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Those known to have sailed in HMS Coventry 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 Coventry from other sources.
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The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website.
Announcements
- 1st of September 2024 marks 25 years since the launch of the Wartime Memories Project. Thanks to everyone who has supported us over this time.
- The Wartime Memories Project has been running for 25 years. If you would like to support us, a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting and admin or this site will vanish from the web.
- 18th Dec 2024 - Please note we currently have a huge backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than
265120 your information is still in the queue, please do not resubmit, we are working through them as quickly as possible.
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Please read our Family History FAQs
- The free to access section of The Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers and funded by donations from our visitors. If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web.
If you enjoy this site
please consider making a donation.
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
photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them.
The Wartime Memories Project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes. Please get in touch for the postal address, do not sent them to our PO Box as packages are not accepted.
World War 1 One ww1 wwII second 1939 1945 battalion
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 Coventry? There are:2 items tagged HMS Coventry 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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PO. Alfred Edward Sephton VC. HMS Coventry (d.18th May 1941) Alfred Sephton was killed in action on the 18th of May 1941, aged 30. Commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial in Portsmouth, he was the son of Alfred Joseph and Annie Sephton.
The citation in the London Gazette of 28th November, 1941, reads: "Petty-Officer Sephton was director-layer when H.M.S. Coventry was attacked by aircraft, whose fire grievously wounded him. In great pain and faint from loss of blood he stood fast, doing his duty without fault until the enemy was driven off. Thereafter until his death his valiant and cheerful spirit gave heart to the wounded. His high example inspired his shipmates and will live in their memory."
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PO. Richard Rothwell Smith HMS Cairo Dad, Richard Smith joined the Royal Navy at HMS St Vincent in 1935 at the age of 15 and a half, he served for 15 years. He was a PTI.
His ships were:
HMS Ramilies,
HMS Iron Duke, HMS Hood, HMS London, HMS Coventry, HMS Cairo, HMS Montclare
and HMS Glasgow.
He was on HMS Cairo at the time she was torpedoed while on Operation Pedestal
He died in 1996.
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AbleSea. Harold "Lal" Humphreys HMS Serapis Harold Humphreys served in HMS Pembroke, HMS Coventry and HMS Serapis.
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Ldg.Sea. Alfred "Wiggy" Bennett HMS Acasta My father, Alfred Bennett, was in the Royal Navy during WW II having served aboard a number of ships. He was just 19 years old. His job was "higher submarine detector" and his first ship was the "Acasta" then the "Coventry" and many more. He was aboard the "Coventry" when it was bombed on New Year's Day, 1940. The Germans dropped bombs alongside the ship and it sprung a leak. From there they went to the south of England for repairs. He told me of being on board the HMS Havock when it was shelled by a battleship two miles off the coast of Gibraltar. He said he swam to shore and was taken by the Vichy French to a POW camp. They were taken to Tunis across the Atlas mountans to Algeria. He said that they were taken by train over very steep mountains. "You could look right over the edge of the tracks straight down". His Royal Navy papers record him as "missing presumed interred - H.M.S. Havock." Then there's a little note that reads "now safe in the U.K." He also told me of a game that they played during free time called "Tom Bowler". I wish that I had paid more attention or had asked more questions so that I could pass this part of our family history on to future generations. If your veteran is still alive, I hope that you can take the opportunity to talk to them about their experience in the war(s).
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