Winston Churchill aboard HMS Oribi 1941

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. Walking behind Churchill is Louis Mountbatten, then a Royal Navy officer who accompanied the great war leader to the conference. Edward Pope recalls his father telling him of Winston addressing some of the crew and impressing upon them the importance of transporting him safely to Newfoundland, USA.