Or perhaps additional information?If you wish to add a crewmember to the listing we would need most of this information: ship name, nationality, name, dob, place of birth, service (merchant marine, ), rank or job on board. [36], The invasion was to begin on 5 June but bad weather forced a 24-hour delay. This information will help us make improvements to the website. With our small band of volunteers from around the world, and with the help of many archivists, we have: We have now completed all the transcription projects that we manage. privacy policy, Registry of Shipping and Seamen: War of 1939-1945; Merchant Seamen's Service on Royal Navy Ships. By creating an account you agree to us emailing you with newsletters and discounts, which you can switch off in your account at any time. [18] Under the Admiralty's prize rules, Belfast's crew later received prize money. [11] The Admiralty rejected a design featuring five triple turrets as impractical, while an alternative design fitting four quadruple turrets was rejected as an effective quadruple turret could not be developed. She was completed in 1941 and, after a successful WARSHIP WEEK National Savings campaign in March 1942, was adopted by the civil community of Belfast. Total costs for her operation was 2,141,514 British pounds and includes 75,000 pounds for the guns and 66,500 pounds for the aircraft. [17] From March to August 1939, Belfast was fitted out and underwent sea trials. Two infantry companies, 30 officers and 230 other ranks, would be carried. Unfortunately, it proved impossible to manufacture the main armament so the British Admiralty settled for a main armament of twelve 6-in guns in four turrets. [6] Her displacement had risen to 11,550tons. she was launched in 1925 and played an active part in several battles of the Second World War, including, the Malta convoys 1941-2, North Africa 1942-3, Sicily 1943, Salerno 1943, Mediterranean 1943, Normandy 1944 as well as . Uncategorized . She also received two more single Bofors guns, in place of two of her single 2-pounder mountings. The Imperial War Museum's guidebook to HMS Belfast divides the ship into three broad sections. In September 1951 Belfast provided anti-aircraft cover for a salvage operation to recover a crashed enemy MiG-15 jet fighter. We've divided them into three sections: People, Ships and Documents, For more detail on our data and the sources we have used, please click here: Enter the tag you would like to associate with this record and click 'Add tag'. [78][79], When Belfast was first opened to the public, visitors were limited to the upper decks and forward superstructure. It started from trying to trace the sea-going career of Pete's great-grandfather, who ran away to sea in the 1860s. [70][nb 5], On 9 May 2010, a ceremony was held aboard Belfast to mark the 65th anniversary of end of the Second World War in Europe. British registered ships aimed at assisting researchers to finding their crew documents. The National Museum of the Royal Navy holds some additional records at the Fleet Air Arm Museum. The aim of CLIP is simple - to improve access to the records of seafarers on British registered ships of the late 19th and early 20th century. Compiled a further 470,000 records of ships from the Mercantile Navy List, making the largest database of British registered ships of the era. [4], With the end of the war, Belfast remained in the Far East, conducting a number of cruises to ports in Japan, China and Malaya and sailing for Portsmouth on 20 August 1947. In between convoy duties, she participated in offensive sweeps with British battleships and aircraft carriers. [67] The Imperial War Museum's Sound Archive also seeks to record oral history interviews with former crewmen. data is focussed on tracking down crew lists, but we provide other resources, such as indexed images of the Mercantile Navy List, as well as a comprehensive set of links to other sites. No enemy vessels were found. [64] As of 2011, nine decks are open to the public. These contain seniority lists of all officers, cross-referenced with individual ships. If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Her November 1942 radar fit included one Type 284 set and four Type 283 sets to direct the main armament, three Type 285 sets for the secondary guns, and two Type 282 sets for the 2-pounder anti-aircraft guns. (These were originally described as 'Asian seamen' but that is misleading. She was launched on the 25 Feb, 1936. Merchant Navy gallantry awards for the Second World War, 1939-1947. HMS Belfast Association was formed in 1998 from past Crew members and is for members who served on HMS Belfast at any time no matter in what capacity. Belfast returned to action in November 1942 with improved firepower, radar equipment, and armour. As Scharnhorst attacked again at noon she was