TARBAT WAR MEMORIAL

John Dougherty, better known as Jack, was born in Glasgow in 1909, the family moved to Rockfield in 1918 and with his 2 brothers and a sister attended Tarbat Old Public School.

Jack married Janet Henry from Rockfield in December 1929, Jack was a farm worker and he and Janet had 2 children.

When war broke out Jack joined the Royal Navy and was assigned for duty to mine sweeping trawlers. In World War 2 the Royal Navy took over fishing trawlers and used them in different roles, mine sweeping being one of them. The depot for these trawlers was Lowestoft in Suffolk.

The role of these mine sweeping trawlers was to keep channels leading to harbours clear for the Royal Navy's capital ships and also the much needed convoy merchant ships to arrive and leave port without the fear of German U boats and planes sowing mines in these important shipping lanes.

Jack served at one time on the 'Swansea Castle' but was to meet his death on H.M. Trawler 'Avanturine' [FY1886] on the night of the 1^ST December 1943, while sweeping for mines off Beachy Head in the English Channel, 'Avanturine' was attacked and sunk by the Geman motor torpedo boat S-142. Jack was the son of Edward and Christina [nee Scott] Dougherty and husband of Janet; he has no known grave and is Commemorated on the Lowestoft Naval Memorial, Panel I l, Column 3, Belle Vue Gardens, Lowestoft, Suffolk.