HMS Fame
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Crew of HMS Fame
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Found an old photo of my dad taken during WWII and which I haven’t seen since about 1980. Thought this was lost forever. My dad is the one stood higher than the others on the left and hanging onto the rigging.
The photo was badly damaged, but I’ve repaired it as best I can (see below). In June 2020, I had the photo colourised by Doug at Colourise History.
On the back of the photo is the photographer’s stamp, with the address in Hoylake (across the Mersey from Liverpool).
Edit March 2016
I am grateful to Mr Michael Thomas (whose father was also on HMS Fame at the time) for providing me with a copy of The Liverpool Daily Post of Tuesday 22 August 1944 which has this photo on page 4. The report also confirms it is Commander Currie in the photo.
The original photo as I found it.
Below;
My late father.
EDIT January 2013
Meeting with my dad’s former shipmate Ted ‘Shiner’ Wright. Ted is on the back row, 2nd from the right. For some of Shiner Wright’s memories of HMS Fame and a photo of him, please see here;
https://aircrashsites.co.uk/history/able-seaman-ted-shiner-wright-hms-fame/
EDIT February 2016
New photos of the crew of HMS Fame kindly provided by Mr Michael Thomas whose father was Petty Officer Gareth Thomas. Follow this link to view the photos
More crew photos
EDIT November 2017
Please see comments below by Catherine Seely who has kindly provided these two photographs of her father David Roy Clark who was a steward and possibly the ships barber from 1941. Photos used with kind permission of Catherine Seely.
EDIT 12 MARCH 2021
David’s son Philip has kindly provided these images of a postcard, “…a photo of HMS Fame (Fighting Fame) entering St John’s in the year of our Lord 1942 after surviving by the Grace of God one of the coldest Xmas days in the memory of Nobby and several other blokes…”
St John’s is in Newfoundland, the first port after crossing the Atlantic, and, as Philip points out, David Clark would have been given the nickname Nobby on account of his surname. Images used with kind permission.
This photo can also been seen on this page but it’s great to have the postcard wording on the reverse.
More links
Portrait of R A Currie, some years later by which time he had risen to the rank of Rear Admiral.
www.npgprints.com/image/675386/walter-stoneman-robert-ale…
Image of HMS Fame about to ram U-69 off Newfoundland, an action which took place while my dad was serving on HMS Fame, 17 Feb 1943.
www.military-art.com/mall/images/800s/dhm0969.jpg
U Boat Net
www.uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/4384.html
Naval History Net
www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-10DD-23F-Fame.htm
Hi Ian
My dad is also in this photo which I also have a copy of.
If you look at the officer in the front on the left, my dad is 3 to his left. His name was Joe Mills and he was a stoker. It’s a great photo of your dad.
Hi Lisa,
Great to hear from you and an odd coincidence; I have been thinking about this photo all day and this evening I put it up on facebook (something I don’t often do) because of the D-day anniversary!
Which one is your dad? The dark haired guy with his right elbow on the box? Or someone near him?
Have you seen the other crew photos from HMS Fame on this site to see if he is any of them? And the page about their shipmate Shiner Wright may be of interest?
Ian
If anyone can find any info on a crewman on HM Fame named Rodney parry Thomas or Rodney harry Thomas, Its my great uncle
I am looking for a naval person, I think on this ship. Charles Grey or Gray. The ship was in Halifax dock for repairs for months and then left to go back to England. It was torpedoed off the coast of Newfoundland and I think all hands were lost. Can anyone give me some idea of how I would go about trying to trace him?
Hi Anita,
Do you have any more details such as the year of the sinking? Was it a Royal Navy vessel, Royal Canadian Navy or Merchant Navy, do you know?
HMS Fame was not sunk, but Fame did destroy the U-boat which sank SS Caribou which sank off Newfoundland with the loss of all hands.
I have been looking at a list of shipwrecks off the Newfoundland coast. Nothing leaps out at me. HMCS Ottowa perhaps, but not all crew were lost.
Ian
Always fascinating to find old family shots like this. Hard to imagine the experiences of our parents, but it is great to catch a glimpse of the lives they led. They all look so remarkably happy, even though they must have lived through some tough experinces. You did a top notch job on the repairs.
Great repair job and excellent detective work.. Well done.
