211135 Ord.Sea. Harold Eric Rose Royal Navy HMS. Ness from:Maidenhead My father Harold Rose died recently. Searching through his possesions I came accross his navy record, service medals etc. He volunteered aged 18, in September 1942. He served on HMS Ness 22nd of December 1942 until 7th of March 1944. Among his possessions I found a certificate issued when crossing the equator dated 30th September 1943. I guess on one of the Freetown Convoy sailings.
In 1944 he joined HMS Loch Fyne after having trained as a Radar Artificer. He sailed with her to Karachi, then still part of India, but was hospitalized on the mainland after catching malaria. The ship sailed without him possibly to Columbo (I´m not certain). Eventually he rejoined her but in the meantime he had been posted AWOL. I have the disgusting letter that the war ministry had had delivered, by military police, to my grandmother telling her of his desertion in time of war and how difficult they would make her life. The shock ultimately killed her. Two months later they sent a woefully worded apology for their mistake.
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