NAVY NEWS, AUGUST 2007 31
History Wartime
lesson on destroyer
role of database
the RND is online
THE Battle of the Somme is
A DATABASE of all destroyer
commemorated every year in
men lost during World War 2 has
Northern Ireland, the main event
been placed on the HMS Cavalier
being held on July 1 in Belfast –
website.
the date of the start of the bloody
The initial labour of love was
campaign.
undertaken by Eric Smith, of
District commemorations take
Polperro in Cornwall.
place on the Sunday preceding,
The fact that HMS Cavalier, in
Chatham Historic Dockyard, is a
and during the preparations for
memorial to the men lost during
one such event National Council
that war prompted members of
member for No 12 Area (Ireland)
the HMS Cavalier Association
S/M Ivan Hunter was asked why
to convert the documents into
the RN was taking part in what
a computer database which was
was considered an Army event.
searchable.
He explained that in addition to
HMS Cavalier Association
remembering the 5,000 Ulstermen
chairman Barry Knell said: “We
who died on the first day of the
wanted it to be free and accessible,
battle, and to standing alongside
particularly for people searching
comrades from the other Services,
for details of relatives.
the Navy has good reason to be “It may also be useful for
there. veterans trying to locate details of
Ever since the RN was formed, their lost oppos.”
Naval Brigades have gone ashore Eric lent his written records for
to fight land battles, and in 1914 ● Standards are paraded at the Woking branch Veterans Day event, which also marked the 25th anniversary of the Falklands Confl ict several months while members
the idea of the RN Brigade was of the HMS Cavalier Association
taken further and the RN Division converted the data for nearly
formed.
Initially the Division consisted
of men waiting in barracks for
a ship to join, supplemented by
reservists – men trained to fight at
sea who instead found themselves Woking honours the
11,000 records.
This has now been put on to the
www.hmscavalier.org.uk website
by webmaster Ron Rymer.
The search engine is on the left-
hand side of the home page and is
fighting in the mud and trenches
designed to be user-friendly.
of the Somme and elsewhere.
You can enter a search on any
The sacrifice of the Division at
the Somme and other battles can
be seen in the region today – Tyne
Cot cemetery alone, near Ypres,
in Belgium, has a memorial to
more than 200 sailors who have South Atlantic fallen
forename, surname or name of
ship, and having obtained a match
the site will display the age, rank,
awards, ship name and where he
was lost or is buried.
By clicking on the line
no known graves.
underneath you will get a link
The RN Division – redesignated
which shows a picture of the ship,
the 63rd (Royal Naval) Division in
her details and history, as well as
WOKING branch celebrated
with 21 standards from local
branch, the Rev Barry Grimster, fighting in the South Atlantic.
the latitude and longitude where
1916 – was disbanded in 1920.
Veterans Day with a parade
veterans organisations and
conducted the service at the war Finally a Combined Services
she was lost or now lies.
S/M Hunter, along with East
through the town, not only to
many ex-Service personnel
memorial, which was followed by wreath was laid in memory of all
Other search parameters
Antrim branch colleagues Gwen
mark the day of recognition
who came to lend their
the Last Post, the Exhortation, the veterans who lost their lives in all
include entering a ship name to
Corry (vice chairman), Peter Kohima Prayer and the Reveille. conflicts.
get a complete list of all those lost
Corry (standard bearer) and but also to commemorate
support.
The Mayor of Woking, Cllr Following a moving service,
with her.
Joe McWilliams (PRO/Welfare),
Some came from as far as
the 25th anniversary of the
Greenwich to take part in the
Bryan Cross, laid a wreath in the Mayor of Woking took the
represented the Association at
Falklands Conflict. service and march-past.
memory of the men who died in salute at the march-past, with
the County Antrim memorial
The parade assembled
The Gordon School band
the Falklands Conflict.
the procession making its way
Harrogate
service at the war memorial in
outside Boots the Chemist,
ably led the parade into the
This was followed by a wreath
through the town back to the
Knockagh.
Town Square, watched by a large
laid on behalf of the RNA in
Railway Club, where refreshments
crowd.
memory of all shipmates and
were made available to all those pays visit
££50 PRIZE PUZZLE50 PRIZE PUZZLE
The chaplain of the Woking
Royal Marines who died in the
veterans who took part.
to Ypres
Castle still stands
MEMBERS of Harrogate and
District branch travelled to
Belgium to visit World War 1
battlefields and the European
Parliament, thanks to a £5,000
FORMER HMS St George ‘old
lottery grant from Awards for All
boys’ may be interested to see the
which helped cover travel and
last surviving building of the camp
accommodation costs.
which they once knew so well.
