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HMS Collingwood
HMS Collingwood is a shorebase,
was built as a new entry Training Establishment for "hostilities only ratings of the Seaman Branch.
The 200 acres it covers were compulsorily purchased in 1939. The base is is situated between Gosport and Fareham in Hampshire
The buildings
were erected to surround the Parade Ground which was the focal point of the training.
On 10 January 1940 the base was offically opened, training began a week later with batches of about
1000 trainees joining every 3 weeks for a 10-week course. Fifty wrens joined
Collingwood initally and worked as Cooks, Stewards, Messengers and
Telephonists.
The first Wireless Telegraphy
ratings started their training in June 1940, a Radio Direction
Finding School was added in 1942. At this time the Medical Section was rated as
a Naval Hospital with a Surgeon Rear Admiral in charge.
After the war the Electrical branch was formed in 1946 and Collingwood
took over the training of officers
and ratings, in the maintenance of all
electrical and radio equipment in the Fleet.(except for the Fleet Air Arm.)
Today the base is still in use by the Royal Navy and is home to
The HMS Collingwood museum which features an extensive collection
of Naval communications and radar equipment.
If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.
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Those known to have sailed in HMS Collingwood during the Second World War 1939-1945. The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed,
please
Add a Name to this List
Records of HMS Collingwood from other sources.
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The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website.
Announcements
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Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the War? Our
Library contains an ever growing number diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text. |
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Wanted: Digital copies of Group photographs, Scrapbooks, Autograph books, photo albums, newspaper clippings, letters, postcards and ephemera relating to WW2. We would like to obtain digital copies of any documents or photographs relating to WW2 you may have at home. If you have any unwanted
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Did you know? We also have a section on The Great War. and a
Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations.
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Want to know more about HMS Collingwood? There are:0 items tagged HMS Collingwood available in our Library
These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War. |
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Forbes Franklin HMS Argus My uncle, Forbes Franklin, trained at HMS Collingwood and subsequently served on HMS Argus where he was killed. Before the war he was captain of Deal Rowing Club and after the war a boat was named after him which can still be seen in Deal Museum. Any further information would be appreciated.
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Gunner Albert Roy "Smudge" Smith HMS Collingwood We have a photo of my Dad, Albert Smith in uniform at H M S Collingwood. Just trying to find details or photos of his wartime service.
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Able Seaman. Arnold Malina HMS Fishguard My Father was Able Seaman Arnold Malina, he trained at HMS Collingwood from 12 May 1943 August 1943 to 20 July 1943.
He served on HMS Fishguard from 1943 to December 1945. Convoy escorts in Indian Ocean from 21/11/1943 to 31/05/1945 out of bases HMS Tana, Kilindini, Kenya and HMS Lanka in Ceylon from 01/06/1945 to 31/10/1945
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Geoffrey Norman Cox HMS Europa My father, Geoffrey Norman Cox, served during WW2. He volunteered at the age of 19 and joined the Minesweeper Corps. I have his service record which shows him starting his Naval career at HMS Collingwood and HMS Europa. He served on a number of ships including Eland, St Wistan, Leonidas, Forward, Marshall Sault and Beaver. He saw action in the North Sea, the West African Gold Coast and English Channel.
I would love to hear from anyone who has information about any of these ships and anyone who might have served on these ships.
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Able Seaman Alex Biggam HMS Nigeria My father Alex Biggam served on HMS Nigeria as an able seaman.
He would not talk much about his time during the war but did tell me of the extreme cold of the Russian convoy. He was also on the Malta convoy when the ship was hit by a torpedo. The ship was sent to Charleston, South Carolina for repair. He would talk about his time there and how well the Americans treated the crew and the interest they had shown about the war.
Thank you, this is a very informative site.
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Able Sea. Hector "Jack" Bull HMS Boscawen Jack Bull was my father and he served in the Royal Navy from 16th of April 1940 until 31st Dec 1945. His service record says he was on, HMS Collingwood, Victory, Dunluce Castle, Excellent and HMS Boscawen (Plucky), from Nov 1943 to Dec 1944. The Plucky (as he always called it) was in the first flotilla sweeping the English Channel prior to and during the D-Day landings, and he was still at sea when his first son was born on 15th of June.
