Brother of Lawrence James Philpott (RNZN 7768); Lionel Ernest Philpott (1356); Michael Joseph Philpott (561803); Francis Leo (RNR)
Family recount: Prior to the late 1930s the Philpott family didn't have many ideas of war; during the Great War (WWI) our father had been exempt from service by having four children and working in semi-essential services - electricity generation. Michael, the eldest son and Clem, the third son had joined the Army Territorials, as had Burnby Hardy, husband of the eldest daughter, Mary. Fourth son Frank had gone to England on a scholarship with the N.Z. Shipping Co. to study to become a Master Mariner in the static training ship on the Thames, H.M.S. Worcester, and as he could not get home during holidays he did the normal thing and joined the Royal Naval Reserve so went on sea exercises in destroyers etc. during the holidays. Within a few days of that fateful broadcast by Prime Minister Chamberlain "...we are now therefore at war with Germany." in September 1939, those who had uniforms were on the 'your country needs you' list.
Michael served most, if not all, the war as a Lieutenant in Divisional Signals but did not leave N.Z. as he had three children, this is the same reason why his father was not conscripted in the First World War. Clem went into training mainly at Waiouru but because of the conditions he contracted serious tuberculosis and associated lung etc. problems so was invalided out into essential postal services but it didn't stop him getting married in 1942.
Ben was called up in 1941 at the age of 19 to go into the Army but of course not permitted, in that service, to go overseas until he turned 21. Frustration and general misbehaviour saw him discharged from the Army into essential industry so he ended up at the Ford Motor factory making munitions. Eldest son John had the shortest war career in the family being killed on a reconnaissance mission over the English Channel in September 1940.
Youngest son Lawrie joined the Navy after he finished school in December 1942.
Frank Philpott was the fourth son in the Philpott family but was first of the family to see action. Frank was, by the out break of war, a Cadet Officer in the Federal Lines M.V. Durham heading to England across the Atlantic Ocean when war was declared so it was no surprise when the Royal Navy gave him the 'come hither' call, with the rank of Sub-Lieutenant R.N.R., aged 19. He was drafted to H.M.S. Iron Duke, a retired battleship moored in Scapa Flow as a static depot ship. This old battlewagon was one of the few ships the enemy bombers could find when they raided the famous Naval anchorage on 17 October 1939 - the main elements of the fleet were at sea on exercises or at Lock Ewe and the other battleship H.M.S. Royal Oak had been torpedoed and sunk in the Flow three days earlier. From Iron Duke he joined H.M.S. Worcestershire, a peacetime passenger ship requisitioned by the R.N. and converted to an Armed Merchant Cruiser (AMC) for service in the North Sea as part of the Northern Patrol, attempting to stop German raiders, submarines and their supply ships from preceding from their home bases to the Atlantic and beyond. These ships were very vulnerable, having no such warning devices as ADIC or RADAR. Most famous of these was the Rawalpindi, sunk by gunfire, but several were sunk by torpedo. Worcestershire also was struck by a torpedo but survived to reach port and was later converted to carry on her war service as a troop ship. While on survivor's leave the evacuation of Dunkirk took place. Twice Frank went in small ships to Dunkirk, being sunk both times and being rescued unconscious from the sea by a boathook, the scar of which he retained for many years. One of the vessels he took to Dunkirk was a tugboat bearing the famous name Sir Donald Bradman.
It was back to sea again, this time as 1st Lieutenant of a Flower Class Corvette, H.M.S. Tulip, fitted out for service in Atlantic Convoys. A trip on a Russian convoy in the rescue escort vessel St. Elstan was followed by a draft to the old destroyer H.M.S. Scout, then attached to the British East Indies fleet based on Vishakhapatnam and Colombo. In late 1942 he was granted a temporary transfer (for a rest!) to the H.M.N.Z.S Inchkeith with the rank of Lieutenant. In June 1944 he returned to the U.K. for further duty with the R.N. arriving just after the Normandy landings. Piloting and Acting Harbour Master of Boulogne had its moments, mainly dodging mines. His last assignment with the R.N. was - following promotion to Lieutenant Commander - to join H.M.S. Leonian, a net layer converted merchant ship, to take her to join the British Pacific Fleet on the China Coast. The day his ship arrived to anchor in Hong Kong harbour in December 1945, younger brother Lawrie was about to depart in H.M.S. Reaper on passage to Australia and then return to N.Z. Frank arrived back home in August 1946 and soon after married ex Wren Betty Ross. He joined the Union Steamship Co. as a deck officer and eventually gained his own command, that of Captain of the M.V. Kanna before being appointed a Nautical Surveyor with the Marine Dept.
He died at Pats Place Resthome, aged 77 years in July 1997. His funeral service was held at Pyes Pa Crematorium Chapel, Tauranga followed by burial. AWMM