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HMS Victory
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Want to know more about HMS Victory? There are:14 items tagged HMS Victory 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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Able Seaman. Elijah Cheetham HMS Penelope My brother Elijah Cheetham, served on HMS Penelope and was onboard when she was sunk on the 18th of February 1944. I was 8 years old at that time. Recent documentarion has come to light confirming his service record. He volunteered for the Navy on the 28th of July 1943, his service is listed as comencing on 17th of December 1943, his 18th birthday. However he began his training at HMS Raleigh on the 28th of July 1943, transferring to HMS Victory on the 5th of October.
He joined HMS Penelope on the 12th of November 1943 and served onboard until she was lost in Feb 1944. He survived the sinking and sent a letter to his mother two weeks later. Here are some extracts from that letter:
From Mess 1, Ferdola Barracks, Malta.
I'm terribly sorry I haven't written to you for the last fortnight, I have been rather ill in hospital. I am a survuivor of HMS Penelope. As you know we have been doing a lot of work on the 5th Army front and our rewards was as follows:
It was Friday morning Feb 18th and we were well on our way to Anzio to give Jerry another suprise packet, but it was us that received the suprise. All of a sudden there was a terrific explosion and everyone dived for the gangway to get on the upper deck to see what was happening. We had been torpedoed but the ship was not sinking, although it had listed badly to starboard. No one was in a panic because there were too many lads injured to start worrying about ourselves, so we did the best we could to get the injured lads to sickbay. Shortly afterwards there came two more explosions (torpedoes) and the ship split in two so it was everyman for himself. I didn't hesitate because before I knew where I was I hit the water fully dressed, including sea boots, stockings and overalls.
I tried to swim for it but couldn't because my sea boots seemed to be dragging me under. I kicked these off and my overalls. Much to my relief I was able to keep my head up even though the sea was rough. I swam about for a bit but I soon got fatigued and felt myself slipping. Family came to mind and I struck out with renewed strength. After three hours I was finally picked up and dragged aboard absolutley naked apart from my waist belt and ring. Three tots of rum sent me to sleep.
We were taken to a hospital in Naples and there I have been for the last fortnight. We were then drafted to this camp once more and I was told that I should be going home. The big nobs think otherwise. I haven't done enough time out here yet, so I must stay. That's how you get treated as a survivor. All we have been issued with is toilet gear and battle dress, so it looks as if I shall have to buy new kit myself.
There were 750 in the ships company and only 200 were saved. Terrible isn't it. I am pleased to say that Stan Lake survived. I couldn't write to you seperatley. I have had to smuggle this into the country, the ship hasn't been announced as sunk yet. We are not allowed to mention that we survived. Paddy is going home so I have asked him to post this for me in England. It doesn't get sensored there, but he insists on bringing this personally. I do hope he makes it becasue I know he will get a great welcome. Please try not to worry too much about me I'm ok now and believe me I'm willing to go back and give Jerry exactly what I received and more. Even though I'm not coming home I still have that consolation of squaring things up.
Cherrio and God bless you all. Your loving son Lidge xxxx.
Elijah joined the Black Prince in July 1944 and served onboard for the remainer of the war, he was discharged on the 8th of December 1946 as having served with very good character.
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Stkr. Frederick Alexander Perry HMS Tyne My Grandad, Alec Perry served in the Royal Navy between 1944 - 1948.
A list of ships/barracks:
HMS Royal Arthur
- HMS Duke
- HMS Drake
- HMS Golden Hind
- HMS Imperieuse
- HMS Tyne
- HMS Victory
- HMS Raleigh
He was a 2nd class stoker and progressed to 1st class before leaving in 1948.
I don't know much more about his time in the RN.
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Able Sea. Frank Gover Wickenden HMS Resolution Frank Wickenden joined the Royal Navy in July 1941 and trained at HMS Royal Arthur, HMS Ganges and HMS Victory. Served on HMS Resolution in radar from August 1941 to January 1943 in its East Africa and Indian Ocean campaigns.
