John McBryde

Little is known of John Smyth McBryde who was born in Port Logan, Scotland on 30 May 1896.

During World War 2 he served in numerous ships including HMAS Ipswich.

At the time of Cessnock’s collision on 8 May 1943 HMAS Ipswich was serving in the same theatre of operations. That is, on escort and anti-submarine patrol duty in the western Indian Ocean and between the Persian Gulf and India. In May 1943 she was transferred to the Mediterranean for service as a unit of the 21st Minesweeping Flotilla. In the Mediterranean she took part in the Sicily campaign and on escort and patrol duty she steamed over a wide area of the Mediterranean.

There is a strong possibility that John McBryde either witnessed the collision or had first-hand knowledge of this event in the Red Sea.