HMS Wager

[Nessakins1970]

I am attempting to find people that may have known my grandfather who served aboard HMS Wager. His name was Bryan Morgan and he joined the ship at aged 16(after lying about his age to sign up) and he came from Wantage in Berkshire. My grandfather recently died and I am attempting to gather information from his service years to make a present for my grandmother. I spent much of my childhood listening to stories from the ship so would love to hear from either anyone that knew him or anyone that has photo's or information about the ship that may be useful to me. Please help this would mean so much to my grandmother and myself as we miss my grandfather very much and want to keep his memory alive for his great grandchildren of which there are currently 14.
Vanessa Brooks

[Batstiger]

Hi Vanessa, try getting in touch with this chap he may be able to help you.
Let me know how you get on.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/user/39/u1541439.shtml

Bob.

[stewart mcloughlin]

Was a guardship for the Normandy landings and present at the surrender in Tokyo Bay. Full details at:-

http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-10DD-63W-Wager.htm

Good picture in full steam at:-

http://www.photoship.co.uk/JAlbum/Old%20Ship%20Picture%20Gallery%20Q-Z/Old%20Ships%20W/slides/Wager%20R98-01.html

Stewart McLoughlin

[tonclass]

Photo of HMS WAGER
Rgds
Rik

[LongVince]

Hi Vanessa,
I may have some things that are of interest to you. I am the chap that Batstiger referred to, having posted some photos on the BBC site a few years ago. I am in the process (work begun yesterday!) of putting all my photos on a website so that people like yourself can view them. The URL is www.hms-wager.org.uk
You may also like to know that I have been contacted by a total of 3 ex-crew, still alive, and a meeting will hopefully take place this year. In addition, there is myself and another chap (ex RN himself) whose fathers served, now deceased.
I decided to put the pictures on the web because it appears that a collection like this is not readily available elsewhere. I hope this helps, sorry for your loss, Vince.

[tim lewin]

HMS Wager was a WW2 emergency class destroyer of the U, V, W class, they were all very similar and about as classic ship design as you can get. Her sisters were from memory Whirlwind, Whelp (see HRH Duke of Edinburgh) Wizard, Kempenfelt (Leader, leaders didnt use the class letter in all of these groups. There were others but I forget at this minute but I am sure the names will follow in a flash! Most survived the war to be converted to type 15 and 16 fast anti-submarine frigates to fill the gap in a/s cover at a time when sub design had created much faster underwater craft (some following up captyured type XXI U-boat design) and the Soviet underwater threat.

Well done on your site Vince, I look forward to seeing it completed.
tim

[LongVince]

Tim, thanks for that info. The other sister ships were HMS Wessex and HMS Wrangler, I believe. I intend to visit HMS Cavalier this year, which I gather is the only surviving destroyer that was built along similar lines to those above.
Vince.:o

[jbryce1437]

Not forgetting HMS Wakeful

[tim lewin]

The UVW and CA, CH groups were indeed very much the same with improvements being built in as they went, the last of the line were the Battles, the epitome of classic destroyer design!