is commemorated by the Commission upon the Portsmouth Naval Memorial together with nearly 15,000 of his Second World War shipmates.

Donald is also remembered on the Carisbrooke War Memorial.

CWGC Casualty Record

Cemetary

Sons & Daughters Commemorated Far From Home

Those from the Newport & Carisbrooke area who are buried or commemorated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission outside of the area, both in the UK and in other countries.

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The image is of the Tyne Cot Military Cemetery & Memorial in Belgium.