Royal Navy: Intriguing time capsule discovered on HMS Chiddingfold with unfinished love letter and pictures

A ‘time capsule’ of life aboard a wartime warship has been rediscovered by the crew of a British Royal Navy vessel.

An unfinished letter to a loved one, a sentimental postcard, yellowed newspaper clippings and an eclectic mix of photographs were rediscovered by sailors. The items were found on minehunter HMS Chiddingfold on the eve of the ship’s 40th birthday on operations in the Gulf.

The ship’s wartime namesake, a Hunt-class destroyer, served extensively in home waters and the Mediterranean throughout the second half of World War 2 - escorting convoys. Especially those at the beginning or end of their journeys to and from the UK – supporting daring raids and grappling with German fast boats in the Channel.

There's little in Chiddingfold life to suggest that she was badly damaged or suffered heavy casualties in action - despite escorting at least 15 convoys. Navigator Lieutenant Max Renouf said the collection was a poignant reminder – particular during the period of remembrance – of past sacrifices and deeds, and the ties which today’s sailors with their wartime forebears.

Mr Renouf said: “They showcase a different time in the Royal Navy but the threads of family and the creation of lasting memories are woven through everything in the small collection. As the person served during the war it makes it even more special as there is no telling the horrors and tribulations he went through whilst on board. While people and technologies may change, the values and standards that have driven excellence have not changed.”

One of her crew – it’s not known who – kept a comprehensive scrapbook of her activities and actions - continuing to follow the ship’s progress after the war when she was transferred to the newly-independent Indian Navy - before the vessel was finally broken up in the late 1970s. When a namesake ship – today’s minehunter – joined the Fleet in the 1980s, some of that scrapbook was donated to the new vessel and then accidentally forgotten. The envelope containing a mix of ephemera from the 1940s and 50s resurfaced as the present-day HMS Chiddingfold was gearing up for 40th birthday celebrations in Bahrain. The files include a barely-started letter home to a certain Joan on notepaper from HMS Collingwood, the training base in Fareham.

Photographs of refit in Middlesbrough, several photographs of crew on the open bridge in the Mediterranean in 1943 - including her then Commanding Officer Lieutenant Thomas Dorrien Smith. Plus the surrender of an Italian submarine in the Mediterranean in 1943, escorting the aircraft carrier HMS Avenger in the North Atlantic in 1942 and newspaper cuttings relating to the transfer to the Indian Navy in the 1950s.

The crew of today’s Chiddingfold intend to hand the material to the Royal Navy’s official historians at the Naval Historical Branch in Portsmouth for safekeeping. Her 40th anniversary was marked by a blessing from a naval chaplain, a service of remembrance for all those who have served in the two HMS Chiddingfolds, and the distribution of commemorative coins donated by the minehunter’s first Commanding Officer Lieutenant Commander David Sandiford in recognition of the continued efforts from all who serve on her.

“As the 43rd Commanding Officer of HMS Chiddingfold, it gives me great pleasure to lead this remarkable ship into her fifth decade,” said Lieutenant Commander Craig Clark. “This milestone is a testament not only to the unique Glass Reinforced Plastic construction of the ship but, more importantly, to the dedication of more than 1,000 officers and sailors who have served in her. The stories shared, the sights witnessed, and the memories made have all been shaped by this incredible ship.” Chiddingfold is one of four Royal Navy warships deployed on long-term missions to the Gulf region, using Bahrain as the hub of their operations to help maintain maritime security and the safe passage of shipping across the Middle East.

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