- HMS Copra during the Second World War -
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HMS Copra
HMS Copra was a Royal Navy shorebase located in London, Southend and Largs. It was an administration depot handling the pay and records for Combined Operations personnel. It closed in early 1947.
30th Aug 1943 Accomodation
3rd Aug 1944 Reorganisation
Accomodation
Oct 1945 ReorganisationIf you can provide any additional information, please add it here.
Those known to have sailed in
HMS Copra
during the Second World War 1939-1945.
- Barwell Alwyn David. AB.
- Barwick Ernest Ralph. Able Sea.
- Basey Charles Edward.
- Bayley Geoffrey Charles. Able Sea.
- Bird Arthur John. Sgt.
- Brown Peter George. PO. (d.14th Apr 1946)
- Chapman Raymond Dennis. Ldg Wireman.
- Clark Stanley. Ord.Tel.
- Davies Thomas Joseph. Able Sea
- Daw William John. Cpl. (d.21st July 1944)
- Eccles John Alan. Stokr1.
- Formby Frederick. AB. (d.-)
- Guy William. Marine
- Hadley Ivan Eric. Ord.Sea.
- Hardwick Allan Robert.
- Harrison Edward William. Marine
- Hill John William. Stkr.
- Honeywood Douglas Alan. AB. (d.17th June 1944)
- Huxtable Cyril.
- Ings James. Ldg.Sea.
- Killelay Eric. LSea.
- Love Ernest Victor. ERM4.
- Love Gilbert. Seaman.
- McLean John. Able Sea.
- Parkes Samuel Isaiah. AB.
- Potten George Edward. Sea.
- Redhead William Thomas. Able Sea.
- Richards James Hammond. P.O.Tel.
- Rowlands William.
- Stevens Charles Edward.
- Stevenson Alec.
- Thomas David Glynn. Capt. (d.25th June 1944)
- Venn Henry Albert. Lt. (d.6th June 1944)
- Vowell Maurice Lewis Hemming. Sgt.
- White Victor Noel. PO.
- Wilby Leonard. Able Sea.
- Woodhouse DSM. Jack. 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 Copra from other sources.
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These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War.
Cpl. William John Daw HMS Copra (d.21st July 1944)
William Daw was killed in action 21st July 1944, aged 32. He is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial in Kent. He was the son of Jubilee John and Alice Clifford Daw, husband of Constance Daw. of Tonbridge, Kent.s flynn
Able Sea Thomas Joseph Davies HMS Copra
From my father, Thomas Davies's Certificate of Service he was on: HMS Glendower from 9 Nov 1942 to 25th Jan 1943, Pembroke from 26 Jan 1943 to 13 Feb 1943, Dinosaur from 14 Feb 1943 to 31 Aug 1943, Copra from 1 Sept 1943 to 8 Nov 1943, Copra as Able seaman from 9 Nov 1943 to 20 Nov 1945, Pembroke from 21 Nov 1945 to 11 Jan 1946, Owl (Term II) from 12 Jan 1946 to 3 Feb 1946 and Pembroke from 4 Feb 1946 to 19 Jun 1946.Christine Starkes
Able Sea. Geoffrey Charles "Bill" Bayley HMS Pembroke HMS Quebec HMS Copra HMS Ganges
My dad, Geoffrey Bayley joined the Royal Navy at 18, on 17th of August 1942. His first ship was HMS Ganges, then he went to HMS Pembroke for a couple of weeks. He went on to have three more postings with the Pembroke, in between those dates he also served on six more ships, HMS Copra, HMS Rajah and HMS Quebec were amongst them. left the Royal Navy 30th of June 1946. Dad was very proud of the Royal Navy and being part of the War effort. The information I have given is from his Certificate of Service. His Port Division was Chatham.Linda Brown
P.O.Tel. James Hammond Richards H.M.S. Copra
I was told that my dad, James Richards was docked in Sri Lanka (Ceylon) in 1940/41 so I tried to find out about it. I had his service number and that he was a P.O.Tel, and came up with him being relocated to the Royal Navy Australia and being in HMS Copra.I have this picture of the group, my dad is 2nd row down and 2nd from the left but not really sure when it was taken.
Hilary Maidment
Stokr1. John Alan Eccles HMS Copra
My uncle John Eccles was killed during the D-Day landings.Paul Alan Eccles
Able Sea. John McLean HMS Quebec
My father, John McLean voluntarily enlisted in the Royal Navy on Thursday 14th of November 1940. My mother relayed a funny story and said that my father left home early in the morning on the 14th to go to get some milk from a local shop and didn't return until early evening. When my mother, who was obviously upset, asked him where he had been, he proudly told her he had enlisted in the Navy and would be leaving the next day.His service record shows that his first posting was at HMS Collingwood followed by HMS Pembroke, Northney, Quebec and HMS Copra and was released from service in January 1946. I have little information about my father's service as he passed away in 1955 when I was only 9 years old. My mother told me that my father had been on a landing craft during the invasions of North Africa, Sicily, Italy and Normandy.
