Desperately seeking Grandad. James Harold Prichard

[Keith at Tregenna]

Cheers Doc,

Starting from the top, apparently crew during the war only had HMS
on their caps no ships name, this was standard so spies couldn’t tell
what ship was in port.

Left sleeve in colour. 95013276_3283726418327488_3625544124058304512_n.jpg

Think rather than a sub it may be a torpedo ?

As Doc states does appear to Indicate Leading Seaman Torpedoman.

The stripes / chevrons appear to be good conduct ?

94889182_3283705951662868_7420052901491376128_o.jpg

I2 in the bottom of pic - index

Keith.

Added thanks Chris, could not find a Thanks / like button for your post hence adding
this note here as your help is appreciated. Thanked now button appeared may just be me.

Also on reflection Doc is most likely correct about the sub in the logo, I was thinking
not as a side elevation appeared wrong but thinking underwater more than likely a
top elevation.

Certainly getting somewhere and though a learning curve for me, may assist future enquiries also.

.

[Doc Vernon]

Basic device with star above

"Star" or third-class part II or specialist qualification (PO and below)

[Doc Vernon]

Just an addition that may help? James Born in Claremont Cape Town 20th Nov 1908 Baptised 10th Jan 1909 at Parish of Wynberg, Western Cape (Funny that is where i went to School at some time when younger) Cart Driver Occupation. That would indicate that he may have Run a small business selling Fruits and Veges,there wee many of those i recall so well.

Prichard 111.JPG

[Eric Denyer]

Many Thanks Keith sorry for late reply i have been given some work which at this time is good for us. Good call on blowing up his arm pick thankyou. and Wow for the info recieved from it. we have found a letter from him to my grandmother info of address as follows. i have googled this address and although i find reference to it it`s really not alot of help. lets hope someone may have a better reference source.
JH Prichard W/C.M
Mess 8
HMS Curlew
Dunoon
Scotland
20.11.1943

Google has reference to it being a land based training camp. this is all i can find
im blown away by the thought of him having something to do with submarines and i so hope to find what he actually did.
King Regards Eric

[Eric Denyer]

Thank you this is all a bit of a shock for me this morning. Can i ask if the trail maybe going down the road of grandad working on submarines as a torpedo person ?

[Eric Denyer]

Wow i have not been able to trace him back any further.

[Chris Allman]

Hi Eric he did not necessarily serve on submarines because he was in the Torpedo Branch - Destroyers and Cruisers and other RN surface ships also carried torpedoes fired from a bank of tubes on deck and so required torpedo branch seamen to use them - so he could have been on any of these ships too.

[Eric Denyer]

Hi Chris yes thank you. its easy to let ones imagination run away. All these crews were vital. im a bit disturbed by a letter that has been found with his name and letters W/C.M after it. i tried to google this but did not find any direct reference apart from maybe C.M being court Martial eeeek so i will just hope now that he wasnt a naughty boy.
Kind Regards
Eric

[Chris Allman]

W/CM - cannot help you there Eric - hopefully when you get his record of service things will be a lot clearer.

[Eric Denyer]

Yes i hope so to. My Mother has felt tremendous loss from the age of 7 when he died. because she was not told that he had passed away, it was only when she became brave enough in her early adult life that she started to ask. and by then much of his existence had disappeared.
Kind Regards
Eric