HMS Repulse survivor, 102, gives speech at National Museum of the Royal Navy 80 years after attack

Royal Marine James ‘Jim’ Wren, now 102, survived the attack on HMS Repulse 80 years ago, which is a key point of commemoration to this day.

It saw the sinking of two Royal Navy ships, HMS Repulse and HMS Prince of Wales, and the loss of 840 men.

This attack by Japanese bombers on December 10, 1941 was a disastrous blow to the British war effort.

What inspired Jim and his family to visit was the museum’s commemoration of this event, where they could see a key artefact from the ship.

In the Hear My Story (HMS) Gallery the museum had previously held a pair of bells, one from each ship, on display for a special 80th anniversary exhibition.

Jim was more than happy to share his experience of the sinking and the rest of the war, which was regrettably spent in appalling conditions in a Japanese prisoner of war camp.

Speaking during the event at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard’s site, Jim said: ‘After final training at Stonehouse barracks in Plymouth, I was assigned to HMS Repulse. She was a wonderful ship with a wonderful captain, he was a real gentleman.’

That captain was Captain Bill Tennant, who managed to survive the sinking of Repulse. Onboard HMS Repulse, Jim was involved in the North Atlantic convoy, as well as the hunt for the Bismarck.

Will Heppa, curator at the National Museum of the Royal Navy, said: ‘It was a great privilege to welcome Marine Jim Wren to the museum.

‘Jim was on board Repulse when it was repeatedly torpedoed and bombed by the Japanese Air Force off the east coast of Malaysia. The loss of Repulse and Prince of Wales left Singapore weakened and reduced British naval effectiveness in the Far East.

‘Jim enjoyed showing his family HMS Victory and the dockyard, where he worked for several years after the war.

‘He also spoke lucidly and candidly about his experiences of the sinking and his internment in Sumatra after the fall of Singapore in February 1942.’

Jim’s story has also caught the attention of the Prince of Wales, who had a portrait of him commissioned.