BRITISH NAVAL WARSHIPS AND THEIR
'ADOPTERS' - A DEVICE INTRODUCED TOWARDS THE MIDDLE OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.
1941 was a terrible year for the Royal Navy with the
loss of several capital ships and numerous smaller warships resulting in the
loss of lives which stunned not only the navy and naval ports, but the nation as
a whole. The story of the losses to which I refer are legend, and include
those of HMS HOOD, HMS BARHAM, HMS
QUEEN ELIZABETH to mention just some of them.
Sailors, as individuals, had to be replaced by
recruiting and volunteers, but ships could only be replaced with money, and lots
of it too. At the end of 1941 and stretching into the middle of 1942, a major
drive to encourage 'National Savings' was organised by the Government.
Each area in the United Kingdom plus the Isle of Man, was given a savings target
to achieve based upon their populations, and each target had a type of warship
assigned to it; the events became known as "WARSHIP WEEKS". A large saving target in a large area would would 'win' [for the
target area] a large warship. The Commanding Officer of each ship taking part
was informed when the target had been achieved, whereupon, the ship and the area
would exchange plaques, photographs, artefact etc, and an adoption association
would begin. Some of those associations are still extant, and perhaps the best
known is that of the City of Leeds with the carrier HMS Ark Royal.
However, apart from areas of the UK, several of the large UK organisations
adopted ships and it should come as no surprise that some of our largest ships
were adopted by some of our largest companies/organisations. The battleships
King George V, Anson, Duke of York,
Howe, Queen Elizabeth,
Warspite, Revenge, Nelson
and Rodney were adopted by Birmingham, City of London,
Glasgow, Edinburgh, Baltic Exchange London [itself bombed by the IRA in the
90's], London Stock Exchange, Southampton, Manchester and Glyn Mills Bank in
London respectively. Other than the Carriers mentioned below, the
Illustrious [the most famous of all our carriers in WW2],
Victorious, Formidable, Indomitable,
Indefatigable were adopted by London Insurance Companies,
War Saving Committee of India, City of Westminster, Belfast and the Borough of
Holborn respectively.
The number of warships adopted throughout the UK was
over 1200, and this number covered the mighty battleships right down to the
smallest trawlers which had been co-opted by the navy, and some were used as
minesweepers protecting our coast line from the evil Hun.
The list of who adopted what is clearly much too large
for this page, so I will only mention the ships adopted by my home county of
Yorkshire. The word 'RIDING' means THREE, and in those days [as well as in my
school days] Yorkshire had an EAST a WEST and a NORTH RIDING, unlike today, when
it has a North, a South and a West. I will mention those areas which were in
WEST YORKSHIRE at that time, because the overall Yorkshire input is large indeed
- a total of 120 adopted ships.
Here is that list, and if you are now [by virtue of
border changes] in the WEST but you were either EAST or NORTH in 1941/42, please
do not blame me for not being listed. If you really want to know which ship your
1941/42 city/town/area adopted send me an email. The two areas shown highlighted
in BLUE are the only two whose town name tied-up with the ships name, and
the one in RED,
Otley, is my home town. One or two do have familiar Yorkshire names like Aire,
Bradford, Ribble, Airedale, Wensleydale, Bramham and Plantagenet [?? Richard
III, last of the Plantagenet Kings, House of York and all that ??].
| Town/City/Area |
Ships Name |
Type of Ship |
| Aireborough |
Bramble |
Minesweeper |
| Barnoldswick |
Blackwater |
Minesweeper |
| Barnsley |
Regent |
Submarine |
| Batley |
Badsworth |
Destroyer |
| Bradford |
Aurora |
Cruiser |
| Brighouse |
Proteus |
Submarine |
| Castleford |
Unrivalled |
Submarine |
| Conisborough |
HMMTB 215 |
Motor Torpedo Boat |
| Colne Valley |
Kellett |
Survey Ship |
| Cudworth |
HMMTB 49 |
Motor Torpedo Boat |
| Darfield |
HMMGB 317