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Albert Lowe H M S Collingwood Albert Lowe trained at HMS Collingwood. His ship was torpedoed and he lost his memory and was taken in my nuns in Africa, he and his brother were on the boat.
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Harold Castledine HMS Carnarvon I have a photo of my paternal grandfather, Harold Castledine in his uniform and HMS Collingwood hat. I thought he was in the Merchant Navy but It seems he was in the Royal Navy. He also served on HMS Carnarvon.
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Able Sea. Raymond Snape HMS Glendower Ray Snape volunteered in March 1944 and trained at HMS Royal Arthur then transferred to HMS Glendower transferring to HMS Collingwood in June 1944.
He was an Able Seaman but I have very little information other than he was on 11 ships up to 1947.
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Ldg Wren. Gertrude Lilian Lauretta "Laurie" Pinkney HMS Collingwood Laurie Pinkney served in HMS Collingwood.
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Skr1. Ralph Victor Digout HMS Collingwood Vic Digout joined the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve and served in HMS Collingwood.
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Able Sea. Claude Marriott Hunt HMS Canton  My Grandfather was Claude Hunt. He was born in Denver, Norfolk on 19th Jan 1915. He and one of his brothers relocated to Scunthorpe to secure work on the developing steelworks. He became a steel erector, which was a reserved occupation. However, after an argument with his charge hand his exemption papers were never submitted. Rather than the indignity of asking for the mistake to be rectified he joined the Royal Navy on 20th of February 1941.
His Service Records list the following:
- HMS Collingwood 20th February 1941 to 30th April 1941
- HMS Victory 1st May 1941 to 27th May 1941
- HMS Excellent 28th May to 23rd August 1941
- HMS Canton 24th August 1941 to 13th April 1944
- HMS Victory 14th April 1944 to 20th March 1945
- HMS Frobisher 21st March 1945 to 23rd October 1945
He was trained as a gunner, on 20mm Oerlikon cannons on HMS Canton which served as part of a battle group around Africa.
HMS Canton is reported as mistakenly firing upon a British submarine, HMS Thunderbolt thinking it was a U-Boat.
He also acted as the ships cobbler.
HMS Frobisher provided naval gun support to the D-Day Landings at Sword Beach and then acted as a depot ship for smaller vessels. In August 1944 she was damaged by long range torpedoes from German E Boats in Seine Bay.
He never spoke about this period of his life very much so I intend to research the activities of HMS Canton in more detail and also try to find out more about the attack on HMS Frobisher.
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Charles Edward "Sonny" Jennings HMS Collingwood (d.17th Jan 1944) My mother always used to tell me I had an uncle called Sonny. That was the name I knew him by. I was always told that Sonny joined up in the navy, that his boat had sank, he did survive, only to be discharged from the navy and die shortly after. My uncle was called Charles Jennings (known to the family as Sonny). Sonny trained on HMS Collingwood.
I have a picture of my uncle and a picture of the men who trained with him, someone out there looking at it might recognise someone they know.My mother and her family were evacuated from Alderney, due to the Germans invading the Channel Islands and stayed at 177 Grovelly Lane, West Heath, Birmingham until after the war and then returned back to Alderney after Alderney was liberated.
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Ord Sea. William Leaver Thornber HMS Scotia I had often heard my Father, William Thornber say that he has served at Scotia as a Telegraphist. In fact my parents named their house after his short time there.
Both of my parents have now passed on, but whilst emptying the contents of their house I came across my Father's old Service Records in which it showed that he was at Scotia May 1943 - July 1943.
As an ex RN Submariner, I am now trying to trace some of the other places and ships where my Father served as part of tracing our family tree. They include HMS Collingwood, Beamer, Boscawen, Odyssey, Europa and Phoenicia
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Tel. Cecil Hubert Row H.M.S. Ferve Cecil Rowe signed up for the Navy on 18th of December 1942.
He was initially on the Collingwood and then on other ships through to 18th f June 1946. He was a Telegraphist on Scotia, Pembroke, and Fervent.
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