Three Malcolms have sailed the high seas

WHICH film tops the all-time box office record in the UK?

I realise cinema ticket prices are more expensive that they were in the ’30s and ’40s when so many people used to go on an almost daily basis, so I’d like to know which movie most people have gone to see. – P.

The British Film Institute published a list charting sound films that generated the most admissions at cinemas in the UK in the 20th Century.

Tiop of the list, with 35,000,000 admissions was 1940’s Gone With The Wind, folowed by 1965’s The Sound Of Music (30m) and Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (28m), released in 1938.

Since the turn of the 21st Century, the BFI has only compiled a chart by box office revenue, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens tops the list with gross takings of £125 million, followed by two James Bond movies, Skyfall (£109.4m) and Spectre (£96m).

I’VE been reading a war history which fleetingly mentioned Operation Terminal, an assault on the African port of Algiers.

The two ships that took part were HMS Malcolm and HMS Broke and, as my name is Malcolm, I’d like to know a little about my namesake, please. – M.

There have been three Royal Navy ships bearing the name, in honour of Admiral Sir Pulteney Malcolm (1768-1838).

The first was an Admiralty V-class destroyer leader, laid down at Denny in 1916. However, before she was launched in 1917, her name was changed to HMS Valkyrie.

The second was launched at Cammell Laird, Birkenhead, on May 29, 1919.

On November 8, 1942, she took part in Operation Terminal, a landing of infantry into the Vichy French city of Algiers with the intention of capturing the port facilities before they could be destroyed.

Sadly, the Vichy French defenders opened fire and Malcom was hit by a shell and severely damaged, killing 10 of her crew.

She was forced to retreat and played no further part in the operation, which failed as HMS Broke was also hit, and sank two days later.

HMS Malcolm survived the war, but was decommisioned in 1945.

The third HMS Malcolm was a frigate, launched in 1955 and decommisioned in 1978, shortly after taking part in the Cod Wars, a fishing dispute with Iceland in the early ’70s.