My Dad.

[IanHill]

So new to this forum as only just got an RC Tank. i spotted this Thread and its something that i hold close tomy heart. My Father who passed away in 2012 served his King and Country during the second world war. He joined the Navy as a ver young teenager and served with pride and honour. He traveled the world and was involved in a lot of combat situations. He was deployed in the Paciffic for a short while but also spent a lot of the time on Convoy protection. This was a chapter in his life which he had so many stories. The ship he served on for this came straight from the Michigan shipyards in the USA, The Americans called them Corvettes. This was his favourite ship. HMS Kingsmill.
He served on several ships.
HMS Cumberland (Heavy Cruiser)
HMS Kingsmaill (Corvette)
HMS Indefaticable (Fleet Carrier)
HMS Vindex (Merchant Carrier)

My Dad and his service medals. The 2 stars are for various convoy campaigns in the Atlantic. He also has his Invasion medal. a defence medal and the last one i cant remember.

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The Kingsmil along with its sister ship HMS Lawford went on to be converted into Coastal Comand Ships in preperation for D-Day. My dad was very proud that he took part in the invasion itsself serving on the Kingsmill. Its sister ship was destroyed it is believed by a German guided Fritz X bomb.

The next few pictures are of the ships he served on.

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I am so prowed of him and all like him who served. Lest we not Forget.

[Herr Dr. Professor]

You are fortunate to have the photos. Many of our fathers endured the war and then went silently on to as what some call "The Greatest Generation." After enlisting in 1941, he survived three years in the South Pacific, mustered out as a Master Sergeant. All I ever heard were hints. About the rest he was silent.

[jarndice]

Very interesting, As the good doctor says many of our parents are pretty close mouthed about their service history, My ears pricked up when you mentioned and showed a picture of HMS Cumberland because she took part in one of the earliest actions of WW2 in late 1939, The Battle of the River Plate notably sailing up from the Falklands to be in at the kill.As I have related before my Father was out of the war quite early as a fighting man suffering severe injuries at Dunkirk, Spending the rest of the War as a civilian armourer with the USAAF on a bomber base.
Your Fathers red blue and white ribbon is the 39-45 Defence Medal.

[IanHill]

I am so proud of my father’s service. And yes. Every time the film Battle of the river Plate came on he would refer to his ship. He had not unlisted at that time. Both he and his brother joined up together. His brother my Uncle William was a skipper on a landing craft during the war.

I have more photos of the ships he served on. A nice one of his ship passing under Sydney harbour bridge. He made friends with a war photographer who was placed aboard one of his ships. He used to take photos and passed them on to him. I have kept them
After his passing. I am giving my dads medals to my youngest son who took an interest in them
When he was young and played with them. Before my father passed away, I had his medals re-ribboned including his bar then had them mounted. I currently have them and will always treasure them even when I pass them onto my son.

[michaelwhittmann]

Was he involved in the sinking / scuttling of the Admiral Graf Spee?