The Wartime Memories Project

- HMS Glasgow during the Second World War -


Naval Index
skip to content


This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site you agree to accept cookies.


If you enjoy this site

please consider making a donation.




    Site Home

    WW2 Home

    Add Stories

    WW2 Search

    Library

    Help & FAQs


 WW2 Features

    Airfields

    Allied Army

    Allied Air Forces

    Allied Navy

    Axis Forces

    Home Front

    Battles

    Prisoners of War

    Allied Ships

    Women at War

    Those Who Served

    Day-by-Day

    Library

    The Great War

 Submissions

    Add Stories

    Time Capsule

    TWMP on Facebook



    Childrens Bookshop

 FAQ's

    Help & FAQs

    Glossary

    Volunteering

    Contact us

    News

    Bookshop

    About


Advertisements











World War 2 Two II WW2 WWII 1939 1945

HMS Glasgow



3rd Apr 1940 On the Move

13th Apr 1940 On the Move

14th Apr 1940 On the Move

15th Apr 1940 On the Move

16th Apr 1940 Air Raid

21st Apr 1940 On the Move

22nd Apr 1940 On the Move

30th Oct 1940 On the Move

6th Nov 1940 On the Move

7th Nov 1940 On the Move

9th Nov 1940 Air Attack

10th Nov 1940 On the Move

11th Nov 1940 Attack Made

18th Feb 1941 Escort Duty

28th Feb 1941 Convoy

2nd Mar 1941 Convoy

4th Mar 1941 Escort Duty


If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.



Those known to have sailed in

HMS Glasgow

during the Second World War 1939-1945.

  • Box Coryn Arthur.
  • Caunter Frederick Richard . Able Sea.
  • Denyer Jack Walter.
  • Gange Edward Charles. Able Sea
  • Hall Stanley George. AB.
  • Hall Thomas. Able Sea.
  • Hall Thomas. Able Sea.
  • Henshaw James.
  • Lynch Augustine Joseph.
  • Marpole John.
  • Peterkin William. AB
  • Robertson Alex Main. AB
  • White Geoffrey Richard. O.Tel.
  • White Geoffrey Richard . Tel.
  • Woods Albert George. Marine
  • Woodward Richard Walter. Able Sea.

The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed, please Add a Name to this List

Records of HMS Glasgow from other sources.



The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website.

Announcements



  • The Wartime Memories Project has been running for 24 years. If you would like to support us, a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting and admin or this site will vanish from the web.
  • 28th March 2024 - Please note we currently have a huge backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than 263784 your information is still in the queue, please do not resubmit, we are working through them as quickly as possible.
  • Looking for help with Family History Research?   Please read our Family History FAQ's
  • The free to access section of The Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers and funded by donations from our visitors. If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web.
    If you enjoy this site

    please consider making a donation.


Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the War? Our Library contains an ever growing number diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text.



We are now on Facebook. Like this page to receive our updates.

If you have a general question please post it on our Facebook page.


Wanted: Digital copies of Group photographs, Scrapbooks, Autograph books, photo albums, newspaper clippings, letters, postcards and ephemera relating to WW2. We would like to obtain digital copies of any documents or photographs relating to WW2 you may have at home.

If you have any unwanted photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them. The Wartime Memories Project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes. Please get in touch for the postal address, do not sent them to our PO Box as packages are not accepted. World War 1 One ww1 wwII second 1939 1945 battalion
Did you know? We also have a section on The Great War. and a Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations.



Want to know more about HMS Glasgow?


There are:17 items tagged HMS Glasgow 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.


Able Sea. Thomas "Ron" Hall Gunner HMS Manchester

Thomas (Ron) Hall was born in South Shields, Co. Durham on 11 April 1917, the family home being in Hebburn-on-Tyne. Although christened Thomas, he was always known as Ron by his RN friends and his wife's family - no-one knows why! At the age of 16 he joined the Royal Navy as a Boy Sailor. After training at the shore base HMS Ganges, he was sent for gunnery training at HMS Excellent, Portsmouth.

At the outbreak of war, he was serving on HMS Glasgow, but was transferred to HMS Barham, where he was wounded in May 1941. Barham had been assisting with the withdrawal of Allied forces from Crete, during which time she was subjected to almost constant German attacks. The gun turret in which Thomas was serving was hit, and he was the only one to emerge from the wreckage.

