HMS Emerald was built by Armstrong at Wallsend, Newcastle-on-Tyne. She was launched on the 19th of May 1920. She saw action in the Atlantic escorts during 1939 and 1940, and sailed to the East Indies in 1941, joining the Eastern fleet in 1942 and then the Home fleet in 1944.
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Want to know more about HMS Emerald?
There are:10 items tagged HMS Emerald available in our Library
These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War.
SPO. Victor Leopold Burnley HMS Pintail (d.10th Jun 1941)
My grandfather was Stoker Petty Officer (SPO) Victor Leopold Burnley, aged 34 years old in 1941. Victor was killed on HMS Pintail on the 10th June 1941. He also served on the following ships in 1939 to 1941, HMS Emerald, HMS Pembroke, HMS Sussex.
I have also been able to establish a little more detail about the events around the sinking of HMS Pintail: On 10th June 1941, the Harwich based patrol vessel HMS Pintail was escorting a convoy near 62-Bouy, some 30 miles off the Humber, when steamship Royal Scott detonated an acoustic mine, blew up and sank. Pintail immediately dashed to the scene to help in the rescue, but she was also caught by an acoustic mine close to the steamship. HMS Pintail blew up and was lost almost immediately, instantly killing her CO Lieutenant McClintoch, six officers and 48 ratings. HMS Quantock a destroyer came to the scene and managed to save 22 crew from the water. The location of the ship is 28 miles East south east off Spurn Point.
My first ship was the destroyer HMS Cossack (LO3)and I was aboard when she was sunk by a German U-Boat in the North Atlantic in 1941. I was one of 58 survivors out of a ship's complement of 240. I spent 6 hours in the water and was able to help rescue a young Lieutenant who went on to become Rear Admiral Anthony Davies. Rear Admiral Anthony Davies eventually became the President of the Swindon Branch of the RNA and stayed in contact with me and my family until he passed
away a few years ago. We were eventually rescued by HMS Legion, which was under the command of Commander Jessel.
My next ship was the cruiser HMS Manchester that was sunk whilst escorting a Malta convoy in August 1942. We were in the water for 12 hours and eventually picked up by an Italian E-Boat and taken to Tunis. We were then tranferred by train to Algiers and truck to Laghouat POW camp, which was 320 miles into the Sahara desert. I spent 5 months in Laghouat and was then repatriated to Algiers where I took passage aboard the troopship Arundel Castle back to Rosyth in Scotland. I then travelled back to RNB Portsmouth before taking 2 weeks leave.
I then joined the light cruiser HMS Emerald and sailed for the Far East in January 1943 and patrolled the Indian Ocean for about 18 months before being recalled post haste back to the UK. We went straight back to Rosyth, we were not allowed any leave and once back at sea the ship's company was informed that it was D-Day - Operation Neptune to the navy. Our beachhead was 'Sword' and 'Juno' where we were attacked by a German bomber. The bomber dropped 5 bombs, 2 to port and 2 to starboard, buckling the port and starboard plates. The fifth bomb landed on a gun deck and remarkably did not explode. We spent 10 days on the beachhead.
In 1944 I joined the Hunt Class destroyer HMS Talybont (L18) and saw out the war in Europe. We then sailed to the med' for 2 1/2 years service on Palestine patrols. After the war I was called but because of the Korean war and I saw out my service until 1951 on HMS Battleaxe.
My dad, James Brown, was a ship's doctor during WWII and served on HMS Whitehall (D94) at Dunkirk. Later in the war he transferred to the cruiser, HMS Emerald and was active during Operation Overlord, the Normandy campaign in 1944.
In 2016, I discovered some remarkable black-and-white footage of my dad on board and en route for Dunkirk! It was discovered by the niece of a fellow officer serving with my dad, the lady's uncle filmed aboard Whitehall and ashore, and they make fascinating viewing:
I was so intrigued by these discoveries, I contacted the media and was interviewed on both the BBC and ITV. Since then I have also contacted and met the niece of the cameraman!
I volunteered at the age of 17 for the Royal Navy in 1940 and saw action on my first ship which was damaged by bomb and machine guns. It was in action against the Bismarck on HMS Dorsetshire firing 240 rounds of 8" shells. After putting three torpedoes into her and watching her sink we rescued 84 survivors. We bombarded the North African coast and took part in the landings in Madagascar. There was also lots of action in the Mediterranean, including three Malta convoys. With another destroyer we sank 13 enemy ships in an action lasting three hours. On my return to England I was just in time to take part in the Normandy landings on the cruiser HMS Emerald who, with other British warships, bombarded the shore batteries on the French coast. We were hit by a bomb and sustained only slight damage. We returned to Pompey [Portsmouth] for repairs and then went back to the landings, returning to England after things had settled down.
I am attempting to trace my father, William George Bond's service history. On my birth certificate, he was listed as and A/B serving aboard "HMS Emerald" in April 1935(year of my birth). After WW2, I am told he joined the Merchant navy, sailing with Cunard from Liverpool to mainly to USA. I have no other records-documentation belonging to him. Any confirmation, or information would be gratefully received.
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