An Historically Important & Outstanding, Royal Navy
(H.M.S. ARK ROYAL)
810 Naval Air Squadron, Fleet Air Arm.
“FAIREY SWORDFISH”
Observer & Wireless Telegrapher.

SUB-LIEUT, ANTHONY LEONARD CROSS. R.N.

An Officer Casualty.
KILLED IN ACTION 24th September 1940.
(Age 22)
Anthony Cross was from Beckenham, Kent



Took part in “OPERATION CATAPULT”
THE “FRENCH FLEET DESTRUCTION” ATTACK at ORAN
&
THE BATTLE of DAKAR





A very important Royal Navy, Fleet Air Arm casualty group of four to Sub-Lieut Anthony Leonard Cross who was a very early WW2 FAIREY SWORDFISH Officer. As a Wireless Telegrapher & Observer he took part in the infamous attack & destruction of the French Fleet at Oran and was later sadly lost during the attack on the Vichy French fleet at Dakar (Senegal, North Africa) on 24th September 1940 when his aircraft was hit by fire from an enemy shore battery.

All three crew members, bailed out, but the pilot Sub-Lt Wheeler & Sub-Lt Cross were lost at sea. The gunner, Leading Airman Dawson was rescued and became an internee & P.O.W. of the pro-Nazi Vichy government.

[THE MEDALS]
1939-45 Star, Atlantic Star
Africa Star, War Medal 1939-45

(All unnamed as issued)
All Mint with Mint Ribbons in Original Box of Issue addressed to Mother:
Mrs M.A. CROSS, 11 WESTGATE ROAD, BECKENHAM, KENT.








With The Officially Named Condolence Slip:
SUB-LIEUTENANT (A) ANTHONY LEONARD CROSS. R.N.


&


Original Commemorative Scroll (+ card envelope) Lytham-St-Anne’s.
Officially Named to:
Sub-Lieutenant. A.L. Cross. Royal Navy.





Buckingham Palace, King’s Condolence Letter, to Mrs Cross with envelope. (23rd May 1941)



[ATTACK ON THE FRENCH FLEET AT ORAN]
3rd July 1940.
( Operation Catapult )
This was the British plan to neutralise or destroy French ships to prevent them from falling into German hands after the French surrender in the Battle of France.

On 3 July 1940, the Swordfish was one of the main weapons during the Attack on Mers-el-Kebir an attack by the Royal Navy upon the French Navy fleet stationed at Oran, French Algeria. This attack was made to prevent the vessels falling into German hands. Twelve Swordfish from 810 and 820 Naval Air Squadrons were launched from the aircraft carrier HMS ARK ROYAL and conducted three sorties of attacks upon the anchored fleet. The air torpedo attack, which crippled the French battleship Dunkerque and damaged other vessels present, demonstrated that capital ships could be effectively attacked while in harbour; it was also the first time in history that the Royal Navy had won a battle without the use of ships’ gunfire.

[BATTLE OF DAKAR]
24th September 1940.
“The Loss of Sub-Lieut Anthony Leonard Cross”
FAA Royal Navy Fairy Swordfish L7696, 'A2-L', of 810 Squadron was operating from the aircraft carrier HMS ARK ROYAL, which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean, 20 miles south of Dakar, Senegal, West Africa. The aircraft was shot down by coastal gun batteries at Cap Manuel, at 09:00 when on the approach to attack warships in the port of Dakar.

The Pilot was Sub-Lieutenant, GERALD MARDON MOWBRAY CATO WHEELER, who was born 18th January 1918 to an army officer, Captain Philip Wheeler & his wife Constance. He joined the RAF Reserve in 1937, but served exclusively in the FAA until his death in this incident. Although reports say he bailed out, we think he was probably killed and went down in the aircraft. The other two members of the crew baled out over the sea.

The W/T Observer, our medal recipient, Sub-Lieutenant, ANTHONY LEONARD CROSS was wounded in flight by the flak and then killed when his parachute failed to open. His body was not recovered and was lost at sea. Ironically, and having both been killed within the same few minutes, Anthony Cross was born on 20th January 1918, which was just two days after his pilot Gerald Wheeler, on 18th January 1918.

The Air Gunner, Leading Airman, G. P. Dawson who survived his bail out was rescued by a French vessel, with research revealing that he ended up as an internee & a prisoner of the traitorous Nazi Collaborationist “Vichy” French government and was imprisoned at KOULIKORO CAMP at MALI. He was thankfully freed in October 1942. It was clearly via his eyewitness account during bail out from the Swordfish that we know about the catastrophic and fatal parachute failure of Sub-Lieut Cross.

Earlier on 13th May 1940 their aircraft L7696 ‘A2-L’ had been one of two 810 squadron machines from HMS Ark Royal, which on an early morning reconnaissance mission to the east of Bjerkvik, Norway, was unable to return to Ark Royal due to the Norwegian coast being blanketed in dense fog. The aircraft was forced, through lack of fuel, to land on a frozen lake near Reisenvann, Norway. The three aircrewmen, Sub Lieutenant A. N. Dixon, Midshipman H.B. Dangerfield and Naval Airman V. Labross survived the event, and the aircraft was subsequently recovered to the UK and was retuned to Ark Royal before the ship sailed for North Africa where it was lost during the Dakar operation on 24th September 1940.

(Also including, the father’s WW1 Officer, 1914-15 Trio & L.S.G.C.)







To.
SGT, LIEUT, CAPTAIN, ARTHUR ISLEY CROSS
24th & 10th Londons & Royal Fusiliers, L.S.G.C.

[1914-15 STAR TRIO & ARMY G.V. L.S.G.C.]
STAR: Q.M. & LIEUT. A.I. CROSS. 24/ LOND. R
WAR MEDAL: Q.M. & LIEUT. A.I. CROSS.
VICTORY: Q.M. & LIEUT. A.I. CROSS.
L.S.G.C. 4570. Q.M. SGT. A.I. CROSS. R.FUS.

This is a seriously fine and historically important family double grouping to a naval Airman who served in the famous HMS ARK ROYAL Aircraft Carrier, and who took part in two of the most pivotal & controversial naval air actions of World War II.

With his father’s WW1 medals, who entered France on 15th March 1915 and as a 24th London Rgt QM-Lieutenant was wounded while fighting (ent’ SWB) . He later reached the rank of Captain with 10th London’s. His officers papers are available at the National Archive.
He died in 1930.

Comes complete with full R.N.service record sheets supplied to the family by Royal Navy records department, and various other documents.

CURRENTLY RESEARCHING