L.Sea. Wilfred Charles Mildenhall
Royal Navy Gunner HMS Victory,Excellent,Queen Elizabeth,Phoebe,Seabe
from:Kingston, Surrey
My father, Bill Mildenhall, always wanted to join the Royal Navy. As a school boy at the prestigous Grammar school Tiffins in Kingston, all boys were required to become either Naval or Army cadets, the Navy was his passion. He left school in 1939 and enlisted as a boy in 1938 and then as an adult. He was one of those who didn't wait for National Service, the Navy was something he always wanted to join.
His service record shows some but not much of the details in service and conduct until 1947. I'm almost sure he was on HMS Kimberley, and HMS Hotspur, but there are pages missing. Not sure after the war but he stayed on a while. He had a Gunner's manual for training, and someone told me he was actually a Gunnery trainer. The last sheet says enrolled PO RFR B23/96 Lg sea LR2 22 Dec 1947 -16 May 1951 RFR engagement expired. Paid RFR Jan 1948. So I am not certain for sure when he actually left the Royal Navy.
He rarely spoke about his service, but he was a member of the Royal Naval Club where we lived, and he had many friends in the organisation and at the Star & Garter Home in Richmond Surrey. When he died in 1977, his funeral was attended by the RNA, British Legion, Burma Star Association & Rats of Tobruk. I have never seen such a hugely attended funeral for an ordinary person since. He was such a humble man he would have been very proud.
Sadly, his medals went missing. They were on his coffin for his funeral, that was the last time we saw them and never really thought about them until some years later.
