Time Capsules - Old Photographs from the past

A very interesting photo of "Grenville." I am doing some research into the Type 15's and your entry regarding her Type 15 conversion taking place at Chatham is the only reference I can find. The relative entry is completely missing from Jane's Fighting Ships (all editions after 1960) and also Warships of the Royal and Commonwealth Navies 1966 and 1969.

I served on the Grenville in 1970. Did you know she was fitted with a periscope in the ops room.

Mt dad served on H.m.S. Grenville 1955 until 1957
is now deceased passed away on 25th december 2008 Mr Sidney Saunders Known as Sandy he was a stoker Mechanic.

my late friend anthony weston, served on the grenville during the 2nd ww.i believe his job to be an armourer, during hostilities. the ship was a capt(d)class.in the pacific campaign, they lived on sea biscuits and water for 22 days
before they could be replenished, this was supposedly, a record in its time.

I have a Certificate from a visit I did to HMS Grenville on 19th June 1970.
I have some black and white pics of me as a baby on the Focsle that day.
I later went on to join the RN as a Comms Rating in 1987 and served for 10 years prior to medical retirement. I will probably put the pics on Flickr.
Any takers shipmates ?

i have seen the orginal shield ot the grenville oakwood with on the top grenville and the 8 missies she made during ww 2

I served on the Grenville 56/57 as an ERA, she was a happy ship. In 56, the ship acted as guard ship to the Royal Yacht at Cowes; fitted the previous week, were some saluting guns on the aluminium superstructure; P. Philip arrive with Charles on a Sunday afternoon, these were fired causing mayhem with fibre glass insulation rain down on the mess!
The ship was always in and out on various dockyards, mainly due to a defective and/or alterations to asdic dome. The quarterdeck in the photograph may show the first helicoper land platform. The first landing of a helicopter took place outside Portsmouth in probably Sept.of 56.
At that time she was Capt.D of the Second Training Squadron at Portland hence the black band round the funnel.
The periscope in the operations room was install in 56 it had on chequered career, and the position restricted the use of the twin Bofors. During a stint in Chatham Dockyard some "matey" painted over the outside lens.
The Chief ERA was long serving by the name of 'Mo' Russell.
Swing the lamp tell the tale.

Interesting comments by Ed Chatwin, which have filled in few gaps in the history of HMS Grenville.

On looking more closely at my original photograph, there is in fact a Westland Dragonfly helicopter sitting on the stern! I had never spotted it before. Many thanks to everyone for all this fascinating information, all derived from a little Kodak Brownie photograph! The original picture is only a couple of inches square.

served on the grenville 1959, icelandic patrols.lopo i/c the opps room. confirm that there was a periscope.
spent most of my watches on the port side of the bridge with Uncle Tom the fishery liason officer with the fishing fleet. (old mate was frank baker.

I think my Grandad Harry Hodgson may have served on the ship during WW2. if anyone knows of him I would love to hear grom you.

This is CM van Wanrooij again. photos of the orginal shield of the Grenville Oakwood with on the top Grenville and the 7 missions she made during World War 2 : Atlantic 1939, English Channel 1943, Mediterranean 1943/44, Anzio 1944, Normandy 1944, Adriatic 1944, and Okinawa 1945. I would like to show these photos to you but I don't know how. Can anybody help me?

Hi Cor,
On the homepage of this site it says:
'If you want to add your pictures please make sure they are no wider than 720 pixels and less than 200KB and use the form at the bottom of the page or send them to us at info@time-capsules.co.uk'

So if you don't know how to use this system you can always send them to me by email. That is assuming you know how to scan them?

When I served on the Grenville in 1970 we were fitted with a stablished radar and were sent up towards Iceland for rough weather trials to see if it worked. Remember going to St.Johns and Newport, Rhode Island afterwards. Finished up in Bermuda for Prince Charles's visit.

When I was serving in the RN disposal ships list in Portsmouth we where tasked with taking the Grenville to scrap from Guz to Chatham for break up on the Isle of Sheppy (Kent)Being a dead ship in tow we had to take our own form of generation with us to power the beer fridge, this was an old single cylinder diesel powering a small single phase generator, this was all packaged up in a wooden chacon along with the galvanized dustbins holding the fresh water. Cut to the quick I ended up having to salvage a similar generator from a small uperdeck compartment which could have been emergency wt power to replace the one that we took with us as it went u/s, couldn't have the boys drinking warm beer! Anyway got it all wired in even the coupling to the diesel was the same fired up first time, dont make them like they use to.
Shame she was covered in sea gull guano though dont know how long she was laid up in Guz before the tow but must have been a good few years. Other ships that we towed where HMS Matapan, HMS Hardy, looked after the Empire Gull up the trot in Pompey, fottie on the tank deck!

