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225921Mech.1 James Harfitt MiD.
Royal Navy HMS Sturgeon
from:Portsmouth
My Dad, James Harfitt (born Oct.3 1914,) went to school on the training ship HMS Indefatigable when he was 12. After leaving (with quite a good record) briefly joined Merchant Navy and then volunteered for the Royal Navy for 12 years on the 4th of September 1933. He retrained at HMS Victory as a Stoker 2nd class, at HMS Neptune as a Stoker 1st class. He volunteered for service in Submarines on the 8th of Dec. 1934. He went on to serve on the L69 and HMS Sturgeon (Titania flotilla). He was Mentioned in Despatches on the 13th of November 1940. He was promoted to Acting Ldg. Stoker on the 9th of April 1940, then Leading Stoker on the 9th of April 1941.He was at HMS Victory from 2nd of May 1941, then HMS Drake as A/S PO, then Mech. 2nd class. He joined HMS Sirius on the 21st of Feb. 1943 and was promoted to Mech.1 on the 1 Jan.1944. serving onboard until 30 Aug. 1945. He returned to HMS Victory on the 31st of Aug. 1945 until 21st of Dec. 1945. His ashes were scattered at sea in June 1980.
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