Obituary. Bill Whittle 7th March 1912 to 7th September 1999 Bill was born in Sheffield and was a lifelong supporter of United’s football team. He was very keen on all forms of sport and in his youth was on Sheffield United’s ground staff, was selected for special bowling coaching by Yorkshire Cricket Club and was a boxing reporter for the local newspaper. Bill joined the local Town Hall Treasury Department on leaving school but the war, like for so many other people, interrupted his career and sporting ambitions. Bill was enlisted into the Navy for the duration and served on various MGBs. He was sunk on three occasions, two of which he put down to the design of the boat, in particular the location of the magazine hold. Bill was on the leading boat, MGB 314, during the St. Nazaire raid. He should have been on the forward pom-pom but a slamming hatch injured his left hand making this impossible so he manned the starboard 0.511 machine gun turret mounted abaft the bridge. Apparently Bill was the boat’s ‘senior hand’ and ‘sea daddy’ to all. Frank Smith took Bill’s position on the forward pom-pom with Bill Savage. In the last throes of the action Bill Savage was hit by a small shell or chunks of shrapnel and died instantly. Bill Whittle covered the body of his very close friend with a blanket and saw to it that the body was taken back to England and buried in Falmouth. He visited his friend’s wife after the action. Bill Savage was posthumously awarded the VC. MGB314 was heavily damaged during the action and the casualties, with Bill and the crew were transferred to the destroyer Atherstone. Towards the end of the war Bill was posted to Whale Island as a gunnery instructor. After the war Bill joined Gallaghers and later Trumans Brewery and serviced many of the navy ships that were based at or visiting Portsmouth. As the size of the fleet reduced he became a representative to public houses in the south of England. Soon after the war ended Bill trained as an advisor for the Citizens Advice Bureau, was on the committee of the League of Friends of the Fareham Hospitals for over 20 years and a member of the Fareham Branch committee of the Hampshire Association for the Care of the Blind for over 15 years. Bill’s wife Anne was visually impaired and died in 1994. In 1998 Bill was made a Citizen of Honour of Fareham in recognition of his voluntary work. Bill will be remembered as a true English gentleman with a sharp wit who never complained about his own discomforts. A modest and private man who had perfected the art of listening. He was one of a dying breed and will be sadly missed by all who had the privilege of knowing him. Ken Weaver. Back