British Cemetery - Ocracoke, NC, USA
During World War II, Great Britain loaned the armed trawler HMT Bedfordshire and her British and Canadian crew to the US to help protect our shores. On 5/11/1942, the Bedfordshire was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-558, killing all 37 sailors. The US Coast Guard recovered four bodies and identified two. The two identified sailors are Sub Luitenant Thomas Cunningham and Telegraphist Stanley R. Craig.
In 1976, the Ocracoke and Hatteras British Cemeteries were leased to the United Kingdom in perpetuity for long as the interred bodies remain there. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission handles formal custody while the US Coast Guard and Ocracoke residents maintain the cemetery.
202104251437522021 AvonBritish CemeteryD7200DailyPhotoGerman UBoat U558Günther KrechHMS BedfordshireHMT BedfordshireHyde CountyHyde County North CarolinaNorth CarolinaOBXOcracokeOcracoke Hyde CountyOcracoke IslandOrdinary Telegraphist Stanley CraigOuter BanksOuter Banks of North CarolinaPaul DimingSpringSubLieutenant Thomas CunninghamU558World War IIbarrier islandbarrier islandscemeteryhistorichistoryisland