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HMCS
WENTWORTH K331
River
Class Frigate
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HMCS Wentworth K331
DND/RCN photo
From the collection of Kenneth Medford, DSM
Courtesy of Gary Medford
Click on the above photo to view a larger image
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Battle honours and awards: Atlantic
1944-45
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Laid down: 11
Nov
1942
Launched: 06
Mar 1943
Commissioned: 07
Dec 1943
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Paid off: 10
Oct 1945
Fate: Broken up
in 1947
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Wentworth was commissioned on 07 Dec 1943,
at Victoria and arrived at Halifax 24 Jan 1944. She left for
Bermuda to work up, but defects forced her to return and the
working-up exercises were carried out in St. Margaret's Bay. In Jun
1944
she joined EG C-4, becoming Senior Officer's ship in Aug 1944, and
remained continuously on convoy duty until Feb 1945, when she
commenced a major refit at Shelburne, from 07 Mar to 09 Aug 1945. She
was paid off on 10 Oct 1945, to reserve in Bedford Basin, and
broken up in 1947 at Sydney.
Photos
and Documents Ship's
company photos
Commanding Officers
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LCdr Stanley Warren Howell,
RCNR - 07 Dec 1943 - 04 Jul 1944
LCdr Roderick John Cornell Pringle,
RCNVR - 05 Jul 1944 - 15 Jan 1945 |
A/LCdr John Boyd Graham,
RCNVR - 16 Jan 1945 - 10 Apr 1945
Lt G.C. Campbell,
RCNVR - 25 Aug 1945 - 10 Oct 1945 |
In memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice
Lest We Forget
In memory of those who have crossed the bar
They shall not be
forgotten
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Benoit,
Francis G.
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Bertoia,
Roger L.
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Carmichael,
Thomas E.
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Collins,
Robert C.
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Crossley,
Sidney R.
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Fraser,
Edward D.
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Glass,
John G.
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Holmberg, Walter
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Jenson,
Gerald K.
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Jones,
George H.
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Krotch,
Michael
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LeBeouf,
Lawrence
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Leontowicz,
Peter
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Love,
Alan T.
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Lynn, Dewart
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Maskerine,
William J.
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Medford,
Kenneth A.
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Pearson,
John J.K.
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Samson,
Kenneth
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Vysohlid,
Milan A.
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Wale,
Henry
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Warren,
Walter
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Young,
Wilfred H.
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Ship's Mascot
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Ship's Mascot
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Former Crew Members
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Bardall,
J. - 1944-1945
Clark,
William, Lt - 1944-1945
Dery,
Pierre Yvon, Lt, RCNVR - 30 May 1944
Finch-Noyes,
Edward (Ted) William, A/Cdr, RCN - 27 May 1944
Graham,
Bertram Rawlinson, A/Lt, RCNVR - 28 Jan 1944
Kerrigan,
Thomas Richard, Lt (S), RCNVR - 05 Jul 1945
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Mills,
Timothy Stuart, A/Lt, RCNVR - 18 Mar 1944
Palmer,
Winston John, SLt, RCNVR - 14 Mar 1945
Plamquist,
David Ernest, Lt (El), RCNVR - 31 May 1945
Puncheon
- 1945
Robinson,
Michael Dennis Edward, Slt, RCNVR - 14 May 1945
Rowlings,
Harry Winfred, Lt, RCNVR - 27 May 1944
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Shuttleworth,
James Murray, A/Lt, RCNVR - 06 Jul 1944
Sturrock,
Bernard James Archibald, Lt, RCNVR - 01 Feb 1944
Stocker,
George Clifford, SLt, RCNVR - 05 Mar 1945
Sullivan,
Richard, Lt (E), RCNR - 26 May 1943
Turner,
Leslie Charles, Lt (E), RCNVR - 28 Feb 1944
Wilson,
Thomas Bruce, Lt (E), RCNVR - 12 Jul 1944
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Photos and
Documents
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Lieut.
Tim Mills, 21, RCNVR, of Toronto, has a personal score to settle
with German E-boats in the English Channel. His brother, Mike, was
killed in a running battle with eleven of them in the fall of 1941
while commanding a British motor gunboat. Tim is gunnery officer
aboard the new frigate H.M.C.S. Wentworth and likes it, but his
ambition still is to take his brother's place in the M.G.B.
flotillas. The young officer was a student at the U. of T. before
joining the Navy two years ago.
