Phillips, Godfrey Sidney Philip, 1921-1941

Phillips, Godfrey Sidney Philip, son of Morris G. P. Phillips and Gretta Wharton; b. 21 Mar. 1921; adm. from Repton Sch. May 1935 (R); left Apr. 1938; RNVR (A) in WW2; killed in action in HMS Patia 27 Apr. 1941.

Godfrey Sidney Philip Phillips was born at Chelsea, London on the 21st of March 1921 the only son of Morris Godfrey Philip Phillips and Annie Margaretta “Gretta” (nee Wharton formerly White) Phillips of 3, Kensington House, Kensington High Street, Kensington in London.
He was educated at Repton School and at Westminster School where he was up Rigaud’s from May 1935 to April 1938.
He enlisted in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve as a Leading Naval Airman 1st Class in the Fleet Air Arm before becoming an Ordinary Seaman. He was posted to the 5,500 ton naval auxiliary vessel HMS Paita which had been requisitioned by the Admiralty in September 1940 and had been fitted out as a aircraft catapult ship for the defence of convoys.
On the 27th of April 1941, HMS Patia, under the command of Commander David Marion Burton Baker RNR, set sail on her maiden voyage as part of a convoy. She was on her way to pick up a Hurricane Mk IA aircraft which was to operate from her. After nightfall HMS Patia was sailing near 20G Buoy off Coquet Island, some eight miles off Seaton Point in Northumberland when she was attacked by a Heinkel 111 bomber which dropped two 550lb bombs on her. The aircraft also fired on her with its machine guns, killing four of her crew. Both of the bombs fell short of the ship. Under heavy fire from HMS Patia’s gun crews the Heinkel turned for a second run and, although hit by anti aircraft fire, it dropped more bombs, one of which hit the ship causing a massive explosion. Hit by anti aircraft fire from the ship, the enemy aircraft was forced to ditch into the sea with the crew being taken prisoner.
HMS Patia had been badly damaged with many of her crew having been killed or wounded in the attack. As the stricken vessel began to sink the survivors climbed into lifeboats in the pitch black. The Boulmer lifeboat “Clarissa Langdon” was launched at 11pm and made for the site of the sinking where it found a great deal of wreckage but none of the crew. At daybreak they received a call from the local coastguard that three men had been seen on a life raft and these were rescued by the fishing boat “Primrose”. More men were later rescued and a number of bodies were recovered from the sea during the morning.
One of the lifeboats came ashore at Howick Burn with 41 survivors on board and another landed at Embleton Bay with 40 men on board, both making landfall at around 1am.
The Captain, seven officers and thirty one ratings had been killed during the attack.
He is commemorated on a brass plaque at Boulmer lifeboat station.
He is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial 50,2.

Ordinary Seaman C/LD/X 4485 RNVR; HMS Patia, 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.