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HMS Raven, RNAS Eastleigh
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Want to know more about HMS Raven, RNAS Eastleigh? There are:-1 items tagged HMS Raven, RNAS Eastleigh 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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CPO. James Michael Caldwell HMS Quebec  My late father, James Caldwell joined the RN in 1929 and served until 1957.
He was a physical training instructor and as well as 22 other ships, served on HMS Quebec from 14.7.1942 until 14.2.1943 over several occasions.
The only photo we ever saw was of him in PT kit with 4 other servicemen in a two line formation. Unfortunately they are lost.
My dad never spoke of service other than mentioning Scapa once.
I am so anxious to find out more information if possible and will be registering all the other ships on which he served.
- HMS St George Ldg seaman 4th September 1940 - 21st Feb 1940
- HMS Columbo Ldg seaman - PO 21st February 1940 - 13th July 1942.
- HMS Quebec PO 14th July 1942 - 27th July 1942.
- HMS Louisberg PO 28th July 1942 - 11th August 1942.
- HMS Quebec PO 12th August 1942 - 14th February 1943 (3 periods in town camp).
- HMS Dartmouth 111 PO 15th February - 18th July 1943.
- HMS Effingham PO 19th July 1943 - 22 December 1943.
- HMS St Matthew PO 23rd December 1943 - 10th September 1944.
- HMS Drake PO 11th September 1944 - 7th November 1944.
- HMS Duty PO 8th - 9th November 1944.
- HMS Gadwall PO 10th November 1944 - 8th December 1944.
- HMS Eastleigh PO 9th December 1944 - 19th December 1944.
- HMS Gadwall PO 20th December 1944 - 30th March 1945.
- HMS Drake Temporary CPO 31st March 1945 - 30th May 1945.
After that went to serve in Canada and Far East on many more establishments until 3rd May 1957.
As a CPO Instructor he was a PTI winning many medals for every sport apparently having his teeth knocked out by someone with the same name.
Apart from service awards, he had a box of about 15 medals for almost every sport which we no longer have.
He died in 1995.
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Able Sea. Tecwyn James Jones HMS Dauntless On his service record it states Tecwyn Jones was on HMS Victory from 29/07/1943 to 04/11/1943, he started of at Glendower a Butlins Holiday Camp on 07/02/1941 to 04/07/1941, and then moved on to the President 111 on 15/07/1941 to May 1943, and then on to Afrikander 0/05/1943 to 25/05/1943, and then onto HMS Dauntless 26/05/1943 to 21/07/1943, and then on to Victory dates as above, the next ship he went on we can not read the name on his service record properly but it starts with a S or G? 04/11/1943 TO 22/02/1944, and then onto Caroline (HMS Inman) 23/02/1944 to 31/08/1944, the next ship is also difficult to read it looks like Ferret 01/09/1944 to 26/07/1945, then back on to HMS Victory 27/07/1945 to 26/09/1945, and his final ship HMS Raven 27/09/1945 to 06/02/1946 when we assume he was demobbed.
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L/Sig. Thomas Alfred "Bagsy" Baker HMS Raven Fleet Air Arm My father Thomas Baker was known as Alf or Bagsy. He lived in East Ham, then moved to Leigh-on-sea Essex. He joined the Navy training ship Arethusa aged 13 and a half in 1931 when life was tough for all the boys. He then went to HMS Ganges 1933-1935, HMS Pembroke, Cairo, Woolwich, Victory, Kestrel.
He was assigned to HMS Raven in Eastleigh 1939 at the start of the war as Acting Leading Signalman where he met my mother on Eastleigh rec at the bandstand with his friend Charlie Taffe. Dad confided in his friend Bob Aggas that he was very fond of mum. Mum & Dad married in Eastleigh Parish church in September 1940. They had a few honeymoon days in Torquay, then dad was away for 3 years.
He served aboard HMS Grebe until April 1943, during which time he flew Albacore, Fairey and Swordfish as an air gunner flying scout over the desert observing enemy movements. He was happened to be aboard (not sure which vessel) just as the Germans were invading Norway. The inhabitants gave the Allies all of their valuables so the Nazis wouldn’t have them. Dad was given a bag of silver, but just as the ship was departing it was torpedoed. Unfortunately, he jumped one way and bag went the other.
Once back home, he had a medical which showed a shadow on his lung which landed him in a sanatorium for best part of a year. It was actually because he had had double pneumonia and pleurisy when he was a child.
After hospital discharge, he was mainly based in HMS Daedalus, still flying the Swordfish. All during Dad’s career he gained many qualifications, including the German language. Because of this, he was lent to the German Air Arm in Bremen during the late 1950s. Then he served with RNAS Lossiemouth late 40s early 50s, living in Nissen huts the Army and RAF didn't want. He served on HMS Bulwark 1963-65 during another crisis. Dad’s last posting was HMS Seahawk (Culdrose, Cornwall) where he retired in 1968. We returned to Hampshire in 1976. Dad developed cancer and passed in September 1983. I have various photos and letters etc.
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William Basnett HMS Ameer My father, William Basnett, was in the Royal Navy from 30th of November 1942 to 15th of May 1946.
He had relatively short periods onHMS Gosling, HMS Daedalus, HMS Tern,HMS Raven, HMS Waxwing, HMS Malagas and HMS Bermuda but spent most of his service on HMS Ameer from 5th of December 1944 to 18th of November 1945.
They were carrying 845 squadron & later 804 squadron avengers & wildcats. On 26th of July 1945 they were attacked by a Japanese Kamikaze but managed to deflect it into the sea with the ships armaments. During his time on HMS Ameer they were involved in operations, Lightning, Matador, Sankey, Stacey, Collie, Carson, Jurist, Beecham, Tideraceand Zipper in the Battles in Burma and Malaya and to re-occupy Malaya and Singapore.
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CPO James Samuel Evans HMS Raven My grandfather, James Samuel Evans, was stationed at HMS Raven between December 1939 and October 1940, after which he was posted to Jackdaw, Daedalus and Goshawk. He was a Petty Officer Shipwright 1st Class.
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