intercepted by Force Two and sunk by the combined formations. [31] Belfast spent 1943 engaged on convoy escort and blockade patrol duties, and on 56 October of the same year, formed part of the covering force during Operation Leader, an airstrike against German shipping in the waters of northern Norway near Bod by the aircraft carrier USSRanger. While in Sydney Belfast underwent another short refit, supplementing her close-range armament with five 40mm Bofors guns. [56] On 4 May 1971 Belfast was "reduced to disposal" to await scrapping. HMS Nelson was a Royal Navy battleship, built by Vickers-Armstrong at the Walkers Yard, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. First, it is aiming to offer interesting At 10:58am she detonated a magnetic mine while leaving the Firth of Forth. We've spent a lot of time trying to make it as clear and helpful as possible. She is now permanently moored as a museum ship on the River Thames in London and is operated by the Imperial War Museum. The plan was rejected in December 1961 as the time required to carry out the conversions was too great.[55]. [12] By 1935, however, the Admiralty was keen to improve the firepower of these cruisers to match the firepower of the Japanese Mogami and American Brooklyn-class cruisers; both were armed with fifteen 6-inch guns. Veterans of the Arctic convoys were in attendance to receive medals from the Russian Ambassador Yuri Fedotov. Access to the ship is via a walkway which connects the quarterdeck with the pedestrianised footpath on the south bank of the River Thames. A Type 274 set was fitted for main armament fire direction. It had previously been used by a battlecruiser sold in 1921. If you provide contact details, we will be in touch about your request within 10 working days. and many archives around the world to make the largest database of seafarers' records and provide unique On 8 May Belfast returned to Scapa Flow and carried the King during his pre-invasion visit to the Home Fleet. Changes included: individual MRS8 directors for the new twin Mk 5 40mm and the twin 4-inch mount; the 4-inch guns training and elevation speed was increased to 20 degrees per second; and protecting key parts of the ship against nuclear, biological or chemical attack. hms belfast crew list 1945. boca beacon obituaries. You are currently a guest member, registered members receive the following benefits: Please enter a password with 6 characters or more, REM, LREM, R-MECH3,2,1 AND A/L CHIEF RADIO MECHANI, POM(E) CHIEF STOKER RNR (WITH ICE CHARGE TICKET). The T124T records detail the sea service of merchant seamen who served on tugs. She began providing gunfire starting eleven days after the invasion began and would be doing so for a total of 404 days. Providing gunfire support to British and Canadian forces hitting the Gold and Juno beaches, Belfast was one of the first ships to begin the opening bombardment at 5:30am. Seaplanes carried aboard would enable shipping lanes to be patrolled over a wide area, and the class was also to be capable of its own anti-aircraft defence. To access the records in this section you will either need to visit us or, where you can identify a specific document reference, order a copy ().. The following day she boarded Tai Yin, a Norwegian ship. In 1945 the crew gave up their chocolate ration for us and we ate the lot, so when we left HMS Belfast in 2005 we were each given a 'goody bag' containing among other things a DVD of the . When the documents were made available by the Public Record Office in 1966, this office asked for the records of ships in three categories. [77], In 2017, it was announced that the third of the Royal Navy's Type 26 frigates would be named Belfast. [96] Belfast re-opened on 18 May 2012. [41] She was recommissioned on 22 September 1948 and, before returning to the Far East, visited her home city of Belfast, arriving on 20 October. During the ceremony it was announced that, as part of the restoration of the ship, two new masts had been manufactured at the Severnaya Verf shipyard near Saint Petersburg. 1831 Naval Air Squadron (flying Corsair aircraft) on board to join British Pacific Fleet 11th Aircraft Carrier Squadron. Copyright 2004-2023 Lava Development, LLC., all rights reserved, See all 13 photographs of Light Cruiser Belfast, Harland and Wolff Shipyard, Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom, Four Admiralty 3-drum boilers, four steam powered Parsons single reduction geared turbines, four shafts, 1939: 4x3x6in, 4x2x4in QF Mk XVI, 6x2x2pdr AA, 2x4x0.5in AA, 2x3x21in torpedo tubes. The entry "NA" indicates that the relevant box was not available, so there is a good chance that the documents exist and are held elsewhere, probably among those retained by the Public Record Office and the National Maritime Museum. HMS Formidable ( Navy Photos, click to