Jim Wren, 105, is the last living survivor from the sinkings of the HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse warships in 1941.
THERE is only one last living survivor from the sinkings of the HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse warships in 1941 – that is, 105-year-old Jim Wren.
Thus, it has become more crucial than ever that the memories of the two ships and those who lost their lives on them are properly preserved and honoured, says retired British Army officer Major General Patrick Cordingley, who is on the board of trustees of the UK-based Maritime Archaeology Sea Trust (MAST).
“The stories of those who have died will be passed on by all the relations in the years to come.
“Those stories are about the terrible loss of so many comrades not only when the ships sank but also of the death of yet more mates at the hands of the Japanese.
“They tell of the concern for their loved ones at home, not knowing for over three years that they were still alive,” he says, referencing some survivors who became prisoners of war for several years following the sinking of the ships.
“HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse should never be forgotten,” he adds.
That is also why the survivors were very dismayed when it was reported that the HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse – designated as war graves – had been desecrated by illegal salvaging activities, especially when reports also suggested that human remains was allegedly discovered among the salvage.
This involved a Chinese-flagged vessel reportedly found with scrap metal and rusted armaments believed to be plundered from HMS Prince of Wales on board, which was detained by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency in Johor in 2023.
“When the survivors were initially informed by the media that there were human remains amongst the scrap, we immediately told the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
“The reply was they were waiting to be asked to go to Malaysia to help identify the remains using DNA.
“This apparently is still the case,” laments Cordingley, who served in the British Army from 1965 to 2000.
The British are demanding for the allegedly found human remains to be returned to the UK.
Besides the concern over the human remains, MAST, Wren and other supporters of the cause have also called for the return of the HMS Prince of Wales’ anchor.
Cordingley says the anchor of a ship, whether sunk or decommissioned, is an iconic symbol of safety, stability and hope that honours the sailors who served on her.
“It is a memorial, not a museum piece. The HMS Prince of Wales’ anchor is even more so,” he says, citing then British prime minister Winston Churchill’s quote after receiving news of the ships’ sinking as a symbol of the anchor’s significance.
At the time, Churchill reportedly wrote, “In all the war, I never received a more direct shock. As I turned and twisted in bed, the full horror of the news sank in upon me.
“There were no British or American capital ships in the Indian Ocean or the Pacific, except the American remnants at Pearl Harbour, and now this had gone.
“Over this vast expanse of waters, Japan was supreme and we everywhere were weak and naked.”
Cordingley believes that the return of the anchor is about “respect, dignity and remembrance” and that the anchor would be placed at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, which is visited by hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.
“It is not a museum display,” he stresses.
However, the ongoing investigation into the 2023 illegal salvaging case in Malaysia is making the already complex issue – involving legal jurisdiction, heritage preservation and respect for the deceased – even more complicated.
Then in a June 4, 2025 written parliamentary reply, the British Defence Ministry (MOD) said it had not received any information to suggest any human remains have been found.
Later in the same month, on June 24, the MOD confirmed in another written reply that investigations into the illegal salvage are still ongoing, and they are unable to provide a response regarding the presence of human remains until the investigations have concluded.
The Malaysian Attorney-General’s Chambers did not respond to Sunday Star’s query on the latest progress on the case.
The National Heritage Department also declined to comment on this matter, citing the ongoing case.
Cordingley meanwhile says there needs to be better protection of the wreck sites, and moots using satellite surveillance to better monitor them.
“They were famous wrecks and also grave sites.
“Divers around the world wanted to visit them and pay respects. They were also reefs that supported sea life; good for fishermen and the environment.
“When destroyed, no one benefits.”