HMMTB 337 |
Motor Gunboat
Motor Torpedo Boat |
| Darton |
HMMGB 222 |
Motor Torpedo Boat |
| Dearne |
Rennet |
Boom Defence Vessel |
| Dewsbury |
Valorous |
Destroyer |
| Dodworth |
HMML 120 |
Motor Launch |
| Doncaster |
Lightning
Zephyr
Aire - this ship at one stage being "the naval base at Hong Kong
after Britain regained the Colony from the Japanese. She left
after the shore station known to hundreds of thousands of royal sailors
as HMS Tamar was commissioned. HMS Aire ran aground on her way home and
was lost. |
Destroyer
Destroyer
Frigate |
| Earby |
HMMGB 111
HMMTB 80 |
Motor Gunboat
Motor Torpedo Boat |
| Elland |
Eclipse |
Destroyer |
| Garforth |
HMT Victoria |
Trawler |
| Goole |
Honeysuckle |
Corvette |
| Halifax |
Ajax |
Cruiser |
| Harrogate |
Cleopatra |
Cruiser |
| Hebden, Royd & Hepton |
Bradford |
Destroyer |
| Heckmondwike |
Genista |
Corvette |
| Hemsworth |
Hebe
HMT Kingston Clivine |
Minesweeper
Trawler |
| Holmfirth |
Hero |
Destroyer |
| Horbury |
HMMTB 95 |
Motor Torpedo Boat |
| Horsforth |
Aubretia |
Corvette |
| Hoyland |
HMMTB 42 |
Motor Torpedo Boat |
| Huddersfield |
Gambia |
Cruiser |
| Ilkley |
Osiris |
Submarine |
| Keighley |
Marne |
Destroyer |
| Kirkburton |
Hussar |
Minesweeper |
| Kiveton Park |
HMT Staffness |
Trawler |
| Knaresborough |
Wallflower |
Corvette |
| Knottingley |
Kennet |
Boom Defence Vessel |
| Leeds |
Ark Royal: see this file
ARK ROYAL'S BELL
CITY OF LEEDS.pdf |
Aircraft Carrier |
| Meltham |
HMT Mazurka |
Trawler |
| Mirfield |
Coreopsis |
Corvette |
| Morley |
Forester |
Destroyer |
| Nidderdale |
HMT Turcoman |
Trawler |
| Normanton |
HMRGB Cockchafer |
River Gunboat |
| Mexborough |
HMRGB Tarantula |
River Gunboat |
| Osset |
Bryony |
Corvette |
| OTLEY and WHARFEDALE |
Speedwell
|
Minesweeper
Speedwell took part in several
actions. On one occasion on the 29th June 1941 whilst operating
south of Iceland she helped in the destruction of the German U-Boat,
U-651. |
| Pontefract |
Unique
Upstart |
Submarine
Submarine |
| Pudsey |
Saladin |
Destroyer |
| Queensbury |
Vervain |
Corvette |
| Rawmarsh |
HMT Redwood |
Trawler |
| Ripon |
Burdock |
Corvette |
| Ripponden |
Convolvulus |
Corvette |
| Rotherham |
Rotherham |
Destroyer |
| Rinaldo |
Minesweeper |
| Rothwell |
HMMTB 235 |
Motor Torpedo Boat |
| Saddleworth |
Pegasus |
Aircraft Carrier |
| Sedburgh |
HMMTB 93 |
Motor Torpedo Boat |
| Selby |
Sturgeon |
Submarine |
| Settle |
Ribble |
Frigate |
| Sheffield |
Sheffield |
Cruiser |
| Shipley |
Decoy |
Destroyer |
| Silsden |
HMMTB 75 |
Motor Torpedo Boat |
| Skipton |
Vesper |
Destroyer |
| Sowerby Bridge |
Unsparing |
Submarine |
| Spenborough |
Airedale
Nairana |
Destroyer
Aircraft Carrier |
| Stanley |
HMMTB 64
HMMGB 112 |
Motor Torpedo Boat
Motor Gunboat |
| Stocksbridge |
HMT Fandango |
Trawler |
| Swinton & Pendlebury |
Wensleydale |
Destroyer |
| Swinton |
HMT Kingston Jacynth |
Trawler |
| Tadcaster |
Peacock |
Sloop |
| Thorne |
Selkirk |
Minesweeper |
| Todmorden |
Vidette |
Destroyer |
| Upper Nidderdale |
HMMTB 63
HMMGB 65 |
Motor Torpedo Boat
Motor Gunboat |
| Wath upon Dearne |
HMT Clive |
Trawler |
| Wetherby |
Bramham |
Destroyer |
| Whiston |
Thyme |
Corvette |
| Wombwell |
HMMTB 44 |
Motor Torpedo Boat |
| Worsborough |
HMT Plantagenet |
Trawler |
So, the money these people saved, and in effect loaned
to the Government for the duration of the war as War Bonds, along with the
people from every part of the United Kingdom [and probably beyond] not only
offered them a personal piece of the action by having an adopted ship to watch
over, but funded a new navy to replace those splendid ships which were lost in
the cause of freedom, whose men we will never forget. Rupert Brooke
is often quoted when our thoughts turn to loved ones who perished on our
warships, but little is heard [written] of this little piece - which I rather
like. He wrote
GOD! I will pack and take a train,
and get me to England once again!
For England's the one land I know,
where men with splendid hearts may go.
For England of course read Scotland, Wales or Northern
Ireland.
Were that only the case today ?
