Service No: C/JX 354035 HMS Daffodil – Royal Navy
Bernard Walker was born in 1924 the son of Charles Walker and his wife nee Bennett. In 1944 he married Eileen Olive Place of Springfield Road, Castle Bromwich.
On 27th April 1942 Bernard volunteered to serve with the navy for however long the “current emergency” lasted. He was initially sent to the training centre HMS Ganges where he remained for three months. On the 18th July he was transferred to HMS Pembroke in Chatham, where he served with two brief training episodes at Sheerness and Ainsdale, until 18th January 1943.
From 19th January 1943 he was assigned to serve on HMS Daffodil. The ship was a converted Channel ferry; a real rust bucket built in 1917 and used as an allied transport for D Day and beyond. He was promoted from Ordinary Seaman to Able Seaman on 27th April 1943. On March 17 1945 at 11pm HMS Daffodil struck a mine just north of the harbour wall at Dieppe, she sank the next day at 5am. Nine men from the Daffodil’s small compliment lost their lives among them Bernard Walker.
He is commemorated at Chatham Naval Memorial.
