Richard Ferguson Cummins was born on 29 November 1919 in Govan, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland.
In May 1936 he was appointed as a Postman Messenger in Glasgow and on 17 August 1938 he was promoted to Sorter in the London Postal Service.
He joined the Royal Navy, service number P/JX 182263 and was serving as an Able Seaman aboard HMS Wild Swan when he died, aged 22 years, on 18 June 1942.
The describes in great detail the action in which he died, but can be summarised as:- On 16 June 1942 HMS Wild Swan was escorting convoy HG84 in the Western Approaches and was detached for refuelling and passed through a group of Spanish trawlers when a squadron of Junkers Ju 88 bombers mistook them for the convoy and attacked. HMS Wild Swan shot down six German aircraft (the record for any single ship) but was seriously damaged and collided with one of the Spanish trawlers, which sank. After rescuing 11 survivors from the trawler HMS Wild Swan was herself sunk. HMS Vansittart picked up 10 officers and 123 ratings from HMS Wild Swan and 11 men from the Spanish trawler but 31 British seamen died from exposure after 15 hours in open boats.
Able Seaman Richard Ferguson Cummins was one of these 31 British seaman and he died two days later on 18 June 1942. As his body was buried at sea, he is commemorated on , on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Clarence Esplanade, Southsea, Portsmouth, Southsea, PO5 3SB.
He is shown, incorrectly, as 'CUMMINGS R.F.' on the Western Postal District war memorial, Mount Pleasant, London, WC1. He is also commemorated on the , on and on the .
Credit for this entry to: Andrew Behan.
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