Royal Navy Research Archive

Mykyta Kontsevyi

Sat, 24 Jan 2026 13:07:47 +0000

Hi! You're write: "...Cell 77 next to Cumberlege (Mike was probably in cell 75) was occupied by a Ukrainian resistance leader called Tara Bulba-Borovets.

Correct name Taras :smile:

In any case, an interesting and so good article. I am Ukrainian and recently read the book by Taras Bulba-Borovets' - "Army without a State" where he mentions the famous British sailor Mike Cumberlege. I really became interested in his fate. Start searching and find!!! your article! Taras Bulba-Borovets' was really friends with him and you can see how with biggest sadness he remembers Mike... Eternal memory to him.

Philip Williams

Sun, 04 Sep 2022 23:19:45 +0100

My Grandfather was a member of the group that got off crete in May of 42 in the Saunders/Cumberledge group. Marked as F Jerome ( Francisco Jeronimo, Layforce). He went back to the commandos and end ended up in 2 SAS. Settled in Cardiff after the war.

Bonny Cother

Mon, 20 Feb 2017 23:35:32 +0000

Thank you for the promise of most interesting reading. Robin Knight, my father is Patrick Corfe Cother, RNVR WWII Tony Drury has him on the naval web page. My great grandfather, was a Richard Knight born 1830 in Seaford near Brighton.

Tony

Fri, 23 Sep 2016 14:43:16 +0100

This article has been updated – the story of how the additional material came about is very interesting, it is truly international internet collaboration involving researchers in three countries.

An historian Andy Titov in Kiev, Ukraine, came across the Cumberlege story. Something clicked because he recalled a reference to Cumberlege in the autobiography of Taras Bulba-Borovets, a Ukrainian resistance leader in WW11. This book was published in Ukrainian in 1981 by the Ukrainian diaspora in Winnipeg, Canada and has not been translated into English or French. Bulba-Borovets was in Sachsenhausen with Cumberlege throughout 1944 and actually had the cell next to Mike in the Zellenbau block. He survived the war, emigrated to Canada in 1948, and died in 1981 as his memoir was published.

With the assistance of Platon Alexiades (in Montreal), and an awful Google translation, Robin and Andy have been able to piece together more facts about life in Sachsenhausen as Cumberlege experienced it.

Robin Knight

Fri, 16 Sep 2016 11:05:47 +0100

Andy (from Ukraine) - many thanks for your message. It would be wonderful to see your material about your compatriot who was in the Zellenbau block. My email address is k7ght@btinternet.com so you can send what you have there. MANY THANKS!

Andy

Thu, 15 Sep 2016 23:57:15 +0100

Hello, Robin!
Excellent job to preserve UK navy heroes' history. Though I've got no connection to it (I'm Ukrainian) I read your articles with great pleasure. And there is still a connection of Mike Cumberlege to Ukraine... He was imprisoned in Sachsenhausen camp together with Ukrainian liberation movement hero Bulba-Borovets, leader of Polisska Sich. They were in neighbouring solitary prison cells in "Zellenbau" block, and knew each other well. Bulba-Borovets has great recollections of Mike and if you're interested in it - just feel free to use my mail and I'll share details of it. Kind regards,
Andy

Platon Alexiades

Tue, 13 Sep 2016 13:25:02 +0100

Mr. Katsarou,

You may contact me directly at:
palexiad@sympatico.ca

Platon Alexiades

E. Katsarou

Tue, 13 Sep 2016 01:13:13 +0100

Dear Mr Alexiades,
I am researching an event that happened in Southern Peloponnese on April 29, 1941 (German airplanes sank a Greek boat, 7 Allied soldiers were killed and about 20 were captured). A gentleman from the "Brotherhood of the Veterans of the Greek Campaign 1940-41" has suggested that I contact you, since you are an expert in what happened in Greece at that time. I was wondering if you could contact me, by email, so that I can give you more details. Maybe you can help me? Thank you.

Tony Drury

Fri, 06 Mar 2015 09:47:57 +0000

The caption ‘from the Leopold Mitchell RNVR (South African Division) collection’ refers to the private photo album of the gentleman of the same name. He served with the Levant Schooner Flotilla later in the war and the collection contains many photos of Greek caiques used by the RN in the Eastern Mediterranean the story of the Levant Schooner Flotilla is a pending project, and many more photos will be made available in the finished piece.

Robin Knight

Fri, 06 Mar 2015 07:20:22 +0000

Tony Drury, who runs this site, included this image, by the way - maybe he can tell you more about it Alan

Robin Knight

Fri, 06 Mar 2015 07:16:17 +0000

Alan,

News to me too!

Incidentally, I'm producing a booklet about Mike Cumberlege shortly with a slightly expanded text and many more photos. Should be out in May.

Alan Harris

Thu, 05 Mar 2015 18:27:43 +0000

Hi Robin - first time I have seen the reference to the Leopold Mitchell RNVR (South African Division) Collection - please advise where this is and under whose control.Many thanks. Go well.

Platon Alexiades

Wed, 21 Jan 2015 13:26:29 +0000

You might be interested by the book "Target Corinth Canal 1940-1944" to be published on 30.04.2015: http://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Target-Corinth-Canal-19401944-Hardback/p/10339

Robin Knight

Sun, 21 Dec 2014 18:38:38 +0000

Many thanks - I would love to receive your grandfather's memories of Mike Cumberlege. Please email me at k7ght@btinternet.com

Robin Knight

Sun, 21 Dec 2014 18:33:54 +0000

Thank you - but I'm not sure Mr. Kotsis is an entirely reliable source

Dais Panagiotis

Sat, 19 Jul 2014 19:25:18 +0100

I am coming from Greece and the last few years i collect also information about operation Locksmith. There is a book written by a member of the greek team "MIDAS 614", named Spiros Kotsis, who describes in detail about what happened then and there are many details that you don't know and you don,t refer. Kotsis describes a completely different story, but in the end Cumberlede's team really is being betrayed and arrested from a german submarine.

Kyriakos Vergos

Fri, 23 May 2014 03:05:46 +0100

Dear Robin,
My father knew Mike Camberledge quite well, apparently my grandfather was a close friend and a comprade in arms (please see the last paragraph of the HMS Wryneck entry in Wikipedia). My father is 84 years old and has spoken fondly of Mike to us; I have no doubt that he will be very happy to speak to you of his memories of Mike. You may respond to my e-mail address above at any time. Kind regards,
Kyriakos Vergos

Robin Knight

Tue, 22 Apr 2014 09:59:19 +0100

One correction thanks to Robert Hall - Escampador and Hedgehog conveyed rescued Allied troops direct to ports in the Mideast/North Africa rather than to RN vessels offshore Crete

Robert Hall

Sat, 19 Apr 2014 19:26:34 +0100

I've spent the last nine years researching this - they never transferred escapees to other vessels, doing it all themselves. I think Platon would agree with me; also Ian Fraser, author of "On the Run - ANZAC Escape and evasion in Enemy-occupied Crete".

Robin Knight

Sat, 19 Apr 2014 11:30:45 +0100

Sometimes yes, sometimes no according to my reading of the files.

Robert Hall

Fri, 18 Apr 2014 19:39:53 +0100

Excellent work - but where did you get the idea that Hedgehog and Escampador were ferrying rescued troops to other vessels further out to sea? That was the original plan, but in the end it was these very small vessels which did the complete trip from Africa to Crete and back.