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Snapshot of life aboard wartime destroyer rediscovered by Royal Navy warship’s crew
8 November 2024
A ‘time capsule’ of life aboard a wartime Royal Navy warship has been discovered by crew of her successor.
An unfinished letter to a loved one, a sentimental postcard, some yellowed newspaper clippings and an eclectic mix of photographs were rediscovered by sailors on minehunter HMS Chiddingfold on the eve of the ship’s 40th birthday on operations in the Gulf.
The ship’s wartime namesake, a Hunt-class destroyer, served extensively in home waters and the Mediterranean throughout the second half of World War 2, escorting convoys – especially those at the beginning or end of their journeys to/from the UK – supporting daring raids and grappling with German fast boats in the Channel.
As wartime destroyers go, Chiddingfold lived a charmed life – there’s little in her history to suggest she was badly damaged or suffered heavy casualties in action, despite escorting at least 15 convoys.
One of her crew – it’s not known who – kept a comprehensive scrapbook of her activities and actions, and continued to follow the ship’s progress after the war when she was transferred to the newly-independent Indian Navy, before the vessel was finally broken up in the late 1970s.
When a namesake ship – today’s minehunter – joined the Fleet in the 1980s, some of that scrapbook was donated to the new vessel… and then accidentally forgotten.
The envelope containing a mix of ephemera from the 1940s and 50s – most, but not all, of it relating to the wartime destroyer – resurfaced as the present-day HMS Chiddingfold was gearing up for 40th birthday celebrations in Bahrain.
Sadly there are no accompanying notes and a few spidery captions, so the crew of the ‘cheery Chid’, as the minehunter is known, are keen to learn the back story – if anyone can help.
The file includes:
• a barely-started letter home to a certain Joan on notepaper from HMS Collingwood, the training base in Fareham
• photographs of refit in Middlesbrough
• several photographs of crew on the open bridge in the Mediterranean in 1943, including her then Commanding Officer Lieutenant Thomas Dorrien Smith
• possibly the surrender of an Italian submarine in the Mediterranean in 1943
• escorting the aircraft carrier HMS Avenger in the North Atlantic in 1942
• newspaper cuttings relating to the transfer to the Indian Navy in the 1950s
The crew of today’s Chiddingfold intend to hand the material to the Royal Navy’s official historians at the Naval Historical Branch in Portsmouth for safekeeping,.
Navigator Lieutenant Max Renouf said the collection was a poignant reminder – particular during the period of remembrance – of past sacrifices and deeds, and the ties which today’s sailors with their wartime forebears.
“They showcase a different time in the Royal Navy but the threads of family and the creation of lasting memories are woven through everything in the small collection.
“As the person served during the war it makes it even more special as there is no telling the horrors and tribulations he went through whilst on board.
“While people and technologies may change, the values and standards that have driven excellence have not changed.”
Similar sentiments marked the minehunter’s 40th birthday party. Despite that age, due to her ‘plastic’ hull which doesn’t age like the steel of traditional warships, inside Chiddingfold is equipped with the latest machinery, sensors and systems to hunt mines in the Middle East.
Her 40th anniversary was marked by a blessing from a naval chaplain, a service of remembrance for all those who have served in the two HMS Chiddingfolds, and the distribution of commemorative coins donated by the minehunter’s first Commanding Officer Lieutenant Commander David Sandiford in recognition of the continued efforts from all who serve on her.
“As the 43rd Commanding Officer of HMS Chiddingfold, it gives me great pleasure to lead this remarkable ship into her fifth decade,” said Lieutenant Commander Craig Clark.
“This milestone is a testament not only to the unique Glass Reinforced Plastic construction of the ship but, more importantly, to the dedication of more than 1,000 officers and sailors who have served in her. The stories shared, the sights witnessed, and the memories made have all been shaped by this incredible ship.”
Most of her 45 crew were not even born when the ship was commissioned in October 1984, a month when a bare-chested Arnold Schwarzenegger was the biggest draw at UK cinemas as Conan The Destroyer, Wham were hogging the top spot in the singles chart with Freedom, while TV journalist Michael Buerk pricked global consciences with his report of the famine in Ethiopia – resulting in Band Aid and, later, Live Aid.
Chiddingfold is one of four Royal Navy warships deployed on long-term missions to the Gulf region, using Bahrain as the hub of their operations to help maintain maritime security and the safe passage of shipping across the Middle East.