Service Record: Heber Lyle Hawker

[Steve Hawk]

Hello, and thankyou for letting me join this very interesting forum. It has already been very helpfull with information that has eased my decyphering of my Grandfather's record. I am now stuck on two of the ships' names. One looks like "Snialogor" the next is two ships down in brackets after "Pomone".

Looking forward to some suggestions.


Thanks
Steve.

[GilligansIsland]

Hi, welcome, after nearly going blind staring at the names, the one in brackets sort of looks like "Sturgeon", I'm still out to lunch on the other one, just a guess though, someone with more Navy writing skill will help I'm sure

James

[tonclass]

Could it be short for POMONE ( Ships Surgeon) ???

[navalis]

The name you are struggling with is SVIATOGOR; A Russian minesweeper I think; in 1919 the Royal Navy was very active is assisting the 'white' (royalist) Russians against the Bolsheviks, and several Russian ships were manned, or part manned by RN

The name after POMONE looks like STURGEON to me; an 'R' class destroyer.

[navalis]

re; SVIATOGOR - not a minesweeper, I now have more details.

It was an Icebreaker, 10,625 tons 323ft x 72ft built by Armstrong on Tyneside for the Russian Navy in 1915. When British forces went to Archangel, northern Russia in August 1918 to help the anti-Bolsheviks, they found the Sviatogor; she was put in working order, and commissioned her, being armed with 1 x 6in gun. She remained in Royal Navy service until November 1921 when she was given back to the Russians.

[Jan Steer]

I'm not able to view the file but on reading the posts I can add that Sturgeon was certainly involved at that time. My grandfather was onboard Sturgeon at Sevastopol ferrying white russians away. He used to tell us that the Bolsheviks were bayonetting men, women and babies. He passed away when I was eleven but I do remember the huge framed photo of Sturgeon which hung on the wall above his favourite chair. He served for 22years and she was his favourite ship.

best wishes
Jan

[Steve Hawk]

Thankyou everyone for your very quick replies. It's given me some great info to work with. Brilliant!

I do have another query. What does "Traced medal" followed by a date mean?

Thanks again
Steve.

[AngusOg]

Steve, I wish you luck in finding his WWII service records .. in my fathers case he was still in the RNR and reported for service early August. His records were destroyed during the Blitz .. I'm on a search for any info I can find on his WWII service but it is a slow business, be patient there a lots of people in the forum to help you.

[Steve Hawk]

Here's his service record. If anyone can tell me what "Traced Medal" means I'd be very gratefull. Also where I may find what some of these ships were up to while he was with them.
My Father has told me that when Grandad was crossing the Atlantic on the Aquitania there was a very bad storm and the ship was hit by the biggest wave my Grandfather had ever seen. It went over the front of the ship and smashed the bridge windows, he believed that if the ship had been side on to the wave She would have been sunk.

Steve.

[Steve Hawk]

I now have my Grandfather's record on a jpeg file so here it is for anyone who couldn't open the pdf file.

Merry Christmas.

Steve.

[jbryce1437]

Hello Steve, just had a quick shufty at the record and it appears to say,

Enlisted 5th May 1909 for 12 years, 4 May 19?? - to complete (presumably a 22 year engagement)

