Andrew Behan has kindly carried out some research on this man:
Able Seaman Henry Arthur Sherwood was born on 26 March 1894 in Southwark, the son of George and Elizabeth Sherwood. His father was a Leather Dresser. He was baptised on 15 April 1894 at St Mary Magdalene Church, Bermondsey Street, Bermondsey and the family were living at 43 Wellesley Buildings, Bermondsey. The 1901 census shows the family at 13 Bell Court, Bermondsey. He joined the Royal Navy on 13 March 1911 and the April 1911 census shows him as a Boy 2nd Class on HMS Ganges II, a 10,900 tons cruiser used as a training ship for youths, at Harwich, Essex.
On 26 March 1912, his eighteenth birthday, he signed up for a minimum of twelve years in the Royal Navy; his service number was P/J11438. On 1 September 1917 he married Alice Solly at St Mary Magdalene Church, Bermondsey and their home address was 5 Pimlico Street, Bermondsey. At the end of World War I he was awarded The 1914-1915 Star, The British War Medal 1914-1918 and The Victory Medal. He continued to serve in the Royal Navy as an Able Seaman and on 28 August 1927 he was granted the Royal Navy Long Service and Good Conduct Medal. In November
1935 he was appointed as a Postman within the London Postal Region, but returned to the Royal Navy during World War II. He was aboard HMS Fiji on 22nd May 1941 when it was sunk by enemy aircraft 50 miles south west of Gavdos, a Greek island lying to the south of Crete. The Fiji had been participating in The Battle of Crete when, along with HMS Gloucester, HMS Kandahar and HMS Kingston, it had been sent to assist HMS Greyhound which was under air attack. By the time this group arrived however, the Greyhound had sunk. While rescuing survivors from the Greyhound, Gloucester was bombed and brought to a halt, her upper deck a shambles and fiercely ablaze. The captain of the Fiji reluctantly withdrew, leaving behind carley rafts. For the next three and a half hours, as the Fiji withdrew to the west, she was relentlessly attacked from the air until finally having exhausted all her live ammunition they resorted to firing flares, star shells, etc in token resistance. As soon as the attacking pilots realised this they flew in low targeting the anti-aircraft crew with cannon and machine gun fire. Surviving numerous bombing attacks, HMS Fiji was hit close to the portside amidships.
The ship took up a heavy list but was able to steam at 17 knots until half an hour later she was hit again by three bombs above the 'A' boiler room. The list increased and at 2015 hours she rolled right over. 523 survivors were subsequently picked up but 241 men were killed when the ship sank to the sea floor. The following day he was posted as missing, presumed dead, aged 47 years and is commemorated on Panel 49, Column 2 on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Clarence Esplanade, Southsea, Hampshire. Administration of his estate was granted to his widow, Alice Sherwood, showing their address as 4 Porlock Street, Bermondsey, London, SE1. His effects totalled £225.
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