There are some names in my father's (Norman Lock) 1946 diary (In photo) in relation to his stay at Oromocto, Sunbury, New Brunswick Canada during WW2. I am not sure of the relationship of Douglas Miller to Mrs. Urban Miller. And how the other names in the 1946 diary were involved with Norman. I did presume that Mrs. Hugh Miller was the mother of Douglas Miller (Because of the Canadian Telegram details). Norman did receive a letter from Miss Louise Neales, addressed to HMS Findhorn, with a post box address in England, from memory (I still have that letter). Mrs. Douglas Miller wrote a letter to Norman's father in 1953 to inquire about how Norman was getting on. The letter said that Norman was a very good friend of her husband (Douglas Miller) and Norman stayed with her husband, during WW2, while on leave at Oromocto, Sunbury (I still have that letter).

Philip L

I am going through the photos of my mother-in-law and came across this photo. I wondered if anyone might be able to identify the uniform or the cap badge for me. We know there were relatives with a link to the British Navy, but also to the Merchant Navy. I don't know how to tell the badges apart.

To answer your questions –
Victory – was the shore barracks at Portsmouth.  The numbers were just for accounting purposes

Shore bases with names in brackets – smaller ships did not carry any admin staff, so all their paperwork, pay etc was carried out by a shore base, referred to as a ‘parent’. So, where you see, for example, Victory (Enchantress), it meant that he was serving onboard the Enchantress, but Victory barracks was looking after the admin work

Boscawen (Bleswedd) – Boscawen was the shore base at Portland – the name in brackets is actually Cherwell.  This was an armed trawler employed on Fishery Protection duties

I presume you have the details of the various ships listed (Tiger / Enchantress / Royal Sovereign / Boreas / Duncan /Keppel / St Fagan / Cherwell) ? and the shore bases?

This is the far-left section and final section. Photo sections are now all the way from far left, as you look at the photo to far right, as you look at the photo. The first section called small section was between the sections called left and right. Again, I think I did crop some of the background and structure out of this far left section unfortunately, to get to an appropriate size.

Philip L

This is the right section. I have had to crop some of the background to get so it is an appropriate size unfortunately. I think there is a ship and structures in the background in whole photo.

Philip L

I will find out if a professional photographer shop can make a copy of the whole original large, long WW2 Royal Navy Group photo at a reduced size, so it can be shown as one photo. That may take some time. So, I have put another section here. Left section.

Philip L

Hello

I'm totally new to understanding royal navy service records and I'm hoping someone with more experience can help get me started.

I've attached the record of my great uncle Harry, and I have some questions about it.

1. Victory 1,2,3 and 4
Were these all shore based station?
Were they all at Portsmouth?

2. Shore bases folowed by other names in brackets
About 2/3 of the way down it states St. Angelo (Duncan), then later Excellent (St. Fagan). I know that St. Angelo and Excellent were both shore bases. Does this mean his time was split between a shore base and ship (in brackets), or does the shore base followed by a bracketed name have another specific meaning?

3. In 1937 it says Harry was on "Boscawen (Bleswedd)", as far as I can make out(?). I can 't find any shore station called that or a ship called Blesswedd (or similar)

I'd really appreciate any help in understanding how these records are generally formatted and what/where some of these place are.

Also is there a good reference for future use that anyone can point me towards so that I can get the hang of this for myself?

Thanks very much for any help at all.

Neal

My father, Norman Lock (1924 - 2021) collected a Japanese ID plate during his time in the Royal British Navy, in WW2 (Between 1942 and 1946). The plate is only 6 by 4.5 centimeters, but a close-up smart phone camera photo has it coming out a large 2.80MB size. So, this photo is only about the top half due to the photo size restrictions on this site. 
A volunteer at the Australian War memorial was able to translate the plate for me.
Philip L

The data plate in your possession appears to have come from a Japanese ship. One of our volunteers is able to read older Japanese and he was able to translate it for you.
　　艦橋速力通信器
　　　　指示器
特許　第60265號　第110973號　　　
　　　第106557號　第11097號
型　[empty]　番號26668
　株式[trademark]会社
　　東京計器製作所
　　昭和14年12月
Translation:
　 Bridge speed communication device
                        Indicator
Patents: No.60265 No. 110973
               No.106557 No. 11097
Tupe: [empty]   Serial no. 26668
         Co. [trademark] LTD
    Tokyo Keiki Seisakusho [Tokyo Instrument Manufacturing]
       December, Showa 14 [1939]
 Bridge speed communication device is a literal translation, what it means is the Engine order telegraph. The company Tokyo Keiki Seisakusho still exists today as Tokyo Keiki.

More detail can be found elsewhere on this website at:
www.royalnavyresearcharchive.org.uk/ESCORT/BEGUM.htm

www.royalnavyresearcharchive.org.uk/ESCORT/SHAH.htm

and also the German language website –

www.u-boot-archiv.de/dieboote/u0198.html

From these (and with the help of Google translate…)

A U-Boat was known to be operating in the Indian Ocean, and Task Force 66, consisting of two escort carriers, the Begum and Shah, with seven frigates and two sloops, supported by shore-based RAF aircraft, carried out anti-submarine sweeps of the area around the Seychelles.
An RAF Catalina flying boat spotted a U-boat on the surface, which concentrated the search and an Avenger aircraft from the Shah again sighted the sub on 10th August before it dived.  Hunting in the vicinity continued, and two days later another Avenger caught the U-Boat on the surface and carried out an attack as it dived.  The Findhorn, along with the Indian Navy sloop Godavari was detached to the spot and Godavari gained an Asdic (sonar) contact, and the pair continued to track the submarine, keeping it down, until the full Task Force was in range.  Findhorn then carried out an attack on the contact with ‘Hedgehog’ anti-sub projectiles and heard one loud and two weaker detonations.  As the projectiles were primed to explode on contact, it was presumed that they had hit the sub, but all the force remained in the area until the following morning, when with no further asdic contacts and a large oil slick on the surface, it was assessed that the attack had been successful.
For the Hedgehog weapon, see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedgehog_(weapon)

I came across some information on U boat. net
12 Aug 1944
German U-boat, U-198 was sunk near the Seychelles, in position (such and such with the numbers and degrees), by depth charges from the British frigate HMS Findhorn and Indian Sloop HMIS Godavari.

And information in the National Archives.
1944
In regard to HM ships Findhorn, Shah, Begum, Taff, and HMIS Godavari destroying an enemy submarine after eight-day (1000 mile) hunt.

Is there any more information about these events.

Thank you.

Philip L