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[ValB]

I am trying to research what happened to my great uncle who went AWOL form his ship and was never seen or heard of again by anyone. All of his service record was "Very Good" from his enlistment in 1912 to his listing as "RUN" on 9th November 1924. He was an Officer's Cook 1st Class on HMS WARSPITE 5th April 1923 - 2nd Sept 1924. His last period of service was HMS YARMOUTH (light cruiser Weymouth class)  3rd Sept 1924 - RUN date.
My great uncle was on leave and went to his home in Portsmouth during that leave and failed to return to his ship.
Is there any way of finding out if Yarmouth was actually in Portsmouth on 9th Nov 1924 and if so, how long it had been there?
Also, would  there be any records regarding Naval investigation of his failure to return to ship? Obviously he was not court martialled because he never turned up again.
I have a letter from Jan 1925 sent to my grandmother stating "he deserted, whereabouts unknown".
I contacted the police in Portsmouth and he was still listed as a deserter until 1991 (100 years after his birth date).
As it is 100 years since his failure to return to ship I was wondering if other records would now be available to me.

[PhiloNauticus]

The Yarmouth was based at Portsmouth, having been re-commissioned in March 1922 as a tender to the Signal School at Portsmouth - basically a training role, with reduced complement. This would mean that apart from short training cruises, she did not stray too far from Portsmouth

She had conducted a short training cruise to Madeira and Gibraltar in September 1924, returning to Portsmouth 26 September.

I am not aware of any surviving investigation records. 

[ValB]

That's a good bit of info for me..... thanks very much. My great uncle wasn't expected in Portsmouth when he was so was Warspite in Madeira / Gibraltar in September 1924? All the family were sure he was still on Warspite when they were trying to find out what happened to him, it was only the Admiralty said he was aboard Yarmouth.
I was thinking that Warspite was due back on a certain date but he transferred to Yarmouth and ended up coming back earlier for a nice surprise  for his wife........ trouble was she was with another man when he came home
I know this all doesn't matter diddly-squat now but I have lived with not knowing what happened to my great uncle since I was a small child so I need to try and piece the evidence together.

[PhiloNauticus]

The Warspite was normally  based at Devonport [Plymouth].  She had been anchored off the Isle of Wight hosting the King and the Royal Family in August 1924, during Cowes Week.  That complete, she entered Portsmouth harbour on 11 August to de-store, and was paid off [put out of commission] on 2 September, prior to a refit in Portsmouth. 

This would line up with your relative being transferred to the Yarmouth on 3 September

[ValB]

My goodness...... how do you know all this detail PhiloNauticus?.... absolutely brilliant. Thank you so much. Can I pick your brain once more?
With regard to my relative, would you know where HMS Monarch was between 1st - 31st July 1920 and more particularly around the 14th July?
Thanks
Val

[PhiloNauticus]

Monarch was at Portsmouth.

On 5 March 1920 she was reduced to Reserve, and remained moored at Portsmouth, with a reduced crew

She does not seem to have moved far until 28 August, when she sailed from Portsmouth for Gibraltar, carrying relief crews for ships in the Mediterranean.  She returned to Portsmouth on 25 September

[ValB]

Thank you PhiloNauticus

Am I right in thinking that if Fred stayed onboard as part of a reduced crew then that would / might mean he would not get much leave other than overnight shore leave on a rota and would not have had much opportunity to go up to London?

He said in a letter it was very expensive to travel up from Pompey and I was thinking that if he had come back to Portsmouth from elsewhere on 5th March 1920 then he might have taken any accrued leave soon after he came back or early April (Easter) and gone up to London then.

I don't know how much leave he would have got in total (other than overnight shore leave) and presumably there are no "leave" records surviving.

Would it be the case that someone taking 2-3-4 days leave (or however long they were allowed in one "hit") in March or for Easter would not be able to do the same again during July or maybe not even before sailing to Gibraltar on the 28th August.

Thanks
ValB

[PhiloNauticus]

Ratings were allowed 28 days leave, plus public holidays, per year.  In home waters, this would normally be taken in three chunks, at Christmas and Easter, plus one other period, usually fitting in with the ships programme. 
 
In addition ratings were allowed overnight leave.

He would presumably have been granted 9 or 10 days leave at Easter; would have expected something similar at Christmas, and so could have requested to take the balance or a portion of it [perhaps a week] in the summer, if he could be spared from his duties....
 
It was not unusual for ratings to accrue leave that had not been taken - this would usually be taken on leaving a ship, prior to joining a new one ...

Leave records would be kept by the ship, and I doubt any have survived.

[source for the above info:Kings Regulations and Admiralty Instructions [1913 ed] paras 872-899]

[ValB]

Yet again...... brilliant info PhiloNauticus !