Source:
City
of Kawartha Digital Archives |
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HMCS Wentworth K331 postcard
From the collection of Kenneth Medford, DSM
Courtesy of Gary Medford |
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"Wentworth" at Lt. Clark's wedding,
St. John's, NFLD
Ken Medford, front row, 1st on left
From the collection of Kenneth Medford, DSM
Courtesy of Gary Medford |
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Unknown sub in St. John's Harbour - possibly
the surrendered U-190
From the collection of Kenneth Medford, DSM
Courtesy of Gary Medford |
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Chain Rock, NFLD
From the collection of Kenneth Medford, DSM
Courtesy of Gary Medford |
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Launch from HMCS Wentworth K331 (foreground) -
HMCS Chebogue K317 in background
From the collection of Kenneth Medford, DSM
Courtesy of Gary Medford |
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Ken Medford (left) and Bill Clark with ship's
mascot
From the collection of Kenneth Medford, DSM
Courtesy of Gary Medford |
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Bill Clark (left) and Ken Medford with ship's
mascot
From the collection of Kenneth Medford, DSM
Courtesy of Gary Medford |
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Castle class corvette
Photo taken from HMCS Wentworth K331
From the collection of Kenneth Medford, DSM
Courtesy of Gary Medford |
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Unknown merchant ship
Photo taken from HMCS Wentworth K331
From the collection of Kenneth Medford, DSM
Courtesy of Gary Medford |
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Ken Medford on HMCS Wentworth K331
From the collection of Kenneth Medford, DSM
Courtesy of Gary Medford |
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Ken Medford on HMCS Wentworth K331
From the collection of Kenneth Medford, DSM
Courtesy of Gary Medford |
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Quarterdeck of HMCS Wentworth K331 awash in
rough seas
From the collection of Kenneth Medford, DSM
Courtesy of Gary Medford |
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HMCS Wentworth K331 - aft looking forward
From the collection of Kenneth Medford, DSM
Courtesy of Gary Medford |
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Hedgehog on HMCS Wentworth K331
From the collection of Kenneth Medford, DSM
Courtesy of Gary Medford |
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Ken Medford on HMCS Wentworth K331
From the collection of Kenneth Medford, DSM
Courtesy of Gary Medford |
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Castle class corvette
Photo taken from HMCS Wentworth K331
From the collection of Kenneth Medford, DSM
Courtesy of Gary Medford |
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Convoy seen from HMCS Wentworth K331
From the collection of Kenneth Medford, DSM
Courtesy of Gary Medford |
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HMCS Wentworth K331, Christmas, 1944,
Londonderry, Ireland
1st
photo: Ship's Cox'n Ken Medford, DSM stands beside Ordinary Seaman
Pringle. Following tradition, OS Pringle is the ship's CO, Cdr
Pringle, who exchanged places with the youngest sailor on the ship
for the day at Christmas.
2nd & 3rd photo: OS Pringle
From the collection of Kenneth Medford, DSM
Courtesy of Gary Medford |
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HMCS Wentworth K331
From the collection of Kenneth Medford, DSM
Courtesy of Gary Medford |
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J. Bardall and W. Clark
From the collection of Kenneth Medford, DSM
Courtesy of Gary Medford |
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Kenneth Medford, DSM, Cox'n, HMCS Wentworth
K331
From the collection of Kenneth Medford, DSM
Courtesy of Gary Medford |
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Londonderry, Ireland (from the bog side)
From the collection of Kenneth Medford, DSM
Courtesy of Gary Medford |
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Shelburne, Nova Scotia, Summer 1945
Photos taken while HMCS Wentworth K331 was in
refit at Shelburne from 07 Mar 1945 to 09 Aug 1945
From the collection of Kenneth Medford, DSM
Courtesy of Gary Medford |
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Puncheon from Toronto, ON at Shelburne, NS
From the collection of Kenneth Medford, DSM
Courtesy of Gary Medford |
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Gerald Jenson on shore leave from HMCS
Wentworth - location unknown
From the collection of Gerald Jenson
Courtesy of James Jenson |
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Gerald Jenson on HMCS Wentworth by the aft gun
platform
From the collection of Gerald Jenson
Courtesy of James Jenson |
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Gerald Jenson peeling potatoes on HMCS
Wentworth
From the collection of Gerald Jenson
Courtesy of James Jenson |
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A makeshift shower on the quarterdeck of HMCS
Wentworth
From the collection of Gerald Jenson
Courtesy of James Jenson |
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Rough seas washing over the quarterdeck of HMCS