The group met Yorkshire
J Galt served at the Isle of
MEPs for a short question-and-
Man establishment as a boy from
answer session at the European
March 1940 until June 1941 – one
Parliament in Brussels.
of some 8,000 who passed through
Then it was off to Ypres, where
its gates.
they visited the In Flanders Field
The land, at Douglas, was
museum. They also toured a
once occupied by Cunningham’s
number of battlefields.
THE mystery – even enigmatic
Holiday Camp; the camp was
At the Essex Farm cemetery
– ship in our June edition (right)
founded in 1904 but the castle
there is a memorial to the
was HMS Fidelity, which was Yorkshire West Riding Division,
sunk off the Azores by U-435.
celebrates its centenary this year.
as a number of soldiers are buried
The £50 prize goes to J Garvie
The castle stands at the foot
there, and the group also saw
of Woodbridge in Suffolk.
HMS Nelson, Portsmouth PO1 3HH. of the one-time parade ground,
the recently-discovered Yorkshire
This month’s ship (above) was
Coupons giving correct answers will
and was reputed to be where boys
go into a prize draw to establish a
Trench and Dug-out, unearthed
sold to an Asian navy in the early
caught smoking were given six
winner.
during excavations for a new
1990s and is still around today Closing date for entries is
cuts of the cane.
business park.
– with a name familiar to the RN September 14. More than one entry
The building bears the war
Finally the group attended the
minesweeper community of the
can be submitted, but photocopies memorial to those of HMS St
poignant Last Post Ceremony at
not-too-distant past.
cannot be accepted. Do not include George who died in World War 2,
the Menin Gate on the edge of
We want to know her name
anything else in your envelope: no
in the form of a brass plaque.
correspondence can be entered into
Ypres city centre.
when she was in the RFA flotilla,
and no entry returned.
The staff of a nearby office, ILS
S/M Fred Thompson proudly
● The castle at the former HMS St George
and her name now. The correct
The winner will be announced in
Group, decided to give the old
paraded the British Standard and
answers could win you £50. our October edition. The competition
castle a clean-up, and set to it with S/M Doug Pointon, escorted by S/
Complete the coupon and send is not open to Navy News employees paint brushes. Ms David Girt and Tony Edwards,
it to Mystery Picture, Navy News, or their families. Two women promised to take Altmark survivor is guest laid a poppy wreath.
over the job of cleaning the plaque Secretary Doug Pointon said:
MYSTERY PICTURE 150
– relieving S/M Galt of a self-
THE Guest of Honour at the Association has started planning
“Everyone enjoyed the trip and
imposed duty he has undertaken
16th annual reunion of the HMS for a notable remembrance event.
many commented on how moved
for the past 20 years or so.
Cossack Association in Worthing Coincidentally, the guest
they were, some to tears, at the
was Noel Bevan, believed to be speaker at the AGM was the
Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
cemeteries.”
Final donation
the sole surviving prisoner rescued officer-in-charge of the Board
during the Altmark incident. and Search Unit at HMS Raleigh,
Name added
Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
THE winding-up of a ship
He was able to relate the story whose training building is named
association has provided a welcome
of the Merchant Navy personnel after Cossack. MEMBERS of Bolton branch
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
boost to the coffers of a charity.
who were transferred to Altmark If anyone has any information or have attended a ceremony at the
The HMS Bigbury Bay
as prisoners when their ships were ideas that could be considered in Dunscar War Memorial near the
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Association was forced to close sunk by the Graf Spee. the planning for 2010 could they town to honour the memory of
after members found it difficult to He could also give a first-hand contact the Association secretary John Stroud, killed aboard HMS
attend reunions. account of the famous boarding on 01252 613052, or see website Glamorgan during the Falklands
My answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Club treasurer Ron Hale has of the Altmark, to the cry “The www.hmscossack.org Confl ict.
now sent a cheque for £486.05 Navy’s here!”, by sailors from HMS Contact with any members of John’s name was added to the
– the final amount in the Cossack to release the captives. the ship’s companies of either memorial at a ceremony also
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . association’s bank account – to the 2010 will represent 70 years L03 or D57 would also be attended by Chorley Sea Cadets, of
Royal Naval Benevolent Trust. since the incident, and the appreciated. which John was once a member.
0030-031_NN_July.indd 230-031_NN_July.indd 2 225/7/07 14:30:245/7/07 14:30:24
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