Posted ashore in Alexandria on 2nd July for rehabilitation, his next ship would be the Cruiser HMS Carlisle. On 9th April 1942, Thomas joined HMS Manchester, which had been assigned the role of escort to convoy WS-21S - better known as Operation Pedestal - the convoy which would save Malta from starvation and surrender. On 13th August, whilst rounding Cape Bon, Manchester was crippled by Italian torpedoes and was later scuttled off Kelibia Roads, Tunisia. Thomas survived and was taken prisoner and interned by the Vichy French at Laghouat in Algeria.

With the landing of British and American troops in Morocco and Algeria as part of Operation Torch on 8th November 1942, Thomas and his shipmates were able to return to England in December. After 8 months ashore, Thomas was assigned to the Destroyer HMS Janus, which provided artillery support for the Allied landings at Anzio on 22nd January 1944 under Operation Shingle. Janus was sunk the next day by a German air attack. Thomas was again saved, but the experience of being sunk for a third time would have a lasting effect on his nerves. He was invalided out of the Royal Navy in November 1945, and died in 1973, aged 55.

Ivan



John Marpole H.M.S. Glasgow

Family photograph of John Marpoles headstone.

John Marpole was my mother, Mary's brother. He served in H.M.S. Glasgow during WW2.

Graham Taylor



AB. Stanley George Hall HMS Glasgow

Stanley Hall was on board the HMS Glasgow during the Battle of Biscay. He earned the Atlantic and Burma Star.




Able Sea. Frederick Richard Caunter HMS Glasgow

Frederick Caunter, bottom row 2nd right, HMS St George

Frederick Caunter enlisted in January 1940. He served in HMS Ganges, HMS St George, HMS Victory, HMS Glasgow and HMS Howe. He was discharged in February 1945 as physically unfit for Naval service.

Debbie Rostron



AB Alex Main "Sandy" Robertson HMS Glasgow

My father, Alex Robertson served on the HMS Glasgow, and the Mine sweeper Felixstowe. Later he became one of the first frogmen of the British Navy. He was born in Clive, Alberta, Canada. In 1921 his father was gassed at Vimy Ridge, died a year later. His mother returned to Scotland and he attended Donaldson's school. Later he attended HMS Ganges and was known to sit at the top of the mast there.

Alex saw service in Gibraltar. He worked at clearing every beach before the Normandy invasion. When asked at the 50th anniversary of D-day, which beaches he was on he replied all of them. Later I found a story of him and another sailor eating a chicken. He was at the siege of Gibraltar, the raid on Normandy. Prior to this raid he and others got caught swimming nude in the Firth of Forth and got sent to Scapa Flow. He was in Malta when the Exodus came in and was the officer who threw the Captain overboard when he reached under his lapel.

Ian Robertson



James Henshaw HMS Glasgow

James Henshaw served on HMS Glasgow and was injured December 1940 when the ship was damaged by enemy action, aircraft attack in Souda Bay, Crete.

Graham Henshaw



Tel. Geoffrey Richard "Knocker" White HMS Glasgow

My father, Geoffrey White, joined the Royal Navy in May 1939 as a sixteen year old Boy Second Class. His first sea going appointment was as an Ordinary Telegraphist on HMS Glasgow on 30th of October 1940. Serving on her in the Mediterranean (where she was torpedoed at Souda Bay) and on convoy escort duties in the Indian Ocean. He left her at New York in June 1942 when the Glasgow underwent major repairs.

He was subsequently involved in Operation Torch and its aftermath with bases at HMS Hannibal, HMS Byrsa, HMS Elissa (Augusta) until 19th of November 1944 when he returned to a UK based shore appointment at HMS Mercury as a Leading Telegraphist. He remained in the Royal Navy until retirement as a Chief Radio Supervisor on 16th of May 1968.

Richard White



Marine Albert George "Timber" Woods

My Dad, Albert Woods joined the Royal Marines in 1940 age 17, 92 days before his 18th birthday.

He served on HMS Penelope from 7th of July 1941 to 8th to April 1942. He was wounded in both legs when she was being bombed in Malta. He spent time in the military hospital there being put back together. He had to send photos of himself with his legs on show to his mum as she was convinced he had lost his legs. He also made a BBC broadcast to her on 11th April 1943 from Malta so he must have been there for quite a long time.

