John, who was known locally as ‘Clicker’, had grown up in Filey and was another active member of Filey Town F.C. where he played left forward.  He was the son of Richard and Emma Cammish and the brother of Carrie, all of whom resided at Cromwell Avenue at the time he joined up. 

          Unlike many others of his age in Filey, Clicker decided not to stay with the fishing fleet as it was metamorphosed into the Royal Naval Patrol Service but instead joined the Royal Navy as a professional seaman.  At the end of his training he was posted to the H.M.S. Fiji, a small but modern (for the period) naval battle cruiser and the ship eventually ended up prowling around the Mediterranean on many different duties.

          The circumstances surrounding Clicker’s death are a lot clearer than Tilley Cammish’s; as the Fiji’s final hours are well documented in naval history.  For the few weeks before and after his death a battle raged for supremacy of the waters surrounding the Greek island of Crete, where Allied and Axis forces continually struggled for overall control of the seas surrounding it.  On the 22^nd May 1941 the Fiji, along with several other British vessels attacked a German blockade.  Although the Allies eventually managed to win the battle by the end of the day, the cost was the Fiji and three other battle cruisers and their crews.

  The Fiji’s fate had been sealed late on in the battle when the German’s had called an air strike and the stricken ship had borne the brunt of the attack before sinking rapidly with a loss of many hands.