He was invalided out in South Africa (Durban and Johannesburg) in January 1943 for over a year because of TB.
He came back to England and HMS Collingwood from 9th of June 1944 to 21st of July 1944 and then again from 19th of November 1944 to 19th of March 1946 probably training in radar.
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Able Sea. Frank Elsworth Scruton HMS Victory My Grandad, Frank Scruton's service record states he was on HMS Victory 3 on 1st of November 1939 and on HMS Victory 1 on 16th of April 1941. I don't know if he sailed during the war because he would have been 37 in November 1939. He died in October 1986
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Edward Douglas Buddle HMS Defiance Edward Buddle is my father. He joined the Royal Navy on 3rd of November 1942 at HMS Victory as a qualified motor mechanic.
Variously he was posted to HMS Drake, HMS Quebec, HMS Copra, HMS Rosneath, HMS Drake, HMS Minerva and HMS Defiance and was finally released from the reserve in 1950.
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Ord Sea. Frederick Arthur Roper HMS Victory According to his official naval records, Frederick Roper was on the HMS Victory in 1939.
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Steward Neil Campbell Gillespie HMNB Portsmouth HMS Victory HMS Glendower HM Neil Gillespie first served on HMS Victory from 7/1/42 to 8/4/42 after spending two months training at a shore based establishment in North Wales, HMS Glendower, having entered the service on 18/11/41. He then served on HMS Nelson from 9/4/42 to 8/1/44. He returned to HMS Victory subsequently for three spells of duty,
9/1/44-28/7/44, 9/11/44-21/2/45 and 31/1/46-22/7/46.
The last of these three periods was his final assignment in the navy before being released class A, from the service.
The time that Neil spent on the Victory latterly was interrupted by time at HMS Odyssey from 29/7/44 until 8/11/44. In peacetime HMS Odyssey was the Collingwood Hotel in Ilfracombe in Devon. In wartime, it was apparently a centre for various types of specialist training for certain skills or assignments. Then from 22/2/45 to 30/1/46 he served on the aircraft carrier HMS Glory. On 6th September, 1945, the officers commanding the Japanese forces in the south west Pacific signed Instruments of Surrender at a ceremony on the flight deck of HMS Glory, which was in the St George's channel between New Britain and New Ireland in the Bismarck Archipelago close to New Guinea.
When he returned to civilian life, he lived with his wife Margaret and New born son Alexander, often known as Alistair in family circles, and later with other children Jean, Neil, Margaret and Iain. He worked with Allison the Butcher in Paisley and at King Aircraft in Hillington, Glasgow. In both cases he occupied management positions.
Although Neil served throughout the war and successfully settled to peacetime life, he sadly died in April 1962 at the age of 40.
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Stwd. Neil Campbell Gillespie HMS Glory Neil Gillespie served on HMS Glory 22nd of February 1945 until 30th of January 1946, having previously served on HMS Victory and HMS Nelson.
His initial training posting was at HMS Glendower in North Wales a shore based facility which subsequently became a Butlins Holiday Camp and later a Haven Holiday Centre.
Neil was serving on HMS Glory at the time of the surrender of the Japanese forces in the South West Pacific on 6th of September 1945. The surrender was solemnised at a signing ceremony on board HMS Glory on the flight deck.
There is footage of the ceremony shown elsewhere on the internet. Amongst Neil's papers there are photographs of the signing ceremony and a copy of the Instrument of Surrender.
Following his service on HMS Glory, Neil spent his last few months of Naval service on HMS Victory before returning to civilian life with a class A release. He returned to his family in Paisley where he lived with his wife Margaret and his baby son Alexander, usually called Alistair in the family.
Later the family included Jean, Neil, Margaret and Iain.
Neil worked with Allison the Butcher in Paisley and at King Aircraft at Hillington in Glasgow as a progress manager.
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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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Walter Henry Smith HMS Caroline I found my Grandad Walter Smith's service records, they aren't in great condition, but he served numerous times on the Victory between 1943-1947 and on HMS Caroline.
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