This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site you agree to accept cookies.
If you enjoy this siteplease 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
237141O.Tel. Robert Kemp "Tiny" Liddell
Royal Navy HMS Bellona
My father, Robert Liddell was in class 238 at HMS Royal Arthur in October and November 1943. He went on to serve on HMS Bellona the light cruiser which took part in activities in the Channel, provided bombardment support to D Day, in July 1944 he crossed the Arctic Circle for the first time in an operation to attack the Tirpitz and finally accompanied three convoys to Murmansk. I now realise that the ship also took part in the celebration of Norway's liberation as the crew seem to have marched through Oslo as part of the celebrations as I have seen photographs which appear to show this. My father never mentioned this so I cannot say with certainty that he was there.My father was in his own words a terrible sailor having no sea legs. Having said that it seems that at least one of the Arctic Convoys hit dreadful storms that almost capsized the escort carrier HMS Campania so perhaps there was some justification for being a paler shade of green for much of the time. He was an Ordinary Telegraphist. His stories of his days in the Navy are now slightly faded as he died in 1970. However, the accounts of the convoys tallies with his recollections including HMS Bellona shooting down at least one German aircraft.
I have copied the names of HMS Arthur class 238 in the hope this will be of help to others.
Left to Right
Back Row: F Harrison, Adaams, J Fraser, Ja (?) Fraser, J Batchelor, A Brockett, R Black, C(?) Bredsk(?), D Horne, W Marnock.
2nd Back Row: Gordon J Hughes, Robert, K Liddell, Gordon J Barclay, A Muir, R Birch, J Blair, J Blythe, Lynas.
3rd Row: Jake Brown (or Boon?), G Franks, S Hemingway, H Leask, Boise(?) Rudy(?) Briggs, J Fraser.
2nd Front Row: Harry Sarah(?), Hamill Bob Cantlay, Ken Carline, Bastow, L/S Gardner, Percy Good, J (or T) Atkinson, Ginger Kelman, P Kelly.
1st Row (Front): A Machicot (?), Bd Burke, Griffin, S Hemingway.
Related Content:
Can you help us to add to our records?
The names and stories on this website have been submitted by their relatives and friends. If your relations are not listed please add their names so that others can read about them
Did you or your relatives live through the Second World War? Do you have any photos, newspaper clippings, postcards or letters from that period? Have you researched the names on your local or war memorial? Were you or your relative evacuated? Did an air raid affect your area?
If so please let us know.
Help us to build a database of information on those who served both at home and abroad so that future generations may learn of their sacrifice.
Celebrate your own Family History
Celebrate by honouring members of your family who served in the Secomd World War both in the forces and at home. We love to hear about the soldiers, but also remember the many who served in support roles, nurses, doctors, land army, muntions workers etc.
Please use our Family History resources to find out more about your relatives. Then please send in a short article, with a photo if possible, so that they can be remembered on these pages.
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:
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.