A tragedy led to John McPherson’s demise, and one that was witnessed by a Filey man.  John was posted aboard the H.M. Yacht Towent which despite being a non fishing vessel was still a part of the Royal Naval Patrol Service.  It is perfectly likely that the Towent was a private yacht during peacetime that had been pressed into service at the outbreak of war in 1939.

          As part of the R.N.P.S. the yacht would have been registered at Lowestoft, the central port for all Patrol vessels.  The Axis forces knew this and targeted the port as necessary, occasionally sending U-Boats or even E-Boats on daring raids around the Norfolk port.  As a protection against this the British forces laid hundreds of thousands of mines all around the coast and in particular around Lowestoft.

          It was one of these mines that the Towent hit in the early hours of the morning on Sunday 6^th April 1941, the hapless vessel sinking with a loss of all hands.  Just before this John had met up with another local from Filey and whilst the Towent sailed to her doom John’s friend watched as she readied for departure from the harbour and then as the tragedy unfolded. 

          John was married to Doris, who later married a Chapman, and was the son of Thomas and Emma McPherson who all lived in Leeds having moved there from Filey several years earlier.