Providing cover for the troop convoys to
England, the Royal Ark made an effort to both
cover the convoy and to look for survivors from
missing ships, which included HMS Glorious,
Acasta, Ardent, Jupiter, SS Orama, and ST
Oilpionieer.
At 02.45 on 10 June, she put up a 360-degree
search, using 10 Swordfish.
One Swordfish failed to return; signaling it was
making a deferred forced landing at sea. While
continuing to maintain a fighter patrol over the
convoy, the Royal Ark next sent off three Walrus
amphibians to search for the crew of the missing
Swordfish, but found nothing. Fortunately, the
missing trio, Sub-Lieutenant (A) R. C. Eborn RN,
Midshipman (A) G. T. Shaddick RN(*), and Leading
Airman P. W. Clitheroe RN had been rescued by
the fishing vessel Syrian which took them to
Iceland.
After this Sub-Lt Eborn is transferred to
812 squadron, flying Swordfish out of HMS
Peregrine, a Royal navy Air Station at Ford,
Sussex.
In
the night of 3 to 4 August 1940, six Swordfish
and four Albacores were sent to bomb the oil
facilities at Vlaardingen, near Rotterdam. three
Swordfish could not locate the target and
aborted. One attacked attacked the searchlights
at Hoek van Holland and one the harbour of
Dordrecht. The sixth plane, Swordfish Mk.I,
P4007, flown by Sub-Lt. Eborn and gunner Lt. T.
A. Johnston, a Royal Marine, is forced to ditch
off the coast of Noordwijk. Both men are killed.
The body of Sub-Lt Eborn washes ashore on
Noordwijk beach on 23 August. Policeman
Ellenbaas and a few workman collect the body
with horse and cart. At the cemetery building
the body is searched and a number of papers are
found. The name Ralph Churchill Eborn is found,
birth date and place were unreadable.
Lt. Johnston remains missing and is commemorated
at at the memorial for missing navy personnel at
Lee-on-Solent, bay 1, panel 5.
Sub-Lt Ralph Eborn is buried, in a communal
grave, at the Noordwijk General Cemetery,
Plot 1. Joint grave 9.
* A month prior,
on 9 May, Midshipsman Shaddick, had ditched in a
Swordfish, flown by Pilot Lt. A.W. Stewart. He,
G.T. Shaddick and third crew member, Leading
Aircraftman
Harry Burt were on a mission to bomb Sildvik.
After bombing the target, they were forced to
ditch in the North Sea but all three were picked
up unhurt by a British destroyer. LA
Burt was
killed a month later, on 2 July 1940, while
attacking Schiphol airfield. He is buried at
Amsterdam New Eastern Cemetery. G.T. Shaddick,
after having ditched and survived at least two
times, was killed on 28 January 1942 while
flying from H.M.S. Indomitable, possibly in the
Indian Ocean.
In The Morning
And In The Evening
We Will Remember Them