Can someone help me with some information please. I am helping a friend with research into his father's naval service during WW2. The following list is an extract from his service record: HMS Drake 06/03/1945 to 28/03/1945 HMS Defender 29/03/1945 to 01/04/1945 HMS Lavender 2/04/1945 to 06/04/945 HMS Defender 07/04/1945 to 13/04/1945 Sick Seaforth 14/04/1945 to 18/05/1945 HMS Defender 19/05/1945 to 02/06/1945 HMS Hart 03/06/1945 to 26/09/1945 The problem is HMS Defender. In WW2, there was destroyer of that name, but it sank in 1941. A search of the net has revealed that there was a shore base near Liverpool using the name HMS Defender between 1942-45 but nothing further. Therefore if possible can someone give me some more info about it, its purpose and what AB Rideout was possibly doing there please. I know Sick Seaforth refers to the RN Hospital nearby. . Many thanks Trevor
Hi Trevor, HMS DEFENDER was a shore base at Liverpool - ocean escort base. He could have been involved with convoy escorts or training there. He could have been attached to the base and served at sea on another ship. You should check Pay and Victualing records from the MOD. Regards Hugh
Hugh Thank you for the fact that HMS Defender was an ocean escort base in WW2. The listing of Lew Rideout's postings has come from his pay and victualing records provided by the MOD. This makes sense now as he also served earlier in the war with HMS Alcantara from 1941-1942 which as you may know was an armed merchant cruiser which accompanied various convoys during the war. Cheers Trevor
My opinion on why AB Rideout was there, is that he was used as a spare man before given a permanent posting. As HMS Defender was at Liverpool and in charge of the Western Approaches convoy defence and anti-submarine patrols in continuation. They would need these sailors to covers accidents, sickness and battle casualty's. Clue, he was on HMS Lavender (A Corvette) for four days. Then 2 months later he was posted to HMS Hart. Took passage from Plymouth to Malta for work-up before joining British Pacific Fleet Forward Base at Manus, Admiralty Islands. Ended up at Colombo Aug 20th, then diverted to join Fleet at Hong long.