Date of birth:

October 18th, 1911 (Battersea/London, Great Britain)

Date of death:

April 10th, 1988 (Watford Herts/Hertfordshire, Great Britain)

Nationality:

British

Service number: JX265663

William Burgar apprenticed to J. Lyons as a French polisher in 1927 and completed training in 1931. He then worked for J. Lyons until he was called up for military duty on 18th March 1941. He married Lily Bond on 21st April 1935 and they had two sons.

Results of gunnery training at HMS Glendower on 12th June 1941 and on HMS Satellite on 5th September 1942 show that he passed the Gunnery exams.
He served on HMS Glendower from 18th March 1941 until 27th June 1941.
He was posted to SS Hartington (not sure when) and was torpedoed on 2nd November 1942 in the North Atlantic whilst returning from Canada. All crew took to the two lifeboats, but they drifted apart after the first day. One lifeboat and crew was lost at sea. After over ten days at sea the HMS Winchelsea picked up the lifeboat that contained W.F.H. Burgar. This was fortuitous as the Winchelsea was off course and it was by chance that the lifeboat was seen.

The crew in the lifeboat were taken to hospital in Canada. Most of the crew had frost-bitten toes which needed amputation. W.G.F. Burgar was lucky in that as he had carpet slippers on at the time of the sinking, he had to keep his feet out of the water in the bottom of the boat. The air temperature may have been warmer than the water temperature, so he had a lesser degree of frostbite, and his toes were saved. However, he always had problems with his feet thereafter. Eventually he returned to the UK.
For the rest of the war he was posted to HMS President until 28th February 1945 and HMS Chrysanthemum on the Thames. He was demobilised on 4th November 1945.

After the war he started a silk-screen business and eventually owned a hardware shop until he retired in 1974.

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Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

A/B seaman

Unit:

Royal Navy Gunner SS Hartington

Awarded on:

November 9th, 1943

Citiation:
"AB W.G.F. Burgar for outstanding leadership and endurance for over 10 days in a boat when his ship was torpedoed."

Royal Navy Gunner seconded to SS Hartington, which was torpedoed in the North Atlantic at 4 a.m. on November 2nd, 1942.
Published in The London Gazette dated 9th November 1943.

• Photo 1: Bill Burgar
• - London Gazette of the 9th November 1943