Help wanted to identify personnel

[David Verghese]

I would be most grateful if Forum members can give me some help in identifying the occasion and Royal Naval groups of personnel in the attached two photographs which appeared as postcards sometime in the 1940s.
The first one is a print by Wright & Logan Photographers of Southsea. I can see the rank insignia of a Commander and that of a Lieutenant. The person labelled “Pete” is A.G. Hocking who served as an ERA of increasing class on ships and shorebases between 1940 and 1948. To help possibly identify the the photograph, if it is related to one of these, his ships were Gallant, Resource, Janus, Dauntless, Howe, Diadem, Implacable and Vanguard. The shorebases included Portsmouth, Gibraltar, Alexandria, Simonstown and Rosyth.
The second postcard is printed by Kodak. There are 5 handwritten names on the back and these may be associated with four crosses seen on the print. The names are given with their ship. They are: Sid Murray of HMS Hood, Jack Lewis of HMS Fiji, Scotty of HMS Galatea, Jock Wallage of HMS Calcutta and there is a fifth name of Ging James of a ship which the writing looks like “Couvette”(not Corvette). The first four ships were lost between May 22 and December 15 1941, so the picture could have been taken prior to May 1941. “Pete” on the very formal looking photo is A.G.Hocking. I wonder if it is taken outside the gates of a shorebase or training establishment. It might be a postwar picture given the relaxed look on their faces, but I can’t then fit in the ship’s names to this supposition. Its a long shot but I’m hoping that someone may recognise a face.
Neither postcard has an identifying title on front or back.
Thanks for any forthcoming suggestions.
David

[tonclass]

Last pic seems to be missing a portion ??????

[David Verghese]

Oops! Thanks for observation Tonclass.
Scanned pic again and here it is of whole group.
DV

[SCRG1970]

DV
Second pic seems to be Artificers under training....ie no badges of rank just badges on the lower sleeve..probably Petty Officer Boy or something like that.
Possibly FISGARD ???

Regards

Gerry

[SCRG1970]

David

Just had a close look at pic one. Guess would be this is a photo of the ERAs of a particular ship and includes the Cdr(E), Engineer Officer and Deputy. Its a mixture of CPOs, POs and 4th Class Tiffs and judging by the lack of medals is probably 1941-44 vintage. As there are quite a lot of them I would guess RESOURCE or HOWE. If you knew when Hocking was rated CPO you may be able to disregard some of the ships if you know the dates he served on them.

Good luck!!!

Regards

gerry

[siggy63]

MURRAY, SIDNEY
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Electrical Artificer
Regiment/Service: Royal Navy
Unit Text: H.M.S. Hood
Age: 20
Date of Death: 24/05/1941
Service No: P/MX. 53190
Additional information: Son of Walter and Henrietta Murray, of Southsea, Hampshire.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 57, Column 1.
Memorial: PORTSMOUTH NAVAL MEMORIAL

[David Verghese]

Gerry,
Thank you very much for your responses. Hocking A.G. was indeed at Chatham/Pembroke 2/ Fisgard starting as an ERA Apprentice in August 1936. Shortly after my original post last night I went onto the Fisgard Association website and amongst the very few pre-war documents they have is “The Artifice of summer 1938”. It is a 50Mb document but I ploughed through it and struck lucky. It lists the classes by register for 1938 and listed within “E Class Anson – senior are 89 names. I counted 89 individuals on the postcard photograph. Amongst the names listed are: Hocking A.G., Scott E.E., Farnes E.L., Levers J.D.R. ,Murray S. and Wollage J.A. These would match the names I quoted/misquoted (due to trying to interpret the handwriting on the back).
Hocking (and presumably the Class) spent one more year there and his service record shows one more year at HMS Drake when he passed out as ERA 5th Class. So the photo may be of the Class at Fisgard in 1939, or 1938.
Regarding the second postcard, Hocking became ERA 3rd Class (and ranked as CPO) in November 1944 whilst serving on HMS Diadem( Dec 1943-Feb 1946). I am in contact with committee members of the Diadem Association so I will ask them (they served at a similar period) to confirm and perhaps identify some of the individuals. So again thanks for your help on this photo/postcard.

Siggy63 – it was kind of you to list the information on Sid Murray. I often look at The Hood Association website and ponder solemnly at the loss of such a fine ship and all her ship’s complement bar three. I have a u-Tube clipping of the hunt, crippling and sinking of the Bismarck and there is a scene within of HMS Hood receiving her fatal blow.

David