Robert Carnochan

Robert John Carnochan was born 14th May 1909 at 8.20am at 103 Bolton Drive, right by Mount Florida Station (to the right of the street view photo).  His parents were John Robert and Isabella Carnochan (married 1st March 1907).  At the time his father’s job was as a mercantile clerk.


His family name was Bertie, and he was educated at Lenzie Academy.

He first went to sea in 1924 as a Cadet aged 15 – he is described in his papers, stamped 15 October 1924, as having fair hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion.


Robert made good progress and was passing exams (BoT denotes Board of Trade):


During his merchant navy career the ships he served on included:

129539 – CAPE ORTEGAL – 15.10.1924
148847 – LETITIA – 10.8.1928
115712 – MASSILIA – 1.12.1928
147941 – MOVERIA – 8.1.1930
1411923 – TUSKER ROCK – 25.4.1930
147916 - CAPE COMORIN – 18.4.1932
148862 - CAPE OF GOOD HOPE – 7.9.1935
144983 – LAIRDSBURN – 29.4.1940

Robert was a specialist in navigation and wrote papers on the subject.

The Cape Ortegal, Robert's first ship:


I am indebted to https://www.merchant-navy.net/forum/welcome-please-say-hello-/44793-hello.html?highlight=carnochan, especially a very helpful contributor called Hugh for these details).  See the ships numbers in the bottom left of the following:

We next glimpse Robert on Sunday 2nd July 1939, as he gets married:


Robert and Isabel were living at 16 New Kirk Square in Bearsden.

Note that the South Church in Bearsden was badly damaged by a fire bomb on the night Clydebank was attacked (13th March 1941) so the church today is a rebuild of the version Robert and Isabel were married in.

At some point Robert signed a T124X Agreement to serve on Royal Navy ships. He has a Pouch held at Kew in piece BT 390/15/194 - https://discovery.nationalarchives.g...ls/r/C17096807 but unfortunately  it is empty.

Robert's war service is not currently known but on 12th June 1943, the Milngavie and Bearsden Herald announced he had been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross:


The DSC is "awarded in recognition of an act or acts of exemplary gallantry during active operations against the enemy at sea." with 4,524 awarded in WW2.

This was announced more formally in the London Gazette 4th May 1943 - “For bravery, endurance and devotion to duty in North African waters: Robert John Carnochan Dis.A 1110695 – Board of Trade Certificate of Competency, Second Mate - 43237.”  This seems likely to relate to Operation Torch, the Allied landings in Morocco and Algeria.

At this stage he was serving on HMS Royal Scotsman, which had been built as a ferry to serve between Glasgow and Belfast but was now a landing ship for infantry:



From https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205148733.  The photo is dated 16th March 1943 and the caption says, "Troops embarking in the ROYAL SCOTSMAN, known as the "Bone Ferry". This famous ship made many trips to Bone and not without narrow escapes, from submarines, and dive bombers." Bone is now known as Annaba, a port in Algeria.

The ship landed troops in Sicily during the Allied invasion on Saturday 10th July 1943 and then sailed back to North Africa.  It is unclear how but Robert died on Thursday 15th July.  The file available states:


In the style of time, information was sent to his wife in a telegram:


This was followed by a letter:


On Sunday 25th July 1943, the Kirkintilloch Herald records his death was mourned:

The Milngavie and Bearsden Herald also commemorated him:


Robert was buried in Tunisia.

One final mystery is the plaque to him from the crew of HMS Royal Scotsman was located in the Alexander Elder Memorial Chapel, on the old Western Infirmary site in Church Street, which seems to have been dedicated to doctors and nurses killed during wartime.








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