|
Captain Dudley William Mason GC
Elizabeth (surname unknown), daughter of Sarah Ann Wren married Dudley William Mason.
Aged 39 Captain Dudley Mason skippered the oil tanker Ohio during Operation Pedestal in WWII to relieve Malta from the German and Italian blockade. The Ohio was a prime target for the Axis planes, boats and submarines. She was abandoned twice and each time Captain Mason and his crew went back on-board and recovered her. Their action was a pivotal moment in WWII. He was awarded the George Cross for his bravery.
A reunion celebrating the 60th anniversary of Operation Pedestal took place in Valetta, Malta in September 2002. Dr. Paul Borg Oliver, Mayor of Valletta gave a speech to confer honorary citizenship of Valetta on all Operation Pedestal veterans in which he said: "During this operation, the Ohio, alone, was singled
out, ferociously attacked by the enemy. She was torpedoed and holed, fire broke
out, her boilers blew up and her engines failed. She was twice abandoned and
twice reboarded. Repeated attempts to tow failed, but the tanker did not sink,
Ohio with the help of all the other vessels in the operation shaped the fate of
Malta."
|
