WW2 sailors tribute 'blocked' by the MoD and the Foreign Office

Tribute to 800 sailors lost in one of Britain’s worst naval disasters of the Second World War is ‘blocked’ by the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign Office

  • Dominic Tweddle wanted to commemorate the sinking of two ships during WW2
  • The HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse were sunk by the Japanese in 1941

Museum chiefs are battling with the government over plans for a memorial for 800 sailors lost in one of Britain’s worst naval disasters of the Second World War.

Professor Dominic, the head of the National Museum of the Royal Navy, said the Ministry of Defence and Foreign Office had blocked his plans to commemorate the sinking of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse by the Japanese in 1941.

Prof Tweddle wanted to bring up artefacts from the shipwrecks in the Pacific to create a memorial in Portsmouth but said he was ‘somewhat disappointed with the response that the MoD wants it to stay in Malaysia for some unknown reason.’

Earlier this year it emerged that the Prince of Wales had been targeted by Chinese pirates who had looted material from the ship. 

The authorities in Malaysia recovered much of the stolen objects, which Mr Tweddle wants to bring back to Britain.

Professor Dominic Tweddle (pictured), the head of the National Museum of the Royal Navy, is battling with the government over plans for a memorial for 800 sailors lost in one of Britain’s worst naval disasters of the Second World War

Prof Tweddle said the Ministry of Defence and Foreign Office had blocked his plans to commemorate the sinking of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse (pictured) by the Japanese in 1941

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence said: ‘We are working closely with appropriate authorities and partners to ensure the future preservation of the recovered artefacts.

‘We consider these sunken British warships to be the final resting place of our servicemen who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country and have engaged with the local and regional authorities to ensure that our position is understood.’

The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office declined to comment .

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