Hello Alastair, and welcome to the forum
MTB 639 belonged to the 32nd MTB Flotilla, and there is information on 639 and other boats in the flotilla in other threads in the forum which I list below. The official Admiralty listing of vessels lost at sea during the Second World War gives attack by aircraft as the reason for the boat's loss. I have drawn together the information we have from available sources such as casualty and award databases, and there is also a crew photo to be found on the Royal Navy Research Archive Archive web site which is also given below.
Associated Threads:
MTB 633
MTB 640
MTB 634, MTB 624, MGB 662
MTB 638
=========================
32nd MTB Flotilla: 633, 634, 635, 636, 637, 638, 639, 640
Crew Photo:
Crew Photo for MTB 639 on Royal Navy Research Archive, posted by Frank O’Neill
Casualties:
Lieutenant Philip Francis Stewart Gould
Navy: Royal Navy Unit: H.M.M.T.B. 639 Date: 28th April 1943 Age: 26 Burial or Memorial: Enfidaville War Cemetery (II. F. 27.) Next of Kin: Son of lt.-col. Philip Gould and Marie Agusta Gould, of Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire; Husband of Mary Gould, of Shedfield, Hampshire.
Ordinary Seaman Frank Hargreaves
Service No: D/JX 347760 Navy: Royal Navy Unit: H.M.M.T.B. 639 Date: 28th April 1943 Burial or Memorial: Plymouth Naval MemoriaL (Panel 80, Column 2.)
Lieutenant Arthur Gordan Douglas Heybyrne
Navy: Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Unit: H.M.M.T.B. 639 Date: 4th May 1943 Age: 28 Burial or Memorial: Enfidaville War Cemetery (I. D. 29.) Next of Kin: Son of Arthur James Heybyrne and Elizabeth Graham Heybyrne, of Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset; Husband of Olive Elsie Heybyrne.
Ordinary Seaman Leonard Lloyd
Service No: P/JX 347066 Navy: Royal Navy Unit: H.M.M.T.B. 639 Date: 28th April 1943 Age: 20 Burial or Memorial: Portsmouth Naval Memorial (Panel 76, Column 2.) Next of Kin: Son of Thomas and Annie J. Lloyd, of Hulme, Manchester.
Stoker 1st Class Victor Ernest Robinson
Service No: P/KX 138391 Navy: Royal Navy Unit: H.M.M.T.B. 639 Date: 28th April 1943 Age: 22 Burial or Memorial: Portsmouth Naval MemoriaL (Panel 78, Column 2.) Next of Kin: Son of Fred and Edhel Robinson, of Fairfield, Buxton, Derbyshire.
Lieutenant George Lambert Russell
Navy: Royal Navy Unit: H.M.M.T.B. 639 Date: 28th April 1943 Burial or Memorial: Portsmouth Naval Memorial (Panel 80, Column 1.)
Able Seaman Arthur Kenneth Woods
Service No: P/JX 160888 Navy: Royal Navy Unit: H.M.M.T.B. 639 Date: 28th April 1943 Age: 19 Burial or Memorial: Portsmouth Naval Memorial (Panel 76, Column 1.) Next of Kin: Son of Maj. Arthur Woods and Elsie May Woods, of Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire.
Awards:
Temporary Lieutenant George Lambert Russell RNVR MID London Gazette: 11th January 1944
Temporary Acting Sub-Lieutenant Anthony Youatt RNVR DSC London Gazette: 11th January 1944
Petty Officer Patrick Fenwick Crossey RN P/JX 126527 DSM London Gazette: 11th January 1944
CFVA Membership:
John Hargreaves (1427) Preston, Lancashire
George Lesslie (2125) Great Yarmouth, Norfolk
References:
Ships of the Royal Navy Satement of Losses (British Vessels Lost at Sea - Stephens - 1976) p26
Sunk by A/C, Central Mediterranean
Regards
Admin