I had a look at this in original size and there so much detail and so many faces.
I wish I knew more about my grandads time in the Royal Navy. All we know is that he was ‘Chief engine room artificer’ which I believe is something to do with being in charge of one of the engines or boilers. He never spoke of any of it.
What a lovely photo Ian, great to have photos of our parents when they were young. You have done a great repair job, a very worthwhile thing to do to preserve this precious photo!
Amazing the information you have found about the photo! My father joined the army because of hostilities I think and was an Officer’s Batman in Germany, Holland and Ireland, that is about all I know apart from that his wedding bans were read in Ireland:-)
A really nice original photo with lots of stories held within it, you have done a really great job of "fixing" the shot. Detective work up to scratch as usual…
Excellent investigative work and a good story.
Well done.
Bill
gosh your dad was a looker!
i love the match in investigative skills with deduction here, and the repair work is amazing! fantastic re-find, and definately in good hands.
do they have RSA’s (for returned servicemen) in the UK – perhaps if there is something like this at Liverpool they too will have photos?
Fantastic job of photo restoration Ian and a very interesting piece of detective work! As usual, an extremely interesting narrative. Well done!
Ian, your father looked so care free in the photo; I do wonder what was truly going on in his mind during those days…
As usual, Ian, you’ve done phenomenal research and a superlative job in restoring as well. I do notice there is no battle damage in the photo but there is what appears to be a sailor front and center with an arm in a sling. Have you looked into what the box that’s stamped "D. C. Pistol" means?
Superb piece of history Ian – looks like you spent quite some time repairing too. Your deductions ring true to me as a casual observer
Many thanks everyone. Doing this has taken my mind off things a bit…
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/27955898@N07]
Yes, it is a shame you have nothing on him, but you might be able to do some digging around with his name. You could also get hold of his service record which would identify the ships he was on, and then you could determine what action the ships saw during the war.
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/29551624@N03]
Good idea Ang, I do need to revisit the museums of Liverpool if not servicemen’s associations now I have this photo, see what they might have there, see if I can pin the location down. Have looked at some photos on the internet, trying to identify that building behind. I look just like my Dad by the way, lol.
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/50742523@N05]
Well spotted Koji. I was going to mention that, but thought it was too much detail. It is a box containing something called a Depth Charge pistol, which was the detonation mechanism which fired when the bomb reached a certain depth. Destroyers and Corvettes coming in and out of Liverpool were U-Boat hunters, escorting the convoys across the Atlantic. What I cannot find anything about is the Mk IX bit – I’d need a book on Depth Charges to find out more about that. There was a Mark 9 Depth Charge used by the US Navy, but that was later in the war. Doubt this is the same.
My Father-in-law was involvd in "The Corfu Incident" and it took us years to find out anything about it, then someone gave us a book about it and there in side was a pic of him as a wee lad carrying one of his comrades coffins, my wife is his spitting image too. I never met him as he died of cancer years before I met my wife, sailors just have that devil-may-care attitude too.
Wow, cracking cleanup job and a real piece of history Ian!
Seen in my contacts photostream……{.?.}
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Ian im sure this has been a tough time for you lately,ive lost the net for the last few days so im sorry i havent been on sooner. these old pics can be a bit frustrating when there is nothing written on them but i think you did a good job ferreting out as much info as you could,have a peaceful Wednesday
extraordinary testimony, my friend!
Thanks again guys.
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/31878512@N06]
Hi Neal, always good to hear from you. That’s a great story about your father-in-law. Be good to see you back on Flickr,
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/maycontaintracesofnuts] thought you might,v 😉
that building in back does look pretty distinctive. i did the same thing for an old family shot i had, matched with one on flickr believe it or not!
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/29551624@N03]
Amazing what we have access to just by doing a spot of typing!
I might get myself to Liverpool over the next week, see what i can find. Or even see, it may still be standing…
Fantastic. A Gem.
Missed these Ian , had an internet search ,as I am sure you have , but cannot link any thing in the shot to an F Class destroyer It doesnt look to be behind the bridge /main deck structure but also doesnt look to be particuarily like the rear ‘castle’ either .
But nevertheless it is only small and is almost certainly HMS Fame.
You really look a lot like your Dad .
