Royal Oak stalwart passes away
(Picture: Craig Taylor)
The man who did so much to preserve the memory of the 834 men who died in the sinking of the battleship HMS Royal Oak, Kenneth Toop, passed away yesterday.
Mr Toop, 91, who lived in Basingstoke, Hampshire, himself a survivor of the sinking, was the honorary secretary of the HMS Royal Oak Association.
He travelled to Orkney over many years, along with his wife Lillian, for the memorial service which takes place over the wreck site in Scapa Flow each year, describing the occasion as a ‘pilgrimage’.
Mr Toop was a 16-year-old Boy sailor 1st class when U-boat 47 commanded by GĂĽnther Prien crept into Scapa Flow and unleashed its deadly torpedoes into the side of HMS Royal Oak, as she lay at anchor below the cliffs at Gaitnip.
Orkney area co-ordinator for the HMS Royal Oak Association Agnes Millar paid tribute to Mr Toop this morning, describing him as a ‘true gentleman.’
She added: “Kenneth will be a huge miss, but he will never be forgotten.”