Roy Cedric Taylor "Z Force Disaster"

ROY CEDRIC TAYLOR

Sub-Lieutenant (S) Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve

H.M.S. Prince of Wales.

Died 10 December 1941

Commemorated at Plymouth Naval Memorial Panel 61 Column 3

Son of Frederick and Constance Taylor, Caton, Totteridge Lane, Totteridge,

HMS Prince of Wales

On December 10, 1941, just days after the attack on Pearl Harbour, Sub-Lieutenant (S) Roy Cedric Taylor of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve lost his life when HMS Prince of Wales was sunk by Japanese aircraft off the coast of Malaya. His sacrifice and those of hundreds of his shipmates marked a pivotal moment in naval warfare that would forever change how naval powers viewed the vulnerability of capital ships to air attack.

During World War II, Roy Cedric Taylor served as a sub-Lieutenant (Supply) in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR). The RNVR was established in 1903 as an essential supplement to naval manpower. It was distinct from the Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) in welcoming civilians with no prior maritime experience. By the Second World War, the RNVR had become the primary entry route for commissioned officers joining the naval service.

Taylor was assigned to HMS Prince of Wales, one of Britain's newest and most powerful battleships. As a Supply officer (denoted by the "S" in his rank), he would have been responsible for aspects of the ship's provisioning and logistics, working under the Paymaster department. The available records do not provide details about Taylor's early life, education, or how he joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR). Still, his service placed him aboard one of the Royal Navy's most significant warships during a crucial phase of the war.

HMS Prince of Wales was a King George V-class battleship commissioned in January 1941. Despite her brief service life of less than a year, the battleship participated in several significant World War II naval actions. In May 1941, she engaged the German battleship Bismarck in the Battle of the Denmark Strait, scoring hits that forced the German vessel to abandon its raiding mission.

Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour and the beginning of the Pacific War, HMS Prince of Wales was dispatched to Singapore as part of Britain's strategy to deter Japanese aggression in Southeast Asia. The battleship arrived at Singapore on December 4, 1941, just days before the war expanded to the Pacific theatre.

After the Japanese landings at Kota Bharu in Malaya and in Thailand on December 8, 1941, Admiral Sir Tom Phillips, Commander-in-Chief of the Eastern Fleet, formed Force Z to intercept and attack the Japanese invasion forces. Force Z consisted of HMS Prince of Wales, flying Admiral Phillips' flag, the battlecruiser HMS Repulse, and four

After failing to locate the main Japanese invasion fleet, Force Z was returning to Singapore on the morning of December 10, 1941. The British ships were spotted by Japanese reconnaissance aircraft and submarines on December 9 - 10. In response, the Japanese First Air Force dispatched 88 aircraft, including 34 torpedo bombers, 51 level bombers, and three reconnaissance aircraft, to attack the British force.

At approximately 11:00 AM, the Japanese aircraft located Force Z. The attacks began with high-level bombing runs on HMS Repulse, which initially managed to evade the bombs through skilful manoeuvring. However, subsequent waves of torpedo bombers proved more effective.

While the sinking of Force Z was a tactical defeat, it offered critical strategic lessons about the changing nature of naval warfare in the age of air power.