John McLean
PO. Peter George Brown HMS Copra (d.14th Apr 1946)
Peter Brown was a Petty Officer Radio Mech. and served in Combined Operations. He is buried in Ladywell Cemetery with a Commonwealth war grave headstone. He died at age 21.Phillip Barnes-Warden
Charles Edward Basey HMS Dinosaur
My father, Charles Basey was born in Woolwich and joined the Royal Marines at Eastern Barracks on 27th of May 1942. He served on the ships HMS Dinosaur, HMS Hamilton, HMS Copra, and HBL RM Figyp (the spelling on his record sheet). He was discharged on 19th July 1946, class A.J. Stables
Cyril Huxtable HMS Victory
Cyril Huxtable was a telegraphist on HMS Victory from 28th of September 1940 to 25th of October 1940. He also served on HMS Pembroke, HMS Claverhouse, HMS Quebec, HMS Salsette, HMS Salsette III, HMS Braganza III, HMS Copra, HMS Calliope, HMS Mauritius during 1938 - 1946. He was recalled for 18 months in April 1952 as PO Telegraphist on HMS Neptune but was released early in November 1953.Lesley Smith
Marine William Guy HMS Copra
William served on HMS Copra from 31 September 1943 to 16 February 1946. Here are some places where the ship was in 1943:
- 6 June Plymouth
- 17 June Gibraltar
- 22 June Algiers
- 26 June Dejyijelli
- 7 July Malta left 9 July
- 10 July Invasion of Sicily left Sicily 27 September
- 28 July Malta
- 30 August Augusta, Sicily (mail)
- 1 September San Savarni(?), Sicily
- 3 September Invasion of Italy (Reggio)
- 8 September Raid on Pizzo
- 12 September Messina, Sicily
- 23 September Arrived Malta left 24 September
- 27 September Arrived Dejyijelli left 3 October
- 4 October Arrived Algiers left 16 October
- 19 October Arrived Gibraltar left 23 October
- 1 November Barry, Wales
AB. Alwyn David Barwell HMS Dinosaur
Our father, Al Barwell served on:. He never spoke much about his time in the Royal Navy but did say he was involved in D Day landings. A fellow sailor and friend contacted my father and they were going to meet but my father died shortly before his friend did however very kindly attend our father's funeral. We have 4 of my father's medals. Al died in August 2005
- HMS Raleigh 30.12.1942 to 15.03.1943;
- HMS Victory X 16.03.1943 to 04.04.1943;
- HMS Dinosaur 05.04.1943 to 31.08.1943;
- HMS Copra 01.09.1943 to 28.10.1943 as an Ordinary Seaman and as an Able Seaman 29.10.1943 to 31.10.1945;
- HMS Victory 01.11 to 14.12.1945;
- HMS Vernon (Vesuvius) 15.12.1945 to April 1946
- HMS Victory 02.05.1946 to 27.06.1946
Allan Robert Hardwick
Allan Hardwick worked as a joiner and was on HMS Drake from 29th September to 30th December 1943 and again from 8th February to 16th April 1944. Then he served on HMS Boscawen (Turtle) from 16th to 17th April 1944; on HMS Copia from 18th April to 30th September 1944; on HMS Drake again from 16th October to 24th October 1944; on HMS Shrapnel from 5th October to 4th December 1944 to 24th January 1945; then finally on HMS Copra again from 25th January 1945 to 11th June 1946, when he was released Class A.
Able Sea. Ernest Ralph Barwick HMS Copra
Ernest Barwick joined the Royal Navy 7th of May 1941 aged 20. From his service record, he appears to have spent most of the war between HMS Pembroke, HMS Quebec and HMS Copra, which I understand to be training bases for commandos/special forces. I do have a photo of my father driving a landing craft.
He told me a few stories of his time in the Mediterranean around the Adriatic near Corfu. It seems he suffered some of the worst storms and rough seas he had ever experienced in these waters. There was also a story of being involved in the Sicily landings, particularly Operation Ladbrook. This was evidently one of the worst cases of friendly fire and my father told me of rescuing parachutists from the water thinking they were German only to find it was our own commandos. It appears the American pilots released the gliders too early and ran away when the invasion fleet opened fire on them at night. No one had told the fleet that the planes with gliders were coming so they were thinking they were Germans attacking the fleet. 1200 paratroopers were killed. A more detailed source for this record can be found in a book by Geoffrey Regan, Blue on Blue A history of Friendly Fire dated 1995
Paul Barwick
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