enlarge) return to Contents List. [51] Her close-range armament was standardised to six twin 40 mm Bofors guns, and her close-range fire direction similarly standardised to eight close-range blindfire directors fitted with Type 262 radar. transcribed are only a small sample of the huge volume of crew documents scattered across many archives. If you provide contact details, we will be in touch about your request within 10 working days. However, in early 1971 the Paymaster General decided against preservation. [32], On 26 December 1943, Belfast participated in the Battle of North Cape. This is a listing of people associated with this ship.We also have a detailed page on the British Light cruiser HMS Belfast (35). WW2DB site administrators reserve the right to moderate, censor, and/or remove any comment. Thank you. Most of these men were not born in Asia; many were Egyptian. The For inquiries about military records for members of the World War II armed forces, please see our FAQ. The aircraft, operated by the Fleet Air Arm's HMS Belfast Flight of 700 Naval Air Squadron, were stowed in two hangars in the forward superstructure. [46], During 1951 Belfast mounted a number of coastal patrols and bombarded a variety of targets. In June 1945, she was redeployed to the Far East to join the British Pacific Fleet, arriving shortly before the end of the Second World War. The Official Log is not the full ship's log, but only a record of certain incidents relating to the crew and sometimes to passengers, such as deaths on board, which had to be reported to the Registrar. Finding records of individuals in this huge resource can be challenging, but it can also be rewarding Object description Captain Frederick Parham, Commanding Officer of HMS BELFAST, with members of the crew of HMS BELFAST during the traditional Christmas exhange of uniforms, 1942. Her standard displacement during her sea trials was 10,420 long tons (10,590t). this site, in particular the images of the Mercantile Navy List and data on the locations of documents. If an individual was commissioned from the ranks or moved between different services you may find service records in more than one set of files. She spent much of 1940 and 1941 assigned to Force H at Gibraltar, escorting convoys and she participated in the inconclusive Battle . That morning Prime Minister Winston Churchill had announced his intention to go to sea with the fleet and witness the invasion from HMS Belfast. Over the last twenty years we have worked with hundreds of people and many archives around the world to make the largest database of . [5] She was capable of 32.5 knots (60.2km/h; 37.4mph) and carried 2,400 long tons (2,400t) of fuel oil. ww2dbaseFive years later, HMS Belfast participated in the Korean War when she provided gunfire support for United Nations land-based forces. General Register and Record Office of Seamen, 1835-1872, Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen, 1872-1992, Have you found an error with this catalogue description? Disguised as a neutral Swedish vessel, SS Ancona, Cap Norte was attempting to return to Germany from Brazil; her passengers included German reservists. The two aft 6-inch turrets would be removed to accommodate a helicopter deck and two hangars capable of housing four Westland Wessex helicopters, while the 4-inch guns would be replaced by davits for four LCA landing craft. At the start of the European War, she was sent to Force G off South America. ww2dbaseAfter repairs, which increased her weight to 11,500 tons, HMS Belfast returned to service as flagship of the 10th cruiser squadron in November 1942. We enjoy dealing with awkward questions; we don't think there is such a thing as a silly question, and we often HMS Belfast dropped anchor for the last time of its career in London, in the Thames river near the London Bridge where it can be visited today. During July and early August 1950, Belfast undertook coastal patrols and was based at Sasebo in Japan's Nagasaki Prefecture. 11 Jun 2022. This was opposed by the Supreme Allied Commander, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, and the First Sea Lord, Sir Andrew Cunningham. On 27 September 1952 Belfast was relieved by two other Town-class cruisers, HMSBirmingham and HMSNewcastle, and sailed back to the UK. We are the largest and fastest growing community of UK forces veterans on the web with over 500,000 members! Belfast received damage on July 29, 1952 when Communist shore-based artillery hit her with a shell, killing one sailor and wounding four. A 75mm shell struck a forward compartment, killing a British sailor of Chinese origin in his hammock and wounding four other Chinese ratings. [4], Her radar fit now included a Type 277 radar set to replace her Type 273 for surface warning. Made over 63,000 images of crew list documents. On 19 