Waves of history

From Derbyshire to the Tyne

Lawrence William Skerratt was born 3 July 1903 in Alfreton, Derbyshire, the only child of William Augustus Skerratt, a metal constructional erector, and Annie Robson. The family lived in Newcastle upon Tyne by 1911, at 58 Penn Street.

In 1910 he attended the Clergy Jubilee School in Newcastle upon Tyne, noted simply as “removed – backward,” a term then used for late academic development or attendance issues.

Apprentice engineer

By 1921, Lawrence was apprenticed to Sir W. G. Armstrong Whitworth & Co. Ltd. in Newcastle. He was recorded as a visitor at Church Point, Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, living in a house full of other young engineering apprentices under advisor Lionel George Pitman.

From R.N.V.R. to the Royal Navy

Lawrence enlisted on 4 February 1927 for 12 years. He was only 5 ft 1 in, with forearm tattoos and a scar on his side. His civilian occupation: motor driver. His service entry included “Late R.N.V.R. Tyne 3/94”, meaning he had already served in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, Tyne Division, experience that helped speed his advancement.

Into the submarine service

He joined submarines on 5 October 1928 at HMS Dolphin, the Royal Navy’s submarine depot at Gosport. Across the 1930s, he rotated between major depot ships like Maidstone, Cyclops, Titania and early submarine postings such as HMS Proteus. Repeated depot postings show he was valued for technical stability and crew training.

Marriage and home

He likely married Mary Ann McQueen in 1930, and they appear to have had a daughter, Neesha, in 1932. Electoral rolls list him as an absentee voter due to active naval service. In 1939, Mary Ann and a redacted child (likely Neesha) lived in Romford, while Lawrence was on wartime duty.

Aboard HMS Torbay, 1941

Lawrence joined the submarine HMS Torbay on 9 April 1941 under Lt. Cdr. Anthony Miers. As a Petty Officer Mechanic, he was one of the boat’s highest-ranking engineering specialists, just below the Chief ERA. This meant that he was responsible for the machinery that kept Torbay alive during Mediterranean combat patrols.

Combat and controversy

On 5 July 1941, Torbay sank the Italian submarine Jantina. Newspapers noted the “exploits have yet to be narrated,” likely because Torbay was later to be accused of machine-gunning survivors—events that only surfaced decades later via Lt. Paul Chapman’s reports and Miers’ own patrol log. The Admiralty reprimanded Miers and details were never publicly released during the war, so on 7 October 1941, numerous crew, including Skerratt received decorations for their actions that fateful summer.

Special operations

Immediately after the awards were published on 7 October 1941, Torbay sailed on a “special mission.” On 10 October, she landed Captain John Haselden behind enemy lines in Libya to prepare for Operation FLIPPER, the attempted attack on Rommel’s headquarters (carried out the next month). Torbay ended her 6th Mediterranean patrol on 18 October 1941.

Recognition and leadership

Lawrence received: Distinguished Service Medal (1941), Mention in Despatches (1942) for the attack in the bay, Bar to the DSM (1944). Exact actions for the later awards remain undocumented in accessible sources. He continued serving on depot ships (Forth, Medway, Dolphin) and in technical roles throughout the war and afterward. He was finally released from service in Class A on 11 April 1949.

A life of service

Lawrence died 20 October 1976 in Romford, Essex. Mary Ann followed in 1979. From a Derbyshire childhood to the engine room of one of the Royal Navy’s most storied submarines, Lawrence Skerratt’s career reflects skill, determination, and decades of technical leadership in one of the war’s most dangerous branches.