THE fate of two young sailors will be remembered, 60 years after their warship was torpedoed off the coast of Norway.

With Remembrance Day approaching Peter Wilkie, chairman of Atherton The Royal Naval Association, believes it is time to remember the Atherton duo's sacrifice along with that of countless other victims of war.

And an article in this month's Royal Naval Association newsletter Navy News -- recording the unveiling of a memorial to HMS Kite and her crew at Braintree -- prompted Mr Wilkie to contact the Journal with an update on a memorial to HMS Kite, the warship upon which the two Hag Fold lads were serving when it was sunk while on Russian Convoy duty during the Second World War.

The convoy was the first to leave after D-Day and was carrying vital supplies to the Soviet Union.

Mr Wilkie told the Journal: "As we are now getting close to Remembrance Sunday I thought this story might be of interest to readers as two young men from our town were killed on board.

"They were Stoker 1st Class James Clift and Able Seaman Thomas Aldred. Their names are included in the Roll of Remembrance at Atherton Cenotaph and amongst their shipmates on the Naval Memorial at Plymouth.

"HMS Kite was a Black Swan class sloop and on August 21, 1944 was escorting convoy JW.59 when she was torpedoed by the German submarine U344 south west of Bear Island in the Barents Sea."

Of 226 on board HMS Kite only 16 sailors were plucked from the icy-cold sea by HMS Keppel, but seven died from wounds and exposure before Keppel docked.

HMS Kite sank just 60 seconds after being hit. The bodies of the two Atherton pals -- 21 years-old Jimmy Clift from Car Bank Square who left Hesketh Fletcher School to work at an Atherton butcher's, and Tommy Aldred, 25, of Devonshire Road who worked at Caleb Wright's mill in Tyldesley -- were never found.

Of the two survivors still alive 81 year-old Lionel Irish had the honour of unveiling the Braintree memorial to his dead comrades.

And he recalled that tragic voyage 60 years ago: "We got hit by two torpedoes which cut the ship in two. I managed to get off by diving in. The water was bloody cold.

"I told the man next to me it was no good - I couldn't hold on.

"Don't let go he said - and the next minute he was gone. Those were his last words."

And also at the unveiling was John Bennett, who was serving on board HMS Keppel, who recalled the frantic rescue effort.

He said: "They were covered in oil and you couldn't do much. You tried to get someone and you couldn't grip anything."

HMS Kite had been targeted by U-boat 344 but the submarine crew's rejoicing was short-lived. The following day the German vessel was sent to the bottom with the loss of her crew of 50 after being attacked by a Fairey Swordfish aircraft.