Bone, Alexander Drummond, 1914-1943

Bone, Alexander Drummond, son of Drummond Bone of Buenos Aires and Jane Johnstone, d. of David Hume of Enniskillen, co. Fermanagh; b. 22 Dec. 1914; adm. Sept. 1928 (B); left July 1929; re-adm. Sept. 1931 (H); left July 1933; Univ. of Lond., MB BS MRCS LRCP 1939; RNVR 1940-3 (Surg. Lieut.); served in HMS Dorsetshire at the sinking of the Bismarck, torpedoed in HMS Lively; DSC (Med.) Nov. 1942; lost with HMS Dulverton 13 Nov. 1943.

Alexander Drummond Bone was born at Battersea, Surrey on the 22nd of December 1914 the only son of Drummond Bone, a consulting engineer, and Jean Johnston (nee Hume) Bone of 64, Prince of Wales’ Mansions, Battersea, later of 122, Sloane Street in London. He was christened at St Mary’s Church, Wandsworth on the 3rd of March 1917.
He was educated at Westminster School where he was up Busby’s from September 1928 to July 1929. He was readmitted in September 1931 when he was up Homeboarders until July 1933. He went on to the St Thomas’ Hospital, University of London from 1933, achieving MB BS MRCS and LRCP in 1939. On the outbreak of war he was working as a House Physician at St Thomas’ Hospital in London. He was commissioned as a Surgeon Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve on the 14th of May 1940.
He was serving on board the heavy cruiser HMS Dorsetshire when she was involved in the sinking of the Bismarck in May 1941. He was serving with the destroyer HMS Lively when she was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean on the 11th of May 1942. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross: - “For bravery and devotion to duty while serving in HM Ship Lively in the Mediterranean.” which was announced in the London Gazette of the 17th of November 1942.
He was later posted to the destroyer HMS Dulverton (L63).
In October 1943 HMS Dulverton, under the command of Commander Stuart Austen Buss MVO DSC RN, formed part of a force which was supporting the capture the islands of Kos and Leros from the Germans. On the 22nd of October she fired on shore targets at Levitha and she transported troops and stores to Leros on the 27th of October when she came under sustained attack from enemy aircraft and E Boats before she returned to Alexandria.
On the 12th of November HMS Dulverton returned to the area to support the garrison on Leros, which had just been attacked by German paratroopers. At around 1.45am on the 13th of November 1943, she was some five miles off the coast of Kos when she was attacked by Do217 aircraft of KG 100 which were using Hs 293 glider bombs. During the attack she was hit abreast of the bridge by one of the bombs, which blew off her bow section and started a number of fires on board. While the destroyer HMS Echo (H23) began rescuing the survivors, the escort destroyer HMS Belvoir (L32) continued firing on the enemy aircraft. By 3.20am the now abandoned destoyer was burning fiercely and orders were given to HMS Belvoir to scuttle her with a torpedo. HMS Dulverton was hit by the torpedo and sank at 3.33am. Six officers and one hundred and fourteen ratings had been rescued but three officers and seventy five ratings had been lost in the attack. Alexander Bone was among the dead.
He is commemorated on the St Thomas’ Hospital Roll of Honour
He is commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial Panel 84, Column 2.

Surgeon Lieutenant RNVR DSC HMS Dulverton, Royal Navy

International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) 2nd edition

Prepared for import into AtoM by Westminster School Archive staff, 2019-2020. Updated by Bethany Duck, Archives Assistant, September 2022.

The Record of Old Westminsters: A biographical list of all those who are known to have been educated at Westminster School from Play 1919 to Election 1989, Volume 4, compiled by F.E. Pagan and H.E. Pagan, Padstow, 1992

Westminster School Second World War Memorial by John C. Hamblin, 2022.