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230094 Gnr. Thomas William "Pat" Kirkwood Royal Navy HMS Anson from:West Hertlepool, County Durham My father, Thomas William Kirkwood, joined the Royal Navy to get away from the poverty in which he was brought up. He always stated that he joined because of the promise of a new pair of boots and three square meals a day. He trained as a gunner at the gunnery school on Whale Island and went on to serve on corvettes and other craft before joining HMS Anson. He took part in a crossing the line event on an Artic convoy, becoming a "blue nose". He also took part in other convoys to Malta, Gibraltar and North Africa. He took part in the Normandy Landings/invasion, as well as Operation Pedestal. He finished his naval career as a gunnery instructor at the Royal Naval Gunnery School, Whale Island in 1955. After his service he took a post as a storekeeper, then a shop owner before passing away in 1997. Please type your message:      We recommend you copy the text about this item and keep a copy on your own computer before pressing submit. Your Name:             Email Address:       @ **Please type the first part our your email in the first box (eg. john.smith) the @ sign is added automaticallly, please type the second part in the second box (eg. gmail.com). Do not enter your full email in each box or add an @ sign or random spaces.**