Help understanding RNZNVR service record

Discussion in 'The War at Sea' started by Brent Tandy, Feb 22, 2023.

  1. Brent Tandy

    Brent Tandy Member

    Hello,

    My father's cousin served in WW2 from 1941 to the end of the war with the RNZNVR. He trained in the Fleet Air Arm in England and looking at the service record he trained at multiple shore establishments and was trained in LCT and served on two LCT530, LCT 535. He got to the rank of Lieutenant. This is all very new to me and I struggle to read some of the notes on his service record. I am posting them here in the hope that something might be able to give me a hand filling in the gaps. I've included images of the service record.

    I have it as:
    April 1941 St Vincent - 5 months training
    Sept 1941 Daedalus - 2 weeks
    Oct 1941 Raleigh and HMS Albrighton (which I think was a ship not a shore establishment) 11 months
    Sept 1942 King Alfred - 2 weeks becomes sub lieutenant
    Oct 1942 ??? - can't make place out and the dates are incomplete but he went here for LCT training
    COPRA - for quite a while (dates not completed) but was with LCT 535
    Nov 1944 - propmotedto Lieutenant
    Victory - dates not complete
    Oct 1945 ??? - can't make place out
    Cook III - to end of service (can't find this place online at all)

    In his medical report in Feb 46 he listed the following stations and names of ships
    Home: HMS Albrighton HMML 275
    HMS St Vincent HMS Raleigh
    HMS Darske (can't really read it - could be Drake but spelling is wrong) Rating
    HMLCT 535 Ist Lieut
    Med: HMLCT 530 1st Lieut

    Also if possible to work out from this info where he was likely to be serving? He got the Italy Star, Atlantic Star and Defence Medals.

    Many thanks, Brent

    I forgot to add a place Sept 1945 Lochinvar
     

    Attached Files:

  2. Steve49

    Steve49 Boycott P&O...

    You are correct about HMS Albrighton being a ship, it was a Hunt Class destroyer.

    HMS Albrighton, escort destroyer (naval-history.net)

    If I read the record correct and he joined in May 1942, he was probably onboard when the destroyer took part in Operation Jubilee (the Dieppe Raid) on 19th August 1942. Albrighton was very active during the day, shooting in support of Canadians ashore and return being hit by one German shell and near missed by several more (which wounded five crew). Towards the end of the operation, the destroyer also had the melancholy task of scuttling sister ship HMS Berkeley.

    Regards,

    Steve
     
  3. Hugh MacLean

    Hugh MacLean Senior Member

    Hi and welcome,

    HMS DINOSAUR was the Combined Operations base at Troon, Ayrshire.
    COOK III - HMNZS COOK was the New Zealand base at Shelly Bay, Wellington. COOK II and III would be administrative bases for various craft, they may or may not have been located in the same vicinity.
    Regards
    Hugh
     
    Last edited: Feb 22, 2023
  4. Brent Tandy

    Brent Tandy Member

    Thanks Steve. That's great info. If he was at that stage an Able Seaman what would his role have been as a Fleet Air Arm person on that ship?
     
  5. Brent Tandy

    Brent Tandy Member

    Perfect, thanks Hugh. You've got a great eye to pick that. As for HMNZS Cook, I often drive past the remains of the naval base there. I did find that it was a NZ base in my online checks but Cook III just doesn't seem to turn up.
     
  6. Brent Tandy

    Brent Tandy Member

    What would a 1st Lieutenants role have been on a Landing Craft Tank vessel?

    Is it possible to tell from his service record where he might have been on active service and in what operations? He was in Italy and as Steve mentioned most likely part of the Dieppe Raid. Are there any other indications from the service record that might reveal more?

    Thanks, Brent
     
  7. Steve49

    Steve49 Boycott P&O...

    He wouldn't have been serving in a Fleet Air Arm capacity on Albrighton. As an 'A/AB' (Acting Able Seaman) on a destroyer his specialty would be seamanship, such as general maintenance, helping to tie up the ship in port or watchkeeping duties. Whilst the ship was closed up at action stations, as it would have been during the Dieppe operation, he would have been assigned a more specific duty to help keep the ship in the fight.

    Regards,

    Steve
     
  8. Kiwi REd One

    Kiwi REd One Junior Member

    Quite correct - HMNZS COOK was in Wellington and HMNZS COOK II was several hundred miles away up in the Solomon Islands - it was used as an administrative base for the RNZN Fairmile patrol boat flotillas that operated up there in 1944 - 45:
    List of Royal New Zealand Navy bases - Wikipedia

    https://rnzaf.proboards.com/thread/24348/wooden-boat-construction-1943?page=4

    COOK III does not seem to exist - it is not even mentioned in the RNZN Official History:
    The Royal New Zealand Navy | NZETC

    The original base at Shelly Bay was handed over to the RNZAF after the war for use as their main Wellington admin/accomodation site and closed about 1995. The whole area is about to start being somewhat contraversally redeveloped after many years of debate. Many of the original buildings are in a very poor state and will need to be/have been demolished.

    Like Brent I live reasonably close to the base and its been pretty sad to see it go downhill since it closed as an RNZAF base. Had a few interesting days there in my time :)

    Cheers
    Peter
     
    Hugh MacLean likes this.
  9. In a Landing Craft, Tank there were only two officers: the Commanding Officer and the 1st Lieutenant (aka "Jimmy The One") who was his second in command.

    The Navy List has Frederick Henry DEVERELL as Temporary Sub Lieutenant, Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNZNVR) from 11 Sep 42, and as Temporary Lieutenant RNZNVR from 1 Nov 44, which matches his service records.

    The Green List as of 5 Jun 44 and 11 Dec 44 both give LCT(4) 535 as part of 21 LCT Flotilla, "C" LCT Squadron, located in the Mediterranean.

    I do not think the second LCT was 530, which was based in Southampton, but more probably LCT 538 or possibly 536, both from the same 21 LCT Flotilla based in the Med.

    Michel
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: May 25, 2023
  10. Brent Tandy

    Brent Tandy Member

    Thanks Michel. LCT 536 or 538 does sound right. Whats the green list? Is it online?
     
  11. The 5 Jun and 11 Dec 44 Green Lists used to be online on the excellent website http://www.convoycu49-1944.com by Mark Keever, but this site is not reachable anymore. The original files are also tool large to be uploaded as a resource on this forum, but I'll try and reduce the size and upload them.
     

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