Dear "alf"
What year was this that you describe?
Ed Chatwin

Hi Ed, Just dug out the old service record I was in Pompey, HMS Nelson from July 79 to to Feb 80 so it would have been between then, cant be certain but I have a feeling that it was toward the end of 79.
Yours aye, Alf

Hi Folks,
I was a National Service Radio Mech on HMS Grenville in 1956, with PO Tom Chantler and REM Harry Pomfret. Steamed up the River Loire to Nantes for Bastille Day in the July of that year. Then at Portland for several Months training Asdic Operators working with a Submarine (HMS Thermopolae)... Signals to the submarine were made with Hand Grenades thrown over the side, wich killed fish, that we 'netted' with a weighted wicker waste paper basket!. During this time, we had our own 'Liberty Boat' which was an ex Scottish Motor Fishing Vessel, and the Fish Hold had been fitted out with seats. Recreational trips were made on this to Weymouth to pick up 'parties' at the jetty, and we would then spend the day at Lulworth Cove. We made history when Richard Dimbleby made the first Television broadcast from a submerged submarine, and we had all the BBC engineers etc on board, in Weymouth Bay. Captain was Robertson, who took his Labrador dog to sea with him, as well as his 3 wheel Bond car !!! Radar was the 277 and 293 sets, and the latest Decca 974, which was an amazing piece of kit! It was that good, that the skipper closed all the 'deadlights' on the bridge, and brought the ship 'alongside' Weymouth Jetty, purely on the Radar picture !!! ...... After the 'Bump' and grinding of tortured steel against the concrete jetty, I don't think he had another whisky for at least another hour !!

Ships Radio entertainment came from a B40 receiver, which I switched on and off and tuned to stations. I left the Grenville to go to the Carrier HMS Centaur. Could tell a thousand tales, of events on what must then have been the slackest ship in the Royal Navy - Like the permanently 'paralytic' PO Chef, who allowed the Galley sink to be used for the ditching of the left over Tots, to save them putting it over the side!! The sink and its 'U' bend were never used, as the chef managed to catch it all, under the sink behind a sack of potatoes. Etc, etc !! ... Happy days!!

Grenville was my first ship and joined just in time for a workup at Portland ! I was in the foc'sle port side messdeck where George Darling, a three badge AB, taught me the finer points of uckers, small ship rules, and how to sling a mick.

Uckers I know about (my Dad was on HMS Eagle before and during part of WW2), but what does "sling a mick" mean?
Incidentally, I think it's amazing to get such a good response to a photo I took while I was a teenage Marine Cadet.

Sling a mick was to sling a hammock, a lot of the old frigates still had some men sleeping in them in the 70s. Very snug but a bugger to sling when you had been ashore for a few pints, spent several nights sleeping on a 9" wide bench.

I served in the Grenville during 1970. At that time we were doing trials on the radar type 1006 (replacement for 987)which consisted of steaming in big circles in the Solent off Frazer gunnery range. each evening we would anchor in St Helens Roads and fishing became very popular with the ships company. I was in the forward seamens mess which had 9 bunks for 16 of us so most of us slung micks.
The open bridge was invariably used rather than the enclosed one. Watches in foul weather weren't much fun!
During the August we had the 2nd frigate squadron run in Hamburg. The world cup was on and a local company lent us a huge TV which was installed on the quarterdeck. That year England were knopcked out in the quarter finals by Germany....All the passengers on passing ferries took great delight in this! especially after 1966!! Happy days

i served on the grenville around 1942-43 in ww11. my name freddy eagle if anyone remembers me would love to hear from you if yo still alive.

I remember freezing WE's in Portmouth Dockyard, no money, heating toast in front of the one black heater in the mess. Fortunately I never had to use a hammock ever again.

does anyone remember signaller (?) john burton who served between 1943 and 1945?

A few comments on some notes above. The radio receiver used to listen to radio entertainment was a 62B, similar in design to a B40, but it had different frequencies. The third radar mast . installed when she was a trials ship was type 1022 as used in Type 42 Destroyers and Invincible class carriers. Type 1006 was a replacement for Decca 978 radar. More details on Grenville conversions and equipment fit can be found in book "Royal Navy Frigates since 1945" by Leo Marriot. ISBN 0 7110 1915 0. If any one would like any such info I will photo copy the relavant pages in my copy and post them to the requestee.

My name is Ray Wilkinson and I was Signalman on the Grenville from 1943 until 1945… There were only about 8 – 10 signalman on board on the Grenville and I knew John very well as we kept watch together. I remember him as a fairly tall guy, blonde hair and mild mannered person with a good disposition. I am now 86 years old and I assume John would be around the same age.

Our travels took in the D Day landing in France and serving with the American fleet in the Pacific with some enjoyable times in Sydney Australia and returning to the UK when the Japanese war was over.

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