Winston Churchill and Louis Mountbatten sailing to Scapa flow 1941 HMS Sirius

Description

This is a copy of an original photograph that was in the possession of Royal Navy Veteran Charles Pope, who passed the photograph onto his son Edward Pope ex RN. It is one of two photographs taken within minutes of each other. Charles was a Stoker aboard the Royal Navy Destroyer HMS Oribi, when this photograph was taken on 4th August 1941. It is believed that this photograph was taken in the morning, shortly after Winston Churchill came aboard ship at the small Scottish port of Scrabster. The Captain of HMS Oribi was tasked with safely transporting the VIP's to Scapa Flow, where they were to board the Battleship HMS Prince of Wales. HMS Oribi was then to join the escort, which was to deliver the Prince of Wales to a secret rendezvous in the mid Atlantic ocean. Winston Churchill was to attend a conference with the USA president Franklyn Roosevelt, which became known as the Atlantic conference. Of particular note in this historic image, is the dress and expressions on the face of the RN sailors standing a short distance from the great war leader.