Watch Your Audience Grow

Here’s a video on BBC News with a fantastic first-hand account of day-to-day life serving on the Arctic Convoys.
The scene where the veterans hug each other towards the end is so moving.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14725778

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-14214294

A ceremony was held on Sat 20 August 2011 at the Wester Ross memorial, above Loch Ewe, north-west Scotland mainland to mark the 70th anniversary of the first Arctic convoys.  Operation Dervish, which ran from September 1941 to December 1944, saw ships gather in Loch Ewe before setting out to Murmansk and Archangel.

More than 3,000 seamen lost their lives to the freezing conditions and attacks by German submarines and aircraft.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-14587976

Babur was the re-fitted Diadem

copyright belongs to Flickr user Doc Kazi

Story about David Billet, Dagenham, who served on HMS Diamond and HMS Diadem.
Local serving and ex-service members of Britain’s naval forces have met, every week, since 1936.

On Saturday 19 February 2011, members of Dagenham’s Royal Naval Association (RNA) branch are set to enjoy to a night of festivities at their headquarters – Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club – as they look back at 75 years of their organisation.

For secretary David Billet, the anniversary is an important moment in his life – and that of friends from the branch.
Dagenham resident David, 75 himself, served on both HMS Diamond and HMS Diadem.

He said: “We have around 80 members now and we’re all looking forward to celebrating the association’s birthday this month, along with other distinguished guests. It’s going to be an evening of nostalgia.

“Our youngest member is in his 20s and the oldest is in his 80s, so the association encompasses all age groups. Sadly, we’ve lost many members along the way, but they’ll all be remembered.”

The RNA started life in the UK in late 1935 as the Royal Naval Old Comrades Association.

It was set up for ex service members of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines.
http://www.lbbd.gov.uk/thenews/Articles/Pages/Shipmates.aspx

If you’ve got a spare two and a half thousand pounds burning a hole in your pocket, you can buy a brass treadplate from here:

http://www.uniquebrass.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=12&zenid=mtip1fvmaub8q3g94u8ap768l7

http://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http://www.cnrs-scrn.org/northern_mariner/vol04/nm_4_1_55-63.pdf&chrome=true

Extracts:

"On 11 March 1945 Convoy JW-65 sailed from the Clyde for Murmansk escorted
by the cruiser H M S Diadem, escort carriers H M S Campania and Trumpeter, and a
number of destroyers and other vessels."

"RA-65 sailed from Murmansk on 24 March. H M S Diadem, Campania, and
Trumpeter departed in advance of the main body to provide air cover for the merchant-
men. Although the weather prevented carrier air operations until after 0735A, no U-boats
were encountered and only a few High Frequency Direction finder (HF/DF) bearings were
obtained from several U-boats to the west. Nonetheless, air patrols were flown around
RA-65 on 26 March to prevent U-boats from getting ahead of the convoy into an
attacking position."

In memory of Edward Daltrey

found on Twitter.

Here’s a photo on Flickr in /pimu’s collection:

In the comments, Raheel I. Khan says "That would be the first PNS Babur, the former HMS Diadem (84), a Dido-class cruiser of the Royal Navy. We have had two more PNS Babur’s since. The following two are HMS London and HMS Amazon. Amazon being the current PNS Babur"

#end

JUNO BEACH - Assault Force "J"

Bombarding Force E:  Rear Admiral Frederick Dalrymple-Hamilton (HMS Belfast)

http://www.americandday.org/D-Day/Force_J-Order_of_battle.html