January 1978 the Secretary of State for Education and Science, Shirley Williams, accepted the proposal stating that HMS Belfast "is a unique demonstration of an important phase of our history and technology". The London Gazettealso lists commissions and promotions up to the present day. Object details. C. Peter Chen of Lava Development, LLC. [52] Modern passive sonar Type 174 and 176 was installed and noise-reducing rubber insulation fitted to the propeller shaft. On 21 November, Belfast was to take part in the force's first sortie, a gunnery exercise. hms belfast crew list 1945 hms belfast crew list 1945. ps4 controller trigger keeps activating. Italian merchant ships Gloria Stella and Maria Eugenia were also sunk. The reinterpretation included an interactive audio-visual plotting table. 1990 to the present day (production), 1990 to the present day (content) Creator. She paid off in Chatham on 4 November 1952 and entered reserve at Devonport on 1 December. The fee is currently 30. By May 1945, Belfast mounted thirty-six 2-pounder guns in two eight-gun mounts, four quadruple mounts, and four single mounts. to do your research for you - all the data we have is either on this site or for sale via findmypast and we'd like you to have the fun of doing the research. [64] By 1974, areas including the Admiral's bridge and forward boiler and engine rooms had been restored and fitted out. From left to right: Bugler Volker, Marine Askew, Boy Blakely, Captain Parham, Boy Wallis, Colour Sergeant Oldfield, A B Stratt and Master at Arms Taylor. Secondly, we claimed vessels which had been built in Southampton and, thirdly, ships which mainly used this port, especially the passenger liners which were so important to Southampton but few of which were registered here. On 25 December 1943, Christmas Day, Scharnhorst left port in northern Norway to attack Convoy JW55B. [50] Belfast recommissioned at Devonport on 12 May 1959. A number of further overseas commissions followed before she entered reserve in 1963. [9] As a branch of a national museum and part of the National Historic Fleet, Belfast is supported by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, admissions income, and the museum's commercial activities. The National Archives (TNA) guide to Royal Navy Ratings service records, 18531928, The National Archives guide to officers' service records, The National Archives guide to Royal Naval Reserve service records, The National Archives guideto Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve service records, The National Archives guide to Royal Marines' service records, The National Archives guide to Royal Naval Division service records, our guide to tracing your Royal Navy ancestry, Royal Navy Registers of Seamen's services 18531924 (ADM 188) on, Royal Navy Registers of Seamen's services 19251929 (ADM 362) on, Royal Navy Seamen's services Continuous Record cards 19251939 (ADM 363) on, Officers and Ratings Service Records Series II (ADM 29) on, Officers' Service Record Cards and Files (ADM 340) on, Ratings' Records of Service mainly men who served during the First World War (BT 377) on, Ratings' service cards for 140,000 ratings at, Officers' Service Records (First World War) (ADM 240) at, Officers and ratings who served up to 1946 sample of Record of Service cards (BT 164) on, Service records for officers who served 1914 to 1922 and ratings who served 1903 to 1919 (ADM 337) on, RN and RNVR ratings who served 1888 to 1923 Engagement and Enrolment Papers at, Registers of Service 1842 to 1936 (ADM 159) on, Approximately 60,000 Royal Marine Attestation Packs for Royal Marine Light Infantry (Plymouth, Chatham and Portsmouth Divisions and some other formations) at, Approximately 50,000 original service records at. The covering dates relate to the dates of opening the registers. Photographs. We have no plans to organise more ourselves, but that is far from the end of CLIP. [13] In May 1936 the Admiralty decided to fit triple turrets, whose improved design would permit an increase in deck armour. . This series contains records of Merchant Seamen's Service on Royal Navy Ships. privacy policy. We have added some case studies to illustrate research into records of seafarers and ships. Carolinewas launchedand commissionedin 1914. [85] [nb 7], In July 2011, the interior of Y Turret, the aftmost 6-inch turret, was redisplayed using audio-visual and atmospheric effects, seeking to evoke the experience of a gunner at the Battle of North Cape. The most significant change was better accommodations for a smaller crew more fitting of post-war needs. We have listed the main sources but there may be others. This information will help us make improvements to the website. Crew lists from ships hit by U-boats HMS Belfast (35) British Light cruiser Photo courtesy of Paul Johnson Collection This is a listing