Wentworth
From the collection of Gerald Jenson
Courtesy of James Jenson |
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Sailors scrubbing the quarterdeck on HMCS
Wentworth
From the collection of Gerald Jenson
Courtesy of James Jenson |
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HMCS Wentworth's after gun - the sailor on the
left is holding a shell
From the collection of Gerald Jenson
Courtesy of James Jenson |
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Gerald Jenson on HMCS Wentworth
From the collection of Gerald Jenson
Courtesy of James Jenson |
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Photos of unknown vessels taken from HMCS
Wentworth
(1) submarine (2) frigate (3)
possibly a Battle class trawler (4) corvette (5)
aircraft carrier
(6) Bi-plane flying past HMCS Wentworth
(6) corvette (7) corvette (8) convoy (9) convoy
(10) Convoy (11) corvette
From the collection of Gerald Jenson
Courtesy of James Jenson |
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HMCS Wentworth's quarterdeck awash in rough
seas
From the collection of Gerald Jenson
Courtesy of James Jenson |
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Two unknown sailors on HMCS Wentworth
From the collection of Gerald Jenson
Courtesy of James Jenson |
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HMCS Wentworth flying the White Ensign
From the collection of Gerald Jenson
Courtesy of James Jenson |
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Getting into HMCS Wentworth's work boat the
hard way - sailors climb down the ropes to the work boat
From the collection of Gerald Jenson
Courtesy of James Jenson |
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HMCS WENTWORTH K331 and HMCS MATAPEDIA K112
alongside in Halifax
From the collection of François
Messier, AB, RCNVR
Courtesy of Denis Messier |
National
Remembrance Day 2024
Tribute
to HMCS WENTWORTH, her crew and all those who served in the Battle of the
Atlantic
At Wentworth Primary School in
Dartford, Kent, UK
Click on the above photos to view a
larger image
Herewith
is the text of the email that came with these 2 photos:
I
am a retired Police Officer who does some voluntary work at my local primary
school, Wentworth Primary, in Dartford, Kent in the UK, where we always mark
Remembrance day on the 11th of November as you do.
To
mark the centenary of the start of WW1 we created a replica section of a
trench, then in 2018 we made a one dimension life size sculpture of a WW1
tank and all the children provided a milk bottle top to represent the
rivets.
This
year the Head Teacher Mr. Pollock and Assistant Head Mrs. Davies discovered
that during WW2 - our school had in fact a namesake in that there was a
Canadian River Class Frigate - the HMCS Wentworth (launched in 1943 - sadly
broken up in 1947).
So
from the limited photographs available they led some volunteers to create a
model of the ship to feature as part of the school's remembrance ceremonies.
In
the school assembly on the 11th the children were told the story of the
battle of the Atlantic and the vital supply convoys that had to cross the
ocean to provide food and supplies to the UK as it was no longer able to get
them from Europe or Africa due to Nazi Occupation.
They
were also told about the need for these supply ships to be protected from
mainly U-boats and that Canada started making ships for this dangerous role.
One of the ships launched in 1943 was going to be called either the
Dartmouth or the Nova Scotia but there were already RN ships of that name,
so instead it was name after the one time Governor of Nova Scotia - Sir John
WENTWORTH.*
We
showed them the crew photograph and explained that these brave Canadians -
were all volunteers and that they all could have just stayed in Canada where
there it was safe from air raids and invasion , and there was plenty of food
- instead they CHOSE to do the perilous job of escorting food and supplies
across the Atlantic to British people they didn't even know.
I
have attached some photographs of the model -before and after the children
had placed their wreaths for you. I don't know if there is anyone in your
organization still about who had any connections to the Wentworth but if
there is, we thought that they would like to know that yesterday on the 11th
hour, the brave sailors of the Royal Canadian Navy were remembered in a
small corner of of England.
Yours
Faithfully
Russ
Ketley . Forest School Leader .Wentworth primary School .
*
Our school is called Wentworth because it is on a road called Wentworth
Drive which in turn was named after the home town of the original
builders of the street in 1938 - Wentworth in Surrey - presumably the
country seat of Sir John's ancestors.
The
school was built in WW2 as a hospital but converted into a school and opened
in 1951, in the original intake there were two boys who made friends - but
went their separate ways to different high schools - then in 1962 they met
again at Dartford Railway station - remembered they had been at Wentworth
together - discovered they both like Chuck Berry music and decided to start
a band.
Their
names - Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.
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