Introduction

John Hornby moved to Tarleton with his father and was put into service at Bank Hall at Bretherton before joining the Royal Navy aged 15. He went on to lead a distinguished career of over 40 years naval service which embraced six wars. He received the British Empire Medal in 1943.

In 2001 his son, Haydn Hornby, researched, collated and documented his fathers life primarily for benefit of his immediate family; "I have wanted to write his story for some time, but it really was a question of opportunity, for I knew it would be quite a task to fill the gaps in what I already new. I wanted to check the veracity of the tales he told, to relate them to the historical facts, and to find out what his ships where doing whist he was serving in them." This compelling story of John Hornby's life is the result of the time and effort his son, Haydn, undertook to capture and record his fathers story.