Cmdr. Jacques Robert "James Stephens" Vieuxbled
Royal Navy HMS Fidelity
from:Paris, France
My Father served on board HMS Fidelity in around 1941 based in and around Barry Docks in South Wales but was not on the ship when it was sunk.
He had to change his name on board as most of the French had to. The name he took was James Stephens which was the name on his Marriage Certificate to my Mother Lyne or Lena. We don`t know his real name but most people called him Jacques. They divorced sometime later still not knowing his real name. Some years back I traced a friend, Rene, who served with him but he did not know his French name either.
My father was a sick berth Petty Officer. I have tried the Naval authorities Merchant Navy & French Navy to no avail they all said without his real name it's virtually impossible. Someone told me about this site and here I am writing this in the hope someone may just know something. I do have some of his wedding photographs but that's about it. I recently tried the Museum in Caens but as of yet nothing. So will keep my fingers crossed.
Update:
I sent details to this website relating to my father about 10 years ago asking if anyone recognized him from the wedding photo as I did not know his real name at that time, nothing happened so after 50 years of looking for him I gave up!
Last year, 2012, unbeknown to me a brother was researching his father who was aboard HMS Fidelity came upon my email from ten years ago and suddenly thought who is this man looking for my father, he took the name from my email and googled it and lo and behold he found me in Sydney Australia and I now have a brother 2 sisters and a family of 80 all over France and of course found all the details of my father who after he disembarked Fidelty went into s.o.e then into underwater chariots then into commanding midget submarines till the end of the war, he then went back to France and married again and became harbour master in Madagascar where he was unfortunately killed saving a comrade in a shipping collision in 1959 he was awarded the congressional medal of honour for bravery.
His name was changed as were all aboard Fidelity to James Stephens and at the end of the war he reverted back to his real name which was Jacques Robert Vieuxbled. His son ( my new brother) joined the French navy as a 16year old and has just retired after 45 years rising to commander of destroyers and attack vessels also being awarded the congressional medal of honour for bravery in the gulf war.
So I would like to say a massive thank you to The Wartime Memories Project as without your site this would not have happened. Once again my congratulation for everything that you do.
