- Contributed by
- nosilad
- People in story:
- Charles Kewitsch Blakey
- Location of story:
- Africa, Belgium, England
- Background to story:
- Army
- Article ID:
- A8698125
- Contributed on:
- 20 January 2006
Charles Kewitsch Blakey. This is a passport photo which Charlie had taken before visiting his eldest daughter Dorothy Leathley in Ajax, Ontario.
My uncle, Charles Kewitsch (1903 - 1989), also known as Charles Blakey, was born in Leeds, the son of German immigrant Bruno Kewitsch. He attended St Anne's school and was stabbed in the hand by a Belgian boy who called him a German.
He joined the Territorial Army as a young man, and was soon made a sergeant after joining up in 1939. He served
2 years in Nigeria, 6 months in Gambia, and about 4 weeks in Sierra Leone. He was in the Royal Engineers at first.
He spent 2 days waiting to be picked up at Dunkirk, but after being picked up , his ship the H.M.S. Grafton was
torpedoed on 29/05/1940 8 miles out from Dover, all the officers being killed. The Grafton was rescuing survivors from sistership Wakeful at the time. Also at the scene was the drifter Comfort which was unfortunately mistaken for the enemy and sunk.
Later that day, an attempt was made to take the Grafton in tow, but the attempt was eventually abandoned due to the danger of staying in the area, and the Grafton was scuttled. Lydd was at the scene and picked up as many survivors as it could, but Charlie returned to Dover on an Isle of Man steamer.
A memorial service for the deceased officers took place somewhere in Devon.
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