Tommy Gould VC

Thomas William Gould, submariner: born Dover, Kent 28 December 1914; VC 1942; married 1941 Phyllis Eldridge (died 1985; one son); died Peterborough, Cambridgeshire 6 December 2001.

For the longest 40 minutes of his life, Petty Officer Tommy Gould lay on his back clutching an unexploded bomb, while being pulled by his shoulders through the casing of the submarine Thrasher. He was aware throughout this nerve-racking task not only of strange noises emanating from the bomb, but that in the event of an enemy attack the submarine would have to crash-dive and both men would be drowned. For this remarkable feat of courage, along with Lieutenant Peter Roberts, Gould was awarded a Victoria Cross: the only one to be awarded to a Jewish serviceman in the Second World War.

On 16 February 1942, under the command of Lt H.S. Mackenzie, Thrasher sank a supply ship off the north coast of Crete but was immediately attacked by enemy aircraft and heavily depth-charged by the escorting anti-submarine vessels for three and a half hours. Through skilful work by its captain, Thrasher managed to survive the attack but while it was on the surface that night recharging its batteries, an unusual banging noise was heard. This proved to be two bombs, each about three feet long, six inches in diameter and weighing 100lb, that were lying on the submarine's casing just in front of the four-inch gun mounting.

Roberts and Gould volunteered to remove the bombs. Gould, as Coxswain, was in charge of everything involved with the casing which enclosed a tangle of pipes, wires and other gear. When they reached the first bomb they wrapped it in an old potato sack and tied it with rope. They cautiously manhandled it forward to the bows where they dropped it overboard. As they did so, Thrasher went full astern to get clear.

The second bomb proved to be far more difficult. After an examination of the casing the two men found a jagged hole in the metal; inside was the bomb, resting on top of the pressure hull. There was no practical way to recover the bomb through the hole it had made. The only way was through a hinged metal grating trap-door. Gould was to recall:

To get to the bomb we had to wiggle forward through the outer casing. In that confined space there were angle irons to hold the superstructure up, battery ventilators and drop bollards as well. When we got through, I saw that it was another heavy bomb, about 100lb.

Then began a nightmarish journey back through the casing, which at points gave only two feet clearance from the hull:

I picked up the bomb and passed it through to Roberts. I then laid on my back with the bomb on my stomach, and held on to it while he laid on his stomach with his head to my head pulling me by my shoulders. It was pitch dark and the bomb was making this ticking noise while the submarine was being buffeted by the waves.

Also at the back of their minds was the thought that if the submarine was attacked, the captain would have no option but to dive, the unpressurised casing would fill up with water and the two men would drown. After a gruelling 40 minutes they got to the grating. The bomb was then passed up to a sub- lieutenant who was waiting on the forecasing. The bomb was wrapped in sacking and gingerly lowered over the side by ropes.

When we knew it was on the surface of the water we let it go, heaving lines as well. Then we ducked and waited for the explosion, but nothing happened – it obviously could not have been primed.

On 29 June 1943 Gould received his Victoria Cross from King George VI who commented, "I bet it was cold."

Gould's father, Reuben, was lost in action in 1916 before Tommy was two years old. Tommy Gould was educated at St James School, Dover, and joined the Royal Navy in 1933 and went into the submarine service three years later. During the war he experienced the horror of being trapped on the ocean floor in the Dutch East Indies as well as being bombed by the RAF off Alexandria. But Gould loved the camaraderie of submarine life and, after being invalided out of the Navy in 1945, maintained an interest in the Navy and with the Jewish community. In 1946 he was in the front row of the Jewish ex-servicemen's march through London to protest against the government's policy towards the Jews in Palestine.

He became a Lieutenant with the Bromley branch of the Sea Cadets. For many years he was Chief Personnel Manager with Great Universal Stores. He was very proud to have been elected President of the International Submarine Association of Great Britain. He was also an active member of the Victoria and George Cross Association.

Gould was a smart, dapper man who in his later years wore an impressive naval beard. His Victoria Cross was sold at Sotheby's in 1987 for £48,400 and purchased by the Association of Jewish ex-servicemen.

Max Arthur