of people associated with this ship. [26] Twenty officers and men required hospital treatment for injuries caused by the explosion, and a further 26 suffered minor injuries. The operations room was restored to its appearance during Exercise Pony Express, a large British-Australian-American joint exercise held off North Borneo in 1961. During 2011, two of these areas were reinterpreted. Her radar suite reduced Belfast's need for aerial surveillance, and her aircraft were disembarked in June 1943. The next day Belfast took charge of a silver ship's bell, a gift of the people of Belfast. [64] In 1976 Belfast was reaffiliated with the successors to the British Army's Royal Ulster Rifles, the Royal Irish Rangers,[b][64] and in the same year the Royal Naval Amateur Radio Society restored the ship's Bridge Wireless Office to working order. 23 Jan 1941. Contributor: C. Peter Chen. document.write("This page was last modified on " + lastmod.getDate()+" " + monthlist[lastmod.getMonth()] +" " + lastmod.getFullYear()+""); Transcribed and checked nearly 1,000,000 (one million) entries from crew lists. By 28 June she had been repaired sufficiently to sail to Devonport, arriving on 30 June under the command of Lt Cdr H W Parkinson.[28]. We also have a detailed page on the British Light cruiser HMS Belfast (35). HMS Belfast is a Town-class light cruiser that was built for the Royal Navy. There is one snag - the huge pile of records has no index (that's the point of CLIP). [56], Following the government's refusal, a private trust was formed to campaign for the ship's preservation. All comment submissions will become the property of WW2DB. [15] The launch was filmed by Path News. February 1944 saw Belfast resume her Arctic convoy duties, and on 30 March 1944 Belfast sailed with the covering force of Operation Tungsten, a large carrier-launched Fleet Air Arm airstrike against the German battleship Tirpitz. However, we know that the records of ships and seafarers are a Read tagging guidelines. These records consist of the Crew Lists and Ships' Agreements, with some Official (Crew) Log Books, which were required by law to be sent to the Registrar of Shipping and Seamen for ships registered in the United Kingdom. [63], Now a museum, the ship's opening was well received: in 1972 the HMS Belfast Trust won the British Tourist Authority's "Come to Britain" trophy. The number of items entered for each year is the number of documents, not of complete returns. You can click on any of the names for possible additional information. Her initial role during the Second World War was to accompany a convoy to Capetown from December 1940 to January 1941. The Russian companies included United Industrial Corporation (OPK), The reinterpretation was supported by 150,000 from DCMS and the, other 1950s cruiser reconstructions of three Town cruisers and HMS, "ALVA Association of Leading Visitor Attractions", "History of HMS Belfast: Building and Launch", "Mrs Chamberlain Opens New Airport At Belfast And Launches HMS Belfast (1938)", "History of HMS Belfast: Outbreak of War 1939", "Parham, Frederick Robertson (IWM interview)", "Burnett, Sir Robert Lindsay (18871959)", "History of HMS Belfast: Operations 1944", "Collections: Exhibits and Firearms: Frequently Asked Questions: The 15-inch guns", "History of HMS Belfast: D-Day 6 June 1944", "Obituary: Vice-Admiral Sir Hugh Martell", Secretary of State for Education and Science, "HMS Belfast Association: About the Association", "New masts for HMS Belfast made in Russian shipyard", "HMS Belfast's extraordinary war service is recognised by Russia", "Russian Federation provides major support for HMS Belfast restoration", "HMS Belfast to lose her scaffolding and gain two new masts", "HMS Belfast Masts from Russia with Love", "The new HMS Belfast, from Russia with love", "New Royal Navy warship to be named HMS Belfast", "Defence Secretary names new warship HMS Belfast in Northern Ireland", "New Interactive Operations Room Opens for Easter", "4 million grants announced for English museums under DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund", "DCMS/Wolfson Museums & Galleries Improvement Fund Round 8 (200910)", "HMS Belfast adds thrilling Gun Turret Experience to its armoury of attractions", "HMS Belfast: Two injured as gangway collapses", "Two hurt as HMS Belfast gangway collapses", "HMS Belfast reopens six months after gangway collapse", "CPMG wins planning for HMS Belfast visitor centre", List of cruiser classes of the Royal Navy, Museum of Domestic Design and Architecture, Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art, Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret, Hungerford Bridge and Golden Jubilee Bridges, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=HMS_Belfast&oldid=1152382182, World War II cruisers of the United Kingdom, Korean War