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- HMS Warspite during the Second World War -


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World War 2 Two II WW2 WWII 1939 1945

HMS Warspite



21st January 1940 Battleships sighted

19th Mar 1940 Departures

20th Mar 1940 Raft

21st Mar 1940 Training

22nd Mar 1940 Tanker

23rd Mar 1940 Refuelling

25th Mar 1940 Guns Fired

26th Mar 1940 Rejoined

27th Mar 1940 Poor Weather

12th Apr 1940 Bombing

13th April 1940 In Action

13th April 1940 2nd Battle of Narvik

17th August 1940 Attack on Navy fleet

31st Mar 1942 Orders

1st Apr 1942 Search

8th Apr 1942 On the Move

9th Apr 1942 On the Move

Sep 1942 Preparations

5th July 1943 Convoy Duty

10th July 1943 Protection

6th June 1944 Smokescreen

6th Jun 1944 Under Fire

7th Jun 1944 Assault Made

1st Nov 1944 Assault


If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.



Those known to have sailed in

HMS Warspite

during the Second World War 1939-1945.

  • Arnold Thomas Charles. Mar. (d.23rd May 1941)
  • Bender Harold Thomas.
  • Bilbe Charles Victor Lenard.
  • Bird Henry John.
  • Bishop Allen Harold.
  • Blake George Douglas. Able Sea.
  • Braithwaite Stanley. Stkr1.
  • Chapman Stephen Henry. Sea.
  • Dutton Dennis William. Decoder
  • Greenwood Thomas. L.Sea.
  • Harding Albert Edward. Cmmd.Boatswain. (d.22nd May 1941)
  • Harris George Edward Joseph . Gnr.
  • Heath Joseph. L/Sea.
  • Higgins Stanley Augustus. Stokr.
  • Hopkins Samuel Edward. Able Sea (d.2nd August 1943)
  • Hughes DSM Roderick Ivor. CPO.
  • Hull Maurice. Able Sea.
  • Knight Vincent.
  • McCarten Edward. Ord.Sea.
  • Mestern Warwick Fredrick Orton.
  • Nunn Frederick Theodore. Gnr. (d.22nd May 1941)
  • Pharoah DSM. George Charles Matthias. CPO Gnr.
  • Phillips Cyril Claude. Leading Stoker.
  • Philpott Donald James. L.Sea.
  • Pike William Jordan. Able Sea. (d.15th Nov 1942)
  • Riddle Andrew. Sea.
  • Rogers George Edward. Able Sea
  • Routley John Richard. CPO.
  • Rowe Reginald.
  • Sheridan Philip. (d.1941)
  • Shimmons Eric Bert. Pte.
  • Sims Frederick. AB.
  • Skipper Charles Thomas. Stoker
  • Sore Charles H.. (d.22nd May 1941)
  • Walsham John Scarlett Warren.
  • Ware Henry Sydney. PO.

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 Warspite from other sources.



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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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Want to know more about HMS Warspite?


There are:23 items tagged HMS Warspite 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.


Reginald Rowe HMS Warspite

My Pap, Reginald Rowe served on HMS Warspite from 1942. He was 16 when he joined the Navy and did his training in Portsmouth. While on board he was an electrician and when he saw action he would load the shells into the guns on the deck. He would tell us tales of a bomb dropping through the deck but not exploding - this was in the Med. He also told me about supporting fire over Norway. He was an artist and I have all of his original drawings from when he was on board.

My pap was my hero and we miss him terribly

Clare Sherwood



AB. Frederick Sims HMS Warspite

My dad Fred Sims served as a Radar Operator in HMS Warspite during WW2 and was on board when struck by a guided missile and also during the D Day landings and when the ship hit a mine sailing back up the Channel.

Alan Sims



Sea. Stephen Henry "Chappy" Chapman HMS Warspite

My father, Stephen Chapman who served as a gunner in HMS Warspite was at the D Day landings.

Julie Stokes



Allen Harold Bishop HMS Warspite

My dad, Allen Bishop served on the Warspite. Does anyone recall him?




Stokr. Stanley Augustus Higgins HMS Dorsetshire

Good news telegram

Stanleys telegram

Stanley with rescued shipmates in Kenya

Stanley is circled in yellow. On Arrival at Newcastle after the Sinking of Bismarck

After completing his basic training following his call up on 27th of February 1940, Stanley Higgins was posted to HMS Dorsetshire on 5th of June 1940 at Devonport, where she was completing a refit.

During the Bismarck action, Stanley was off watch from the boiler rooms, and was at his action station in a damage control party. Part way through the action he was allowed to go "up top" to see what was happening, and witnessed the smoke shrouded wreck of Bismarck before its sinking. After being stood down from action stations, all available hands were called to "man the sides" and assist in the rescue of Bismarck survivors. Stanley took part and after assisting in the rescues, one particular survivor, called Friedrich Junghans, gave Stanley his "erkennungsmarke" or ID tag. It is currently on display in the Merseyside Maritime Museum in Liverpool.

Eleven months later, at the time of the Dorsetshire's own sinking, Stanley was again off-watch and again called to action stations, at this time he was a leader of a damage control party up near the Dorsetshire's bows adjacent to the ships paint locker. Very shortly after the commencement of the Japanese air attack, all comms in the ship were lost, though it was soon apparent that the Dorsetshire was receiving a heavy pounding, with the ship heeling over and quaking from the impact of the Japanese bombs.

One concussion dislodged a length of suction hose, known as an elephant's foot, which hit Stanley and he was concussed for a few seconds. On regaining his wits, and sensing that the ship was starting to list heavily, Stanley shouted for the party to get on the upper deck via a ladder leading to a hatch in the compartment roof. The first man up the ladder shouted that he couldn't unlatch the hatch dogs. Stanley used a crowbar to release the latches and the party crawled out onto the rapidly inclining bow deck. One party member, a South African, couldn't swim and went down with the ship, the rest all survived.

Stanley went on to serve on the battleships Warspite, Valiant and Malaya, and ended the war in Fremantle, Australia onboard the submarine tender, HMS Adamant.

After demobilisation, Stanley was a bus driver in Liverpool until retirement in 1984, and passed away on 4th July 2013, aged 93.




Stkr1. Stanley Braithwaite HMS Warspite

In WW2, Stan Braithwaite served on HMS Warspite as a Stoker. Whilst Warspite was in America for refit, he and a couple of pals hitchhiked to Hollywood where they met some of the film stars of the day, including Anne Sheridan. He served on the Landing Craft on D-Day.

D. Rockliffe



L.Sea. Thomas Greenwood HMS Warspite Royal Navy

Tom Greenwood joined HMS Warspite on the 28th of March 1941. He was involved in the Battle of Cape Matapan, where the Italian fleet cruisers Zara, Four and Poland were sunk. He was part of the Malta convoy work and took part in the Battle of Crete, assisting the 8th Army bombardment off the North Africa Coast. The ship was attacked by Stuka Bombers off Crete and was damaged, the Warspite was taken to America for repairs.




Gnr. George Edward Joseph "Cabby" Harris HMS Warspite

Dad and friends

My dad George E J Harris was Royal Marine gunner and was on HMS Warspite on D Day.

M Brazier



Able Sea Samuel Edward Hopkins HMS Warspite (d.2nd August 1943)

Samuel Hopkins served with the Royal Navy aboard HMS Warspite in WW2. He died 2nd of August 1943 aged 23 years. He is remembered on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.

Samuel died from an accidental explosion on board HMS Warspite

Wesley Hopkins







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