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/32431958@N07]
That threw me as well Paul. The shroud he is hanging onto can only be one of a couple of places on the ship. I spoke with my older brother afterwards, he also recalls it being of HMS Fame. Wish I had a more detailed photo of Fame or Firedrake. Have ordered a couple of books off Amazon, see what I can find…
To echo, this is a great "repair" job and great to read your knowledge and extrapolation of what story is behind this photo. Very nice.
Great repair job Ian – I really should do that with a load of our old photos.
Great job with the photo; thank you for taking the time to put so much personal detail and detective work which goes with the photo. Great stuff..
Wonderful photo Ian – amazing when you look at all their faces you wouldn’t think there was a war on as they all look so carefree ..and happy too!
I notice there’s a couple of civvies in there (plus the chap with his arm in a sling?) so my guess is your on the right track with the vessel being handed over to the new command.
In my experience these old veterans of WWII (and subsequent wars) and in most cases the ones who say the least command my greatest respect, as nearly always when the truth finally comes out, it’s them who have usually contributed the most.
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/29288836@N00]
Thanks Rob. And thanks also [http://www.flickr.com/photos/frank_deweck] [http://www.flickr.com/photos/kirstymcalister] [http://www.flickr.com/photos/51809269@N08]
You may be right there Rob. My Dad would have loved the internet though, he’d have been on various forums I reckon. He died at the end of 1996, just as the internet was about to take off. He only started to talk about it when I started to develop an interest and ask questions; until then, he just thought, like a lot of people, it was something to put behind them. Also we valued war vets less back then. You know, characters like Uncle Albert in Only Fools & Horses, being seen as a boring old man, always going on about the war? Now that generation has almost gone, we are at last beginning to treasure them and their memories. For Britain and Commonwealth and for the USA, it was our finest hour and they were our finest generation, they created the world we live in now, they set the standards.
A treasure of a photo. Thank you for adding this, and the others to Dad’s Navy.
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/verfain]
Thank you, it’s an interesting group!
It was nice to find this photo, My wife’s uncle served on this ship and died on board, 14th April 1944, How he died we do not know, Perhaps he was also on the photo, His name was Robert Roy Francis 1922-1944. Thanks J M H.
I must tear myself away from this page.
Otherwise I shall be following Leads Tangents and Folk who have commentated all day!
So good also Ian D B to see the original.
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnboy1947] [http://www.flickr.com/photos/verfain]
Thanks guys. Always good to follow leads and head off at tangents Verfain!
Johnboy1947, good to hear from you. My Dad was on board HMS Fame at the time of the death of your wife’s uncle. In April 1944 HMS Fame was patroling the Western Approaches, defending Atlantic convoys against U-Boat and Luftwaffe attacks in that area which extends from the British Isles west of Ireland to a point south of Iceland.
I have noted that Able Seaman Francis was reported as missing presumed killed. He was perhaps swept overboard and lost at sea? I have had a quick look around trying to find a shipping report for that date, have so far found nothing but it appears there were no Royal Navy shipping losses that day, so probably the weather wasn’t a factor and no record of action (of which I am aware) in which Fame was involved? It could have been a simple accident. If you know when he joined HMS Fame (does your wife have a copy of his service record?) you’d be able to identify whether he was on board at the time this photo was (probably) taken. I have some books at home, will take a look through them this evening, see if anything comes to light.
Ian
Hi there, we’ve just found this site with your photo. Thanks for sharing !
My step father is in the photo (top row second right). He lives with us here in Liverpool, he was 90 last October 2012 and has only been able to remember 2 names on the photo at the moment, but is going to apply his mind to remembering any others. He also remembers Bob Francis and the circumstances when he went overboard. He was on the Fame 1942 to 1946. He said he would be pleased if you wanted to converse with him.
Regards, Mike B
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/92209230@N06] Idolblu
So good to hear from you Mike! I hope your step father is able to recall some detail for the family of Able Seaman Francis? I also hope he likes this photo – great to be able to pick him out!
I am sending you a mail via Flickr. I note you are new to Flickr, so if it isn’t obvious how to access mail just hold the cursor over your icon at top right of the page and pick Flickrmail from the drop down list.
Does he recall where and when this photo was taken, by any chance? I have pieced things together as best I can with a few clues and a lot of research, but can’t be sure I have got it right.
