Leading Stoker Sidney Albert Treen
HMS Gould D/KX97510
Date of Birth: 11th of February 1920
Place of Birth: Bishopsteignton, Devon
Date of Death: 1st of March 1944
Buried: Plymouth Naval Memorial
Plymouth, Plymouth Unitary Authority, Devon, England
Plot: Panel 89 Column 3
Memorial ID: 13306657
Awarded the 1939-45 Star and the War Medal 1939-1945
Sidney Albert Treen was born on the 11th of February 1920, in Bishopsteignton, Devon. Son of William G. and Laura Treen (née Groves) and husband of Gladys Lilian MaryTreen (née Sutton) of Teignmouth.
In the 1st quarter of 1941, Sidney married Gladys Lilian Mary Sutton of Teignmouth, which was registered at Newton Abbot, Devon.
HMS Gould
Laid down as destroyer escort USS Lovering, DE 272, of the Evarts class for the US Navy, completed in September 1943 as frigate HMS Gould, K 476, for the Royal Navy.
HMS Gould, K 476, British Frigate - Photo courtesy of Paul Shaw, uboat.net
On the 29th of February 1944, U-358 was located by four frigates of the 1st Escort Group about 450 miles north-northeast of the Azores.
HMS Affleck, K 362, Cdr C. Gwinner, DSO, DSC, RN, HMS Gould, K 476, Lt D.W. Ungoed, RN, HMS Gore, K 481, Lt J.V. Reeves-Brown, RN, and HMS Garlies, K 475, Lt R.L. Calpe, DSC, RN, dropped 104 depth charges in the subsequent attacks, which were continued all throughout the night.
The next day HMS Gore, K 481, and HMS Garlies, K 475, had to withdraw to Gibraltar for fuel, but the other two frigates continued the hunt. U-358 was forced to surface after being submerged for 38 hours and succeeded in torpedoing HMS Gould, K 476, with a Gnat (German Navy Acoustic Torpedo), fired from the stern torpedo tube, but was subsequently sunk by gunfire and depth charges from HMS Affleck, K 362, only 20 minutes later.
HMS Gould, K 476, was struck on the port side in the aft motor room at 20.21 hours on the 1st of March 1944. The explosion broke her in two, the stern sinking rapidly and the fore part disappearing with a heavy list to starboard about 25 minutes after being hit.
The Commander, six officers and 116 ratings from HMS Gould, K 476, were lost. Three officers and 32 ratings were picked up by HMS Affleck, K 362, together with the sole survivor from the U-boat and were taken to Gibraltar, but one rating had died of wounds and was buried at sea on the 2nd of March 1944.
Leading Stoker Sidney Albert Treen