Ship, Rating, Dates,

Vivid II (Stokers training establishment at Devonport), Stoker 2nd Class, 5th May 1909 to 20 August 1909
Hannibal, Stoker 2nd Class, 21 August 1909
Hannibal, Stoker 1st Class, 11 January 1910 to 28 February 1910
Vanguard, Stoker 1st Class, 1st March 1910 to 27 March 1912
Vivid II, Stoker 1st class, 28 March 1912 to 25 April 1912
Pomone, Stoker 1st Class, 26th April 1912 to 9 May 1914
Vivid II, Stoker 1st Class, 10 May 1914 to 15 May 1914
Indus, Stoker 1st Class, 16 May 1914 to 1 August 1914
Argonaut, Stoker 1st Class, 2 August 1914 to 13 September 1915
King Alfred, Acting Leading Stoker, 14 September 1915
King Alfred, Leading Stoker, 14 March 1916 to 18 May 1917
Vivid II, Leading Stoker, 19 May 1917 to 13 September 1917
Blake (Valorous), Leading Stoker, 14 September 1917
Blake (Valorous), Stoker Petty Officer (SPO), 1st January 1918 to 6 May 1918
Vivid II, SPO, 7 May 1918 to 15 September 1918
Aquitania, SPO, 16 September 1918 to 9 January 1919
Vivid II, SPO, 10 January 1919 to 14 February 1919
Impregnable, 15 February 1919 to 11 June 1919
Vivid II, SPO, 12 June 1919 to 5 October 1919
?? Sviatogor ??, SPO, 6 October 1919 to 12 February 1920
Vivid II, SPO, 13 February 1920 to 22 February 1920
Pomone (Sturgeon), SPO, 23 February 1920 to 1 December 1920
Vivid II, SPO, 2 December 1920 to 18 July 1921
Concord, SPO, 19 July 1921 to 26 July 1923
Vivid II, SPO, 27 July 1923 to 28 August 1923
Impregnable, SPO, 29 August 1923 to 20 September 1923
Vivid II, SPO, 21 September 1923 to 9 November 1923
Impregnable, SPO, 10 November 1923 to 14 November 1924
Vivid II, SPO, 15 November 1924 to 18 November 1924
Woolwich (Seawolf), SPO, 19 November 1924 to 31 December 1925
Vivid II (Seawolf), SPO, 1 January 1926 to 13 October 1926
Vivid II, SPO, 14 October 1926 to 3 February 1927
Yarmouth, SPO, 4 February 1927 to 5 April 1927 (possibly for passage)
Tamar (Cicala), SPO, 6 April 1927
Tamar (Cicala), Chief Stoker, 14 March 1928 to

Unable to proceed from that datel, althought the stamp "transferred to card 1 January 1929" may indicate that he has a further record, which would be concluded on the card.
Traced Medal may mean that he was entitled to a war medal and his service record had been traced to confirm his entitlement.
Not sure about the entry ?? Sviatogor ??, but wonder if he could have been seconded to some foreign ship built by a UK shipyard and he was sent in a training role.

Jim

[jbryce1437]

Some of his ships

1 Hannibal
2 Vanguard
3 Pomone
HMS Indus was the mechanics' training establishment and workshops at Devonport between 1906 and 1922. A number of ships were renamed whilst serving as depot and base ships for the establishment
4 Argonaut
5 King Alfred
6 Valorous
Nothing on Aquitane
Impregnable - http://www.plymouthdata.info/Royal%20Naval%20Training%20Ships.htm
7 Sturgeon
8 Concord
9 Seawolf
10 Yarmouth

[jbryce1437]

This is the river gunboat that he was promoted to Chief Stoker on, HMS Cicala

[Steve Hawk]

I have managed to get my Grandfathers record on a jpeg file now. Here it is for anyone who was unable to open the pdf file.

Merry Christmas all.

Steve

[Steve Hawk]

re; SVIATOGOR - not a minesweeper, I now have more details.

It was an Icebreaker, 10,625 tons 323ft x 72ft built by Armstrong on Tyneside for the Russian Navy in 1915. When British forces went to Archangel, northern Russia in August 1918 to help the anti-Bolsheviks, they found the Sviatogor; she was put in working order, and commissioned her, being armed with 1 x 6in gun. She remained in Royal Navy service until November 1921 when she was given back to the Russians.

Thankyou for this information. The amazing thing for me is she's still afloat. Now named the Krasin she is an icebreaker museum moored in St Petersberg.
Shame I can't afford to visit her , but one day you never know. This as far as I can make out so far is the only ship Grandfather served on which is still about.
Steve.

[jbryce1437]

Hello Steve
You appear to have two threads running on the same subject and your post at 0632 is a repeat of what you posted yesterday at 1711. Read my PM. Threads merged.

Jim

[Steve Hawk]

Thankyou everyone for your help. My father has really enjoyed seeing everything. It's brilliant when he is reminded about what his father had told him.
Steve.

[qprdave]

Steve

Here are two items, published in The Times during the period that your Grandfather was on the Aquitania

qprdave

[qprdave]

Your Grandfather probably did join HMS Yarmouth but as a passenger, rather than crew. She sailed for the China Station with reliefs. Cicala was a Gunboat on the China Station.

Here are a couple of reports from The Times about HMS Yarmouth sailing from the UK

[Steve Hawk]

Thankyou for these clips. I shall show my Father them.