Girl’s tribute to great grandfather who told Prince Philip he couldn’t smoke

A SCHOOLGIRL made bunting for VE Day to commemorate her great grandfather, writes Axel Fithen.

Sophia Luijten, six, a pupil at St Mary’s School in St Andrew’s Road, Henley, wanted to honour those who served in the Second World War, particularly Richard “Gordon” Robinson, who died in 2018, aged 92. He served in the Royal Navy from the age of 17 and saw action while accompanying Russian convoys to Murmansk.

He served on the destroyer HMS Wrangler in the Mediterranean for several months and was assigned to the Far East by late 1944. Mr Robinson used to speak about how he slung his hammock on Bombay station and once skippered a small launch taking Prince Philip to shore.

The prince asked if he could smoke and Mr Robinson politely said “no” because it was prohibited. HMS Wrangler went on to be one of the destroyers that accompanied the USS Missouri, the aircraft carrier which accepted the Japanese surrender in August 1945.

Mr Robinson was awarded several medals, including the Italy Star and the Burma Star. He went on to become a chief superintendent with Hampshire Police. He was married to his wife Daphne for 67 years and they had two children.

He enjoyed seeing his four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren grow up and used to tell them stories from his war service.