Hello, I have recently researched my great grandfathers service records to see what I could find out and it turns out I found out pretty much everything I could possibly find out and my gran and grandad are chuffed to bits, especially as we believe he may now be awarded a medal for his service on the Russian convoys. They have started awarding medals for people involved In this fairly recently. Anyway, I’m here to find some more information, perhaps someone who has photos that might include my great grandad. I will leave below the timeline we have made for him and if you believe someone related to you may have been on the same ships, let’s get in touch and share what we have. Here’s his timeline : Ships served on Shore Establishment Ship From To Notes Royal Arthur 4 Dec 1940 9 Jan 1941 Cosham, near Portsmouth. Training camp for ratings HMS Royal Arthur (shore establishment) - Wikipedia Drake 10 Jan 41 17 Jan 1941 Devonport – training Raleigh 18 Jan 1941 4 Aug 1941 Torpoint, Cornwall – Training HMS Raleigh (shore establishment) - Wikipedia Note that 44 sailors and 21 Royal Engineers were killed when a German bomb hit the air-raid shelter they were in at Raleigh on 28 April 1941 – your greatgrandad would have been there then. Drake 5 Aug 1941 1 Dec 1941 Devonport – training (he was promoted to Cook (S) – senior?) Tyne HMS Punjabi 3 Dec 1941 5 May 1942 HMS Tyne was a depot ship - HMS TYNE Depot Ship – he must have been attached to the Tyne, but posted to HMS Punjabi. HMS Punjabi was a destroyer, and was sunk in a collision with HMS King George V during an Arctic Convoy to Russia on 1st May 1942. 49 crew were killed. See HMS Punjabi, destroyer for more details including the Russian Convoys it participated in Drake 6 May 1942 8 June 1942 Devonport (he would have had survivors leave during this period so would have gone home for a week or so Skirmisher 9 June 1942 23 Nov 1942 Milford Haven – shore base. Was associated with Royal Navy coastal craft, including minesweepers Drake 24 Nov 1942 8 Feb 1943 Devonport Orlando Beagle 9 Feb 1943 (this is on two lines in his record – not sure why) 4 June 1943 HMS Orlando was a shore base and gunnery school at Navy House, Greenock, Scotland HMS Beagle was a Destroyer which served in the English Channel, but then went to Freetown (Sierra Leone) in West Africa from Feb-June 43. See HMS Beagle, destroyer Ferret Panther 5 June 1943 30 June 1943 HMS Ferret was a shore base at Londonderry, Northern Ireland HMS Panther was a Destroyer. During this period (June-Oct 43) she was in the Aegean (eastern Mediterranean), supporting attacks on German held islands in Greece and supported the landings in Sicily. On 9th October, after being attacked by German dive bombers, she sank in the Scarpanto Strait. 33 men were killed. HMS Panther, destroyer Victory III Panther 1 July 1943 9 October 1943 As above (Victory III was another shore base) Drake 10 October 1943 12 Dec 1943 Devonport – another survivors leave Raleigh 13 Dec 1943 9 Feb 1944 Torpoint, Cornwall Drake 10 Feb 1944 23 March 1944 Devonport Gadwall 24 March 1944 19 May 1944 This was RNAS (Royal Navy Air Station) Gadwall. It was a Fleet Air Arm base in Belfast. It is now Belfast City Airport - George Best Belfast City Airport - Wikipedia Drake 20 May 1944 31 May 1944 Devonport (I think this may have been a weeks leave between postings) Malaya 1 June 1944 14 May 1945 HMS Malaya was a battleship that participated in WW1 (Jutland). By 1944 she was being held in reserve, but did participate in the bombardment of Ile de Cezembre off St Malo in France in September 1944. HMS Malaya, British battleship, WW2 Vernon II 15 May 1945 16 May 1945 Shore base in Portsmouth Drake 17 May 1945 24 July 1945 Devonport (leave?) Roberts 25 July 1945 4 Jan 1946 HMS Roberts was a Monitor. In July 1945 Roberts departed the United Kingdom for the Indian Ocean to support Operation Mailfist, the planned liberation of Singapore. She was near Port Said at the time the Japanese surrender on 15 August, but was not recalled until 11 September by which time she had reached Kilindini Harbour in Kenya. She eventually reached Plymouth on 22 November HMS Roberts, RN monitor, WW2 Drake 5 Jan 1946 22 March 1946 Devonport – and demob WSI on the page refers to War Service Increment – pay increase.
As James says apply for a medal and they will yes or no after looking at his record and seeing if he falls inside the criteria - Apply for a veterans badge or a medal Medals: campaigns, descriptions and eligibility The Arctic Star is awarded for operational service of any length north of the Arctic Circle (66, 32 N) between 3 September 1939 and 8 May 1945. The Arctic Star commemorates the Arctic Convoys that sailed to North Russia in support of the Russian allies. To apply for the Arctic Star, you must have: service of any length either afloat or as part of land operations north of the Arctic Circle in the army, Royal Navy, Merchant Navy, and RAF ground crew service of any length as RAF aircrew who landed or served in the air north of the Arctic Circle approved civilians who served in support of military operations north of the Arctic Circle I can see why he became a cook - 1939 England and Wales Register Name: Ronald E Beard Gender: Male Marital status: Single Birth Date: 5 May 1916 Residence Year: 1939 Address: Pose Cottage Claycombe Residence Place: Stroud, Gloucestershire, England Occupation: Baker & confectioner Schedule Number: 114 Sub Schedule Number: 3 Enumeration District: ODQG Registration district: 327-2 Household Members: Name Herbert W Beard Evelyn N Beard Ronald E Beard Gerald H Beard Ailker E Beard TD