Kenneth Arnold BRABYN

  Noted events in his life were:

• Obituary. Died on HMS Neptune WW2

• Burial, 1941, Chatham, Kent. UK Commonwealth War Graves Memorial Register Chatham Part 1
Brabyn E.R.A. 5C Kenneth Arnold C/MX 53082 R.N. H.M.S. Neptune 19 December 1941 aged 20 Son of Vernon Arthur and May Brabyn of Slough Buckinghamshire 46, 2

• Military Service, 1941. Kenneth Arnold Brabyn died aged 20 19/12/1941
Royal Navy Service no. C/MX 53082 Engine Room Artificer 5th Class. HMS Neptune
Grave ref 46.2 Chatham Naval Memorial

As part of Force K Neptune was sent out on 18 December 1941, to intercept a convoy bound for Tripoli, right after the brief fleet engagement at sunset known as First Battle of Sirte.
On the night of 19'9620 December, Neptune, leading the line, struck two mines, part of an Italian minefield laid by an Italian cruiser force in June 1941. The first struck the anti-mine screen, causing no damage. The second struck the bow hull. The other cruisers present, Aurora and Penelope, also struck mines.[9]
While reversing out of the minefield, Neptune struck a third mine, which took off her propellers and left her dead in the water. Aurora was unable to render assistance as she was already down to 10 knots (19 km/h) and needed to turn back to Malta. Penelope was also unable to assist.
The destroyers Kandahar and Lively were sent into the minefield to attempt a tow. The former struck a mine and began drifting. Neptune then signalled for Lively to keep clear. (Kandahar was later evacuated and scuttle with a torpedo by the destroyer Jaguar, to prevent her capture.)
Neptune hit a fourth mine and quickly capsized, killing 737 crew members. The other 30 initially survived the sinking but they too died. As a result, only one was still alive when their carley float was picked up five days later by the Italian torpedo boat Achille Papa. The sole survivor, Norman Walton, spent 15 months in an Italian prisoner of war camp. In 1991 Walton travelled to the small city of Nelson, New Zealand, to unveil a memorial to Neptune. Of the 736 that perished, 150 were New Zealand sailors, including four from Nelson. A memorial service to Neptune and her crew is held each year in Nelson.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Neptune_(20)