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[haryc]

Hi
I am going through my father's service record and would appreciate any help anyone can give me please.

It is his Radar Plot History Sheet and it says
13.08.1949 HMS Vanguard AB RP2 (I know all this bit)
Action Station: A.D.R.
Duty: D.R. Keeper
abilitly good.

I really would love to know ...

What happened, where on 13.08 1949 that the Vanguard was involved in, what does action station A.D.R. mean and what is a D.R. Keeper?

I've just realised that the 13th August was the day after he and my mum got engaged. So I guess he couldn't have got too far from England. Unless he proposed by telegram!!!!

Many thanks
Carol

[PhiloNauticus]

Carol

A D R = Aircraft Direction Room

D R Keeper = responsible for keeping the Direction Room clean, tidy and in good order...

13.08.1949 - I think she would have been at Devonport; I know she arrived at Plymouth 9 August to join the Home Fleet Training Squadron after being in the Mediterranean (south of France, Italy, Malta, Gibraltar) since February 1949, and during October she was in the Firth of Forth

He must have been trained in what was called then "aircraft direction" - see this magazine article from the early-1950s, which mentions the ADR:

 https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1957/1957%20-%200384.html?tracked=1

[haryc]

I am sorry but I have another query.

In nature of decorations it says

31.10.1946 WG and PWC credited
26.08.1949 Burma Star & War Medal (I get them)
No date EHBP 109.3

Can anyone assist here please?
Many thanks
Carol

[haryc]

It's me again.
I have been going through your answer earlier and was wondering how I find out more about the places that HMS Vanguard visited.
My Dad told me he had been to Malta, Gibralter and Singapor. I think he also went to Australia.
Every answer seems to bring about another query for that I am sorry but please don't let it deter you from answering.
Kind regards
Carol

[PhiloNauticus]

Carol

What were his dates of service for Vanguard?

[PhiloNauticus]

WG = War Gratuity
PWC = Post War Credit

These were Government payments to those who served in the armed forces during the war

I believe the payments were deposited in the Post Office Savings Bank and the bank book sent to the service man.

[haryc]

June 1948 to
October 1951.
Carol

[haryc]

Why  would the WG and PWC be listed under nature of decoration?
Forgive me if I'm being a bit simple.
Carol

[PhiloNauticus]

Carol

This is an outline of Vanguard's service:

June – Aug 1948 – at Devonport
Sep – Oct – cruise to Mediterranean; calls at Malta and Gibraltar
Nov – returned Devonport

Jan 1949 - Devonport
3 Feb – sailed for Mediterranean
Feb - Gibraltar
Mar – exercises, western Med
16 – 20 Mar – Algiers
28 Mar – 2 Apr - Naples
Apr - Malta
May – exercises in central Med
18 – 22 May – visit to Venice
May - Malta
15 – 16 Jun – Famagusta, Cyprus
18 Jun – Port Said, Egypt
End-Jun – exercises eastern Med
1 – 4 Jul – Phaleron Bay, Greece
6 – 7 Jul – Tripoli, Libya
16 Jul - Gibraltar
21 Jul – Devonport
Aug – Devonport
Sep – joined Home Fleet Training Squadron
Oct – exercises off Scotland
Nov / Dec – Portland

Jan 1950 – Gibraltar
Feb - Jun – Portland
Jul – exercises off Scotland
20 – 24 Jul – visit to Bangor (N Ireland)
Jul/Aug – Solent for Cowes Week
Sep – to Gibraltar for exercises
Sep/Oct – exercises in western Atlantic; visits to Dakar; Cape Verde; Madeira
Nov – visit to Lisbon
Nov/Dec – Portsmouth

Jan 1951 – to Gibraltar
Feb – exercises in Mediterranean
Mar – Portland
Apr – Jun – exercises off Scotland
Jul – visit: Eastbourne (to coincide with Festival of Britain)
Jul/Aug – Portsmouth
Sep/Oct - Devonport

[PhiloNauticus]

Why  would the WG and PWC be listed under nature of decoration?

Short answer: Don't know.  But I would suspect that as the War Gratuity was, in effect, an award of cash for those who had served, that it may have seemed logical to have recorded it under Awards and Decorations.  Although a separate thing, the Post-War Credit seems to have been associated with the Grant, although I think the intention with this, was to compensate for lost wages (i.e. if they hadn't been in the forces, they could have been earning more as a civvy.)

[haryc]

Wow, thank you very much.

To know all these places is truly wonderful. I so wish
he had talked more about his time in the navy but there was always too much to do.
Such busy lives we all lead.
There again, had I embarked upon family history earlier I would have known to ask him.

I guess we need to get more of the younger generation interested in family history so that they learn
from our mistakes.

Again many thanks for all your help and the information you have given me.
No amount of googling helped as much.

Kind regards

Carol