Peter Scawen Watkinson Roberts

Risked drowning to clear two bombs from a surfaced submarine

Peter Scawen Watkinson Roberts was born at Chesham Bois, Buckinghamshire, on 28 July 1917. Educated at the King's School, Canterbury, he entered the Royal Navy in 1935. He became a midshipman in 1936 and served in HMS Shropshire before transferring to submarines in September 1939. He was promoted to lieutenant that November and served in H32 and HMS Tribune.

In January 1941 Roberts became first lieutenant of HMS Thrasher. Based at Alexandria, the submarine patrolled the Mediterranean under Lieutenant Hugh Mackenzie. On 16 February 1942, off the north coast of Crete, Thrasher attacked an escorted supply ship and endured bombing and depth charges. After surfacing, the crew discovered two unexploded bombs lodged in and beneath the gun casing.

Roberts and Petty Officer Thomas William Gould volunteered to remove them. They moved the first bomb forward and dropped it overboard. The second lay inside a cramped space above the pressure hull. Crawling into the casing, the two men worked together to drag it roughly twenty feet to an opening where it could be removed. Each movement produced an alarming metallic sound. They knew that an enemy attack could force Thrasher to crash-dive, leaving them trapped outside the pressure hull to drown. Nevertheless, they completed the task and disposed of the bomb.

Both men received the Victoria Cross. Roberts' award was announced in the London Gazette on 9 June 1942. He also received the Distinguished Service Cross for his Mediterranean submarine service.

Roberts subsequently returned to general naval service, serving in the destroyer HMS Beagle and at the torpedo establishment HMS Vernon. Later appointments included HMS Black Prince in the Pacific and HMS Cardigan Bay in Korean waters. Promoted to lieutenant-commander on 16 November 1947, he continued serving until his retirement on 28 July 1962.

He settled in Devon and died at Newton Ferrers on 8 December 1979. His ashes were interred in the churchyard there.