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Able
Seaman Stanley Humphries HMS Firedrake K.I.A. 16th December 1942 Stan was the fifth child born to Tom and Mary Anne Humphries or (Pol) as she was known in Stirchley Birmingham. Stan's brothers and sisters were Bob, Len, Frank, Ida and Elsie. Len and Frank also joined the Navy. Stan joined the Royal Navy in 1934 at Chatham, his first ship was HMS Duchess at the China station Wei-Hai-Wei, he visited Hong Kong, Shanghai, Osaka (Japan) and Sarawak in Borneo and lots of other ports in the four years he was with her, the Duchess was damaged on that tour so Stan joined HMS Firedrake sometime in 1937 or 38 certainly before the war. |
| Firedrake
was on escort duty to the food ships in the Spanish civil war conflict,
and on at least one occasion was fired on by the Spanish Battle
cruiser Almirante Cervera, the crew had a beach party on the beach
at Gibraltar, and he also visited Bordeaux he was very impressed
with the young French women. When the war broke out the Firedrake's part in the sinking of U39 is well documented. Frank remembers Stan telling him of the time when Firedrake was in the North sea when a squadron of German bombers returning home after a raid in Scotland flew overhead the Firedrake opened fire with one of the 4.7 but hadn't enough alleviation one of the planes peeled off and straffed them Stan told how every one took cover except for one torpedo-man Brodie who opened up with the Lewis gun. The plane flew on but in the distance it broke up and fell into the sea. When on leave which was not very often, Stan used to borrow his brother in law's clothes, as Tom was away in the RAF, because Stan had been in the Navy for so long he hadn't many clothes of his own. Tom Stan's brother in law and sister had a dog called Paddy who could find Stan in a pub 3 or 4 miles away. Stan didn't like the bombing in Birmingham and was pleased to get back to sea. He said the crew trusted the skipper Steven Norris to look after them. When Firedrake was damaged in the Mediterranean and had to go to America for repairs, Stan decided to visit his mothers brother Bill, who had moved to Newark, New Jersey some 30 years earlier. Stan took two of his mates with him one a torpedo-man like himself the other a gun layer both cockneys there were lots of photos taken of the visit. |
| In the summer of 1942, Stan met an old friend who was on his way to visit a girl named Olive who was in hospital after being in a motorcycle accident, in which her boyfriend had been killed. Stan was smitten they started to see each other, and then on his last leave, on Saturday 17th October they got married at a church in Hall Green Birmingham, Stan and Olive were together only three days, then Stan had to go back to sea, the Firedrake sailed on convoy escort duty with convoy ON153 on the 12th December 1942, on the 16th she was struck by a torpedo fired from U211, Firedrake sunk with the loss of 168 of her crew Stan and his two mates that had accompanied him on the visit to Newark NJ were lost. Photo right: The Gibraltar beach party |
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Henry Thomas Timpson. I was with the Firedrake from 11th November 1937 till 12th August 1940. In that time we were in the Mediterranean escorting convoys to Spain. Then came the war we then with the Foxhound and Faulknor sunk U39 after she had tried to sink the Ark Royal, this was the first U-boat to be sunk in world war II. I remember the incident when the French destroyer Maillé Brézé sank off Gourock after a torpedo had accidentally exploded in the magazine. We then went to Norway which turned out to be the second battle of Narvik, we were constantly being dive bombed, we had so many near misses I lost count the ship was covered in holes from the shrapnel, we were one of the last or probably the last ship to leave, we then had a bit of a rest while we had repairs carried out at Rosyth. Then we did convoy escort duties to Iceland and patrols around the Orkneys. In August 1940 my promotion meant I would leave the Firedrake and joined the cruiser HMS Mauritius. |
| I survived the war having done a total of 26 year in the Royal Navy, when I left the navy I was a Stoker P.O. With three good conduct badges and a long service medal I had served on many ships in that twenty six years including HM ships Commonwealth, Repulse, Birmingham, Castor, Sandhurst, Royal Sovereign, Renown, Ark Royal, Emerald, Mauritius, Pretoria Castle and of course HMS Firedrake. |
| HMS
Pembroke HMS Commonwealth HMS Pembroke HMS Repulse HMS Pembroke HMS Birmingham HMS Pembroke HMS Castor HMS Pembroke HMS Sandhurst HMS Royal Sovereign HMS Pembroke HMS Repulse HMS Renown HMS Pembroke HMS Ark Royal HMS Emerald HMS Pembroke HMS Firedrake HMS Pembroke HMS Mauritius HMS Birmingham HMS Pembroke HMS Pretoria Castle |
Royal
Naval Barracks Chatham Battleship Royal Naval Barracks Chatham Battle Cruiser Royal Naval Barracks Chatham Light Cruiser Royal Naval Barracks Chatham Light Cruiser Royal Naval Barracks Chatham Destroyer Depot Ship Battleship Royal Naval Barracks Chatham Battle Cruiser Battle Cruiser Royal Naval Barracks Chatham Aircraft Carrier Cruiser Royal Naval Barracks Chatham Destroyer Royal Naval Barracks Chatham Cruiser Light Cruiser Royal Naval Barracks Chatham Armed Merchant Cruiser |
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May 1919 --- 22 Sep 1919 23 Sep 1919 --- 13 DEC 1920 14 DEC 1920 --- 31 DEC 1920 1 Jan 1921 --- 30 Sep 1923 1 Oct 1923 --- 18 Oct 1923 19 Oct 1923 --- 19 APR 1926 20 APR 1926 --- 24 Aug 1926 25 Aug 1926 --- 8 Sep 1926 9 Sep 1926 --- 13 Jun 1928 14 Jun 1928 --- 22 Aug 1930 23 Aug 1930 --- 14 Sep 1930 15 Sep 1930 --- 2 Sep 1931 3 Sep 1931 --- 8 Jun 1932 9 Jun 1932 --- 7 Sep 1933 8 Sep 1933 --- 15 Mar 1934 16 Mar 1934 --- 4 Jul 1934 5 Jul 1934 --- 21 APR 1937 22 APR 1937 --- 10 Nov 1937 11 Nov 1937 --- 12 Aug 1940 13 Aug 1940 --- 13 DEC 1940 14 DEC 1940 --- 27 May 1941 28 May 1941 --- 20 Jul 1943 21 Jul 1943 --- 7 Aug 1943 8 Aug 1943 --- 8 Nov 1945 |
| Stoker
2nd Class Stoker 1st Class Acting Leading Stoker Leading Stoker Acting Stoker Petty Officer Stoker Petty Officer |
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May 1919 --- 16 Feb 1920 17 Feb 1920 --- 31 DEC 1938 1st Jan 1939 --- 31st DEC 1939 1st Jan 1940 --- 24 Sep 1941 25 Sep 1941 --- 24 Sep 1942 25 Sep 1942 --- 8 Nov 1945 |
| Good
Conduct Badges: Good Conduct Badges: Good Conduct Badges: Awarded Coronation medal Long Service & Good Conduct Medal |
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Feb 1925 8 Mar 1928 9 Mar 1933 1 Jun 1937 5 DEC 1938 |
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