Photo Onboard HMS Wishart

[IAN HICKMAN]

Hi All,

Can anyone help name any of the officers or crew in this photo?
This photo is from my Grandfather's photos,and is entitled HMS Wishart water polo Mediterranean fleet 1935 championship winners destroyer flotilla.
My Grandfather Eric Sturgess is in the front row far right,and I know that in the front row second from the left is Lord Louis Mountbatten.

Thanks Regards Ian.

[Batstiger]

Great photograph Ian.

Cheers, Bob.

[alanbenn]

Ian, identifying them will be difficult as they are all from various ships not just Wishart, looking at the cap-tallies there's also Hms Whitshed. Can't quite make out the others.

So unless there's someone out there who was either in the photo or has one with names it's a big ask.

Great photo though and thanks for posting it, I wish you luck with it.

Regards
Alan

[stontamar]

My guess would be that the Captain is Vice-Admiral Harold Tom Baillie-Grohman C.B., D.S.O., O.B.E. (1888-1978) when he was serving as Captain D, 1st Destroyer Flotilla, Mediterranean Fleet (December 1934 - February 1936). During this period Captain Baillie-Grohman D.S.O., O.B.E was commanding officer of the Flotilla leader HMS KEPPEL.

Again a guess but the Lt Cdr could be Lieut Cdr. Mervyn Somerset Thomas, RN Commanding Officer of HMS WHITSHED. If the identificatuion is correct this officer was in command of HMS DAINTY when she was bombed and sunk on 24 February 1941 by five He.111 of II/KG.26 from Comiso (Sicily). As far as I am aware Mervyn Somerset Thomas rose to the rank of Commander RN and was awarded the DSO.

Regards

stontamar

[harry.gibbon]

Great pic!!

I am just amazed at the array of 'tiddly cap ribbons' on display in such august company... :) Hmmm

Little h

[ceylon220]

Cannot help with the naming on the photo but why is the Captains collar pointing out wards while the rest are normal or was this the proper dress for the senior officer in the 30s, looks rather odd compared with the rest of the officers----further to this did Mountbatten take command of the destroyer "KELLY" after this picture was taken or did he command another ship before the KELLY?

[stontamar]

further to this did Mountbatten take command of the destroyer "KELLY" after this picture was taken or did he command another ship before the KELLY?

Hi Dave

Mountbatten was promoted to Commander in 1932 and was given his first command, HMS DARING, in April 1934. Later that year he took command of HMS WISHART. He left the destroyer in 1936 and was appointed to the Naval Air Division of the Admiralty. In June 1939 he took over command of the new destroyer HMS KELLY and in September of that year he took command of the 5th Destroyer Flotilla.

The caption to the photograph is reported to be ‘HMS WISHART water polo Mediterranean fleet 1935 championship winners destroyer flotilla’ and as such it is most probable that at the time of the photograph this was Mountbatten’s second command and the last before taking command of HMS KELLY.

In a previously entry I speculated that the Lt Cdr could be Lieut Cdr. Mervyn Somerset Thomas, RN Commanding Officer of HMS WHITSHED and that the Captain is Harold Tom Baillie-Grohman C.B., D.S.O., O.B.E. (1888-1978) serving as Captain D, 1st Destroyer Flotilla in HMS KEPPEL.

Regards

stontamar

[emason]

Ian, regarding your photograph,
I think the person sitting next to your grandfather is Admiral A.B.Cunningham. Although I think he was a Rear Admiral at the time the photo was taken.

[IAN HICKMAN]

Hi,
many thanks stontamar and Bill for putting some names to the faces in my grandfathers photo.

Regards Ian.