Certificate of Service Royal Navy WW2

Hi I was wondering if anyone could advise me who to contact to gain some understanding of my dad's navy records. He was based in Chatham and served on the Russian Convoys during WW2. He was mentioned in dispatches and I have contacted Kew and received any information they have.

I have his records but don't really understand them. I have found a record of him going to New Zealand in 1935 but have no more information as to why he was there. He sailed on the Rangitane.

Pembroke seems to come up a lot on his certificate of service. Would this have been a base. He served on the Allington Castle, Orwell, lapwing and Honeysuckle.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Janet

 

Hi,

Welcome to the forum.

Hugh MacLean is the forum maritime expert.

I’m sure if you post an image of the document Hugh - or another member(s) - will be able to assist.

The common advice is often to ask Navy to provide “victualing records” as they contain more helpful information.

Advice Needed: RN "Naval Pay and Victualling Records"

Steve

 

Worth posting a copy of his service record on here there are some who are good at turning these into coherent English.

RN personnel were seconded from time to time to both the RAN and the RNZN often to assist in keeping them abreast with latest practice, equipment etc. Aloso RN ships would on occasion use New Zealand facilities

 

Send off for his official RN records from the MOD - Request records of deceased service personnel

Just make sure you download the right forms

Next of kin form:
Next of kin form (v6.2) (PDF, 120KB, 2 pages) or
Next of kin form (v6.2) (MS Word Document, 158KB)
Not the immediate next of kin forms:
Application part 1 form:
General enquirer's form (v6.1) (PDF, 99KB, 2 pages) or
General enquirer's form (v6.1) (MS Word Document, 134KB)
Application part 2 forms:
Royal Navy/Royal Marines part 2 (PDF, 98.8KB, 1 page) or
Royal Navy/Royal Marines part 2 (MS Word Document, 50.5KB)
British Army part 2 (PDF, 19.5KB, 1 page) or
British Army part 2 (MS Word Document, 43KB)
Royal Air Force part 2 (PDF, 24.1KB, 1 page) or
Royal Air Force part 2 (MS Word Document, 46KB)

TD

 

Didn't she say she had the service records in the OP? It was a case of interpreting them.

 

Thank you Steve I have added a copy of a page of his certificate.

Janet

 

Thank you for your helpful reply I will upload the inside page of his certificate.

 

Hi,

Thanks for posting the certificate of service. It looks like the one handed to a man on discharge.

I can’t help any further but I’m sure Hugh will be along later this evening - he will have been alerted to this topic by my mention of his full name above.

Steve

 

If you or your dad have not already done this, he would I expect qualify for the recently issued Arctic Star WW2 campaign Star. I am not sure what proof if any of his service on the Russian Convoys you would have to provide, but the link should help.
Medals: campaigns, descriptions and eligibility

 

Hi Janet and welcome.
I am away from home until tomorrow evening and only have mobile access.
Quick scan tells me HMS ORWELL served on Arctic convoys so you will not need to supply proof for the Arctic Star.
I am sure others will contribute but I will look again when I am home.
Regards
Hugh

 

Thank you I have already applied for and received the arctic star last year but I appreciate you mentioning it.

Janet

 

Thank you for your help.

 

Thats really great to hear you have received that star.

 

My sister also got him a Russian Star, I think that's what it's called, quite a few years ago. It's nice to have.

 

Since Hugh's busy I'll try and start you off and he can correct me later. First you are very lucky to have his Certificate of Service. As mentioned earlier this was given to the rating on discharge and no duplicate was kept. Being a Regular he probably took better care of it than most. Unfortunately the copy you have posted is not very clear and I cannot make out some of the ships.
Are you sure your father served on all the ships listed in the quote. From his SC I am rather dubious and think it is a misinterpretation of the heading of the list with his MiD. I may be wrong.
HMS Pembroke was the Naval Base and Dockyard at Chatham, which was also your father's base port. HMS Pembroke was also the Accounting Base for ship's which were not large enough to have their own accounting staff. This accounts for Pembroke appearing so often. Where a name follows 'Pembroke' on the SC this is the actual ship on which he is serving. Unfortunately lack of a ship after 'Pembroke' is no guarantee that he was at Chatham rather than on a ship.
What a can make out is:
HMS Achilles - a Leander Class light cruiser loaned to New Zealand in 1936
Pembroke, HMS Hostile - H Class destroyer
St Angelo II, HMS Hostile - HMS St Angelo was the Naval Base in Malta. This entry merely means the ships records were transferred to the accounting base at St Angelo - your father will have remained onboard Hostile.
Pembroke, HMS Holderness - a Hunt Class destroyer.
HMS St Vincent - shore establishment at Gosport. Could well have been on a course.
HMS Shrapnel - an Accounting Base at Southampton. As it was for only 14 days I would guess it was to cover him for leave.
The next entry is for HMS Orwell and unfortunately that is all I can make out.
You have probably worked out that whilst your father was onboard Orwell she was involved in the Battle of the Barents Sea on 31 Dec 42. There is a report on this in the Supplement to the London Gazette 27 Oct 50.

Tim

 

Tim I can't thank you enough for this information.
There is also
Pembroke Firedrake 6 June 35 to 2 March 36
Pembroke Endeavour 10 Nov 37 to 21 Sep 39
I unsure looks like jeun or teren 2 Bagshot 22 Sep 39 to 15 Dec 39
Teren or jeun 2 again 16 Dec 39 to 28 Dec 39
After Orwell it Eaglet 9 Feb 43 to 5 Mar 43
Orwell 6 Mar 43 to 21 Oct 44
Greenwich 22 Oct 44 to 9 Nov 44
I can't make the last one out at the end before Pembroke.

I will upload a photo that is closer.

Do you know what conditions were like on the Russian Convoys. My dad never talked much about it but did say it was tough.

Janet

 

Tim I have attached photos

 

I cannot make this out.

 

HMS Firedrake - a F Class destroyer.
Working on the next one - it looks like Endeavour but it isn't - that was Captain Cook's ship and I don't think they ever named another ship Endeavour.
Again working on the one that looks like Teren, but this is another accounting base for HMS Bagshot - a Hunt Class Minesweeper.
First entry for Orwell looks like Tyne - HMS Tyne was a Depot Ship and again would be the accounting base for Orwell.
HMS Eaglet was the base in Liverpool of the Commander in Chief Western Approaches. Again probably just an administrative procedure rather than somewhere your father served.
Next two. First is Greenwich II and the one we can't read. Both are followed by (-----#------) ie 'ditto' referring to HMS Orwell. Both are accounting bases and therefore irrelevant to where your father would be - he was still in HMS Orwell.
You can ignore the entries in the columns List and No. they are the references for the Pay and Victualling Ledgers where List is the Ship/Ledger reference and No. is your father's entry number.

Arctic convoys were horrendous not only for the RN but particularly for the Merchant seaman. As well as the enemy, they were fighting an uphill battle against ice and the seawater temperature meant little chance of survival.

Tim