cruisers of the United Kingdom, Museums sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Museums in the London Borough of Southwark, Ships and vessels of the National Historic Fleet, Articles with dead external links from March 2023, Articles with permanently dead external links, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from March 2019, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from October 2017, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 29 April 2023, at 22:30. [12] Belfast was ordered from Harland and Wolff on 21 September 1936,[15] and her keel laid on 10 December 1936. [15] Her expected cost was 2,141,514; of which the guns cost 75,000 and the aircraft (two Supermarine Walruses) 66,500. No lists were available for certain notable ships, or for years ending in 5, eg. [26], Initial assessments of Belfast's damage showed that, while the mine had done little direct damage to the outer hull, causing only a small hole directly below one of the boiler rooms, the shock of the explosion had caused severe warping, breaking machinery, deforming the decks and causing the keel to hog (bend upwards) by three inches. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy. Over the last twenty years we have worked with hundreds of people [80] The first of these, "Life on board the ship", focuses on the experience of serving at sea. Scroll down to see more. Our Privacy Policy - please read | Below are just some of our members who have served at HMS Belfast. [65][c], By 1977, the financial position of the HMS Belfast Trust had become marginal, and the Imperial War Museum sought permission to merge the Trust into the museum. We are delighted to help with advice about finding records (that's what CLIP and this web site is all about) but please do not ask us On 29 July 1952 Belfast was hit by enemy fire while engaging an artillery battery on Wolsa-ri island. ). Depending on your point of view, the project either grew a life of its own, or got out of hand. For long distance voyages, the authorised destination is often given in the most general terms and the only clues lie in entries made at various ports of call. 837 Naval Air Squadron (flying Barracuda aircraft) and No. The ship was laid down on 10th November that year and launched on 26th March 1940 as the 3rd RN Warship to carry the name. Belfast saw further combat action in 195052 during the Korean War and underwent an extensive modernisation between 1956 and 1959. ww2dbaseCompleted on March 17, 1938 and joining the fleet on August 5, 1939, HMS Belfast joined the 18th cruiser squadron. Please refrain from using strong language. The goal of this Her commander was Captain G A Scott DSO RN. Her armour belt was also extended and thickened. [84] Areas open to the public include the operations room, Admiral's bridge and gun direction platform. This work is still very much in development but we have about one-third of the people who died already listed. On 31 January 1961, Belfast recommissioned under the command of Captain Morgan Morgan-Giles. On October 9, 1939, Belfast successfully seized the . She also received a Type 273 general surface warning radar, Type 251 and 252 sets for identification friend or foe (IFF) purposes, and a Type 281 and Type 242 for air warning. 2. Early June 1945, it was deployed to the Far East. On 12 June Belfast supported Canadian troops moving inland from Juno Beach and returned to Portsmouth on 16 June to replenish her ammunition. Gambia had already severely deteriorated, so attention turned to the possibility of saving Belfast. ww2dbaseRemaining in the area for five weeks, HMS Belfast provided impressive gunfire support to British and Canadian forces as they fought their way inland near the city of Caen. At the same time, the IWM stated that the museum would be renamed as "HMS Belfast (1938)" as a means of avoiding confusion. She was towed from Portsmouth to London via Tilbury, where she was fitted out as a museum. Battle of North Cape: HMS Belfast and the sinking of the Scharnhorst Imperial War Museums 358K subscribers Subscribe 22K 2.5M views 1 year ago Scharnhorst was one of the most dangerous German. HMS Belfast at anchor in Sydney Harbour, August 1945. [94] The ship was closed to visitors following the accident. michael sandel justice course syllabus. and one of ten Town-class cruisers, began in December 1936. Entries in them continue for many years according to the length of service of each seaman . 1959: 4x3x6in, 4x2x4in QF Mk XVI, 6x2x40mm AA, Two Supermarine Walrus Aircraft (removed in the later part of WW2). [56] Martell's obituarist considered this commission a well-judged contrivance which "did much to restore the confidence and image of the new RNR" which had undergone an acrimonious amalgamation with the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve in 1958.