He then went on to serve on:

  • HMS Howe 1944-1946.
  • St. George June to Nov 1946.
  • HMS Glasgow Dec 1946-Nov 1947
  • HMS Indomitable May-Sept 1950.
  • HMS Implacable Sept-April 1953

My dad and mum married in 1948 and mum took me, age 2, to live in Southsea not far from Eastney Barracks. So that we could be with him. I can remember going to the barracks and the NAFFI with my mum she always gave me a Banjo chocolate biscuit, boy did that taste good.

I have been back to Southsea and it holds many happy memories for me. Dad didn't like to talk about the war. It's only since they have both died that I have found papers, photos and other things in their belongings when we cleared the house that I have been able to do some research into where he was and what he did in the war.

He lost his best friend in the bombing of the Penelope in Malta. I only know his first name was Danny. If anyone can give me any other information I would be grateful. I am very proud of him and all the other personnel that fought for this country. We have donated his medals to the Royal Marines Museum in Portsmouth.

Jill Houston



Able Sea. Richard Walter "Woody" Woodward HMS Glasgow

Richard Woodward served in HMS Glasgow.

Paul Woodward



Able Sea. Thomas "Ron" Hall HMS Janus

Thomas Hall, always known as Ron, was my father, and he joined the RN in 1933, aged 16. He trained as a gunner at HMS Excellent Gunnery School, and served on HMS Revenge, HMS Boreas and HMS Wild Swan before the war. He became an Able Seaman in 1936, and in 1937 joined the cruiser HMS Glasgow.

In January 1941, he was drafted to HMS Barham, and was in the gun turret when a Stuka bomb exploded there in July. He was the only survivor of the gun crew. He was sent to HMS Sphinx Naval Camp, Alexandria, Egypt for rehabilitation, and at the end of July went to HMS Carlisle. There then followed a period of leave in Portsmouth before joining HMS Manchester in April 1942.

On 13th August, Manchester was hit amidships by two torpedoes fired by Italian torpedo boats, and was subsequently scuttled, being too damaged to save. 312 of the crew were rescued, but after being in the water for several hours, Dad and several others got ashore in Tunisia, where they were interned by the Vichy French in Laghouat, Algeria, where conditions were horrendous and without compassion. They were liberated by Allied forces on 19th October during Operation Torch.

After a period of shore time, Dad was sent to HMS Janus in July 1943. As part of Operation Shingle, Janus provided artillery support for the Allied landings at Anzio. On 23 June 1944, she was hit and sunk by a torpedo from a German He111 aircraft. Thomas again survived, but after spending time on shore at Portsmouth, and 3 months at HMS Merganser, Aberdeen, he was invalided out of the Navy on 9 November 1945.

His nerves were in a bad way, not surprisingly, but after a few other jobs, he joined the Merchant Navy in 1954, and served as a steward on the Cunard ships Queen Mary and Samaria. Stomach ulcers forced him to leave after a couple of years, and he became a painter, decorator and signwriter.

He died on 31st January 1973, aged 55, after suffering stomach operations, and the removal of one lung. His medals - the 1939-45 Star, Atlantic Star, Italy Star and War Medal - plus a short history, can be found at Eden Camp Modern History Museum, Malton in N. Yorkshire.

Carol Milburn



Augustine Joseph "Jack" Lynch HMS Manchester

Hi, I am trying to find out more about my grandfather Augustine Lynch who served on HMS Manchester, HMS Glasgow and HMS Effingham (amongst other ships) in WW2. I have some entries from a diary he kept and also have some of his cap bands (hence knowing the names of the ships) but have little else. Once I have collated what I have I will add it to the site but in the meantime if anyone has any knowledge of his service I would be very grateful. Richard

Richard Tyndall







Recomended Reading.

Available at discounted prices.







Links


















    The free section of the Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers. We have been helping people find out more about their relatives wartime experiences since 1999 by recording and preserving recollections, documents, photographs and small items.

    The website is paid for out of our own pockets, library subscriptions and from donations made by visitors. The popularity of the site means that it is far exceeding available resources and we currently have a huge backlog of submissions.

    If you are enjoying the site, please consider making a donation, however small to help with the costs of keeping the site running.



    Hosted by:

    The Wartime Memories Project Website

    is archived for preservation by the British Library





    Copyright MCMXCIX - MMXXIV
    - All Rights Reserved

    We do not permit the use of any content from this website for the training of LLMs or for use in Generative AI, it also may not be scraped for the purpose of creating other websites.