Ian
That top shot is a wonderful piece of history, Ian. A nice tribute.
I have the same box it is a depth charge pistol box dating to 1941-mine is stamped hope this helps
Thanks for the info Jonathan; helps date the photo too.
It’s the mark ix depth charge used 1942-43 maybe earlier
I came across your photo unexpectedly, searching for info about HMS Fame in WW11. A great restoration job.
My father, Gareth Morgan Thomas, also served aboard Fame. He joined the ship after it had undergone repairs and conversion into an escort destroyer in Aug / Sept 1942. His service record shows that he left Fame in September 1945. My father died in 2007 and unfortunately I missed the opportunity to talk with him about his war experiences. A big regret now.
Nevertheless, Petty Officer Gareth ‘Thomo’ Thomas, a radio mechanic aboard ship, had a camera and took many photos (of varying quality) of Fame’s escort operations and his fellow crew members. Unfortunately no dates or details are attached to the photos.
However, one photo appears to have been taken close to the position of your photo. The background to the photo appears to show identical features of Fame’s infrastructure. In the foreground several of the crew are hauling a large number of fish across the deck, possibly following use of depth charges.
I also have a detailed photo of HMS Fame at sea and many photos showing the build-up of ice on the destroyer’s decks. There are also shots of the crew in more relaxed moments. I’d be happy to forward some pics to you if of interest.
Michael Thomas
Hi Michael it’s great to hear from you, thank you for your comment. Our fathers would have known each other, they were on Fame at the same time! Is your dad in the photo above?
I feel for you not having spoken with your dad about his time in the Royal Navy. I had some conversations with my dad but wish I’d done more. We took that generation for granted and now they’re nearly all gone.
I am very interested to hear he took some photos though and I’d love to see them. I’d add them to this page with your permission? But whatever you have I’d really like to see them.
I keep searching for photos of HMS Fame in the hope of seeing more crew photos. There are a few photos on google image searches which were taken at the same time as the one above, a couple showing the officers and the sailor with his arm in a sling. By the way I think this photo was taken after returning from Convoy SC-104 which I wrote about here if you’re interested;
https://aircrashsites.co.uk/history/western-approaches-convoy-sc-104/
Ian
My father (David Roy Clark) was a steward and ship’s barber from (I think) 1941 on. I have his photo of the Fame in my possession as well as letters he wrote back to my mother in which he gives some info about various things that were happening. He lived until 2011 and passed at the age of 96. He always had some good stories about his days aboard.
Hi Catherine, good to hear from you. I would welcome any photos and stories you have if you would like to add them to this narrative about HMS Fame? Contact details here.
I have some photos of my father and the HMS Fame and would like to share them but I see no way to attach them. Can you please advise me? Thanks,
Catherine
Hi Catherine,
Please email what you have to IanDB@gmx.com and I will upload them with a credit to you.
Many thanks,
Ian
Thanks for posting.
My Uncle Robert Roy Francis,known as Roy,was washed overboard in a freak accident 1942, from HMS FAME,and his body was never found,although the ship turned around and searched for him.
Hi Patricia, thank you for your comment. I think we were in touch some years ago? I recall putting you – or someone in your family (comment above by Johnboy 1947) – in contact with Ted Wright who was with your uncle when we was swept overboard? Teribly sad story.
Ian
My Grandad, John Anthony Luther, was an officer on HMS Fame, but unfortunately I can’t see him in that photo, but he’s listed here:
https://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/4384.html and my Dad said he served on that ship through the war as the ASDIC operator.
Not sure his exact dates of service for HMS Fame, is there anyway to get full service records if you don’t have a service number? Or how would I find my Grandad’s service number?
Also a photo of him here:
https://www.wikitree.com/index.php?title=Luther-2429
Hi James,
Sorry for the late reply and thank you for adding the link to a photo of your grandfather.
I am not sure if you have viewed the other crew photos on this page? He may be in one of these;
Petty Officer Gareth Thomas’ photos
Re accessing service records, they are available but it is not easy unless you are the immediate next of kin. It is still possible, but if asking for the record within 25 years of the death of the serviceman, not all details are released. It costs £30, this page should provide the info you need to access it.
Get a copy of military service records
Ian