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 Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS) Officers
1939-1945

 

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Note. In naval circles it is custom to refer to the commander of a vessel as Captain. The Navy List bears the phrase "in command". Strictly out of practical considerations CO (Commanding Officer) is used here on this site. Some abbreviations: Dir = Director, Supt. = Superintendent, C/O = Chief Officer, 1/O = First Officer, 2/O = Second Officer, 3/O = Third Officer. More explanation & other abbreviations can be found at the help page


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Hales, F.M.
to
Holland, J.K.


 
H
Hales,
Frances Mary
(Mrs.)
F.M. Hales
?
-
C/O
01.01.1945
       
Hallaran,
Kay
(Miss)
K. Hallaran
?
-
1940s/50s ?
USA
2/O 28.01.1944
25.01.1943 - (10.1944) HMS Eaglet (RN base, Liverpool) [on staff of Adm. Max K. Horton]
(01.1945)     no appointment listed
(07.1945)     no appointment listed
01.12.1945 - (04.1946) HMS Sultan (RN base, Singapore)
Halliday,
Elizabeth Reid
(Miss)
see: Bamber,
Elizabeth Reid (née Halliday)
(Mrs.)
 
Hankin,
[Rachel] Sonia Rodney
(née Spedding)
(Mrs.)
F.M. Hales
Daughter (with one sister and one brother) of Capt. Charles Rodney Spedding, DSO (1871-1914), and Constance Mildred Edith Cuthell (1881-1960).
Married (16.07.1938, Chelsea district, London) Lt.Col. Norman Travers Hankin ((06?).1910 - 15.10.1944), son of Seymer and Ethel Hankin.
12.02.1910
Dover district, Kent
-
(12?).1973
Petersfield district, Hampshire
3/O 22.01.1940
2/O 29.07.1940
1/O 01.07.1941
C/O 01.01.1946
22.01.1940 - (06.)1941 HMS Excellent (gunnery school, Portsmouth)
(08.)1941 - (12.1941) HMS St Vincent (training establishment, Gosport)
(02.1942) - (10.)1942 HMS Mercury (signal school, near Petersfield)
15.10.1942 - (08.)1943 HMS Victory III (accounting section, Wantage, Berkshire) (in charge of WRNS Training and Drafting Depot, Portsmouth)
(10.1943)     no appointment listed
14.10.1943 - (06.)1944 HMS Tana (RN base, Kilindini, Kenya) (in charge of WRNS)
(10.1944) - (01.1945) no appointment listed
(04.1945)     HMS Byrsa (RN base, Naples, Italy) *
04.06.1945 - (10.)1945 Women's Royal Naval Service Headquarters [HMS Pembroke III]
21.11.1945 - (07.1946) HMS Drake (RN base, Devonport)
Hart,
Joan Beatrice
(Miss)
J.B. Hart
Daughter of ... Hart, and ... Mitchell.
Married (08.08.1957, New Forest Register Office, Hampshire) F/Lt. Raymond Clive-Griffin, DFM, RAF (23.06.1909 - 26.06.1993), son (with one sister and two brothers) of George Edward Clive Griffin (1883-1966), and Daisy Elizabeth Pett Walker (1884-).
07.04.1914
Portsmouth, Hampshire
-
23.09.1999
Cambourne, Cornwall
A/3/O 09.01.1944
3/O 1944?, seniority 09.01.1944
2/O 01.04.1945 (reld 20.04.1946)
WRAF:  
Flight Officer 10.10.1951, seniority 30.06.1951 [8675] (retd 18.04.1964)
17.01.1944 - (04.)1944 HMS Daedalus (RN Air Station, Lee-on-Solent)
(06.1944)     HMS Gosling (new entry training establishment, Risley, nr Warrington, Lancashire)
28.08.1944 - (04.)1945 HMS Daedalus (RN Air Station, Lee-on-Solent)
05.1945 - (10.1945) HMS Daedalus (RN Air Station, Lee-on-Solent)
10.10.1951     short service commission, Women's Royal Air Force (Catering Branch)
18.05.1953     permanent commission
Hayward,
Irene
(Miss)
see: Nussey,
Iren (née Hayward)
(Mrs.)
 
Hawkins,
Audrey Dora
(Miss)
A.D. Hawkins
Daughter of ... Hawkins, and ... Owen.
Married ((06?).1943, Plymouth district, Devon) Lt. Terry Deacon, The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (1919-1944).
(12?).1917
Deal, Eastry district, Kent
-

Harpenden, Hertfordshire
Ldg. Wren ?
3/O 21.10.1940
A/2/O 20.02.1942
2/O 17.07.1943, seniority 20.02.1942
A/1/O 01.04.1944 (reld < 04.1946)
Member of the Order of the British Empire (Civil Division) MBE 01.01.1978 New Year 78: Secretary, Hertfordshire Council for Voluntary Service
Letter of Praise LoP 1944? Operation Neptune (Normandy 06.44)
10.12.1940 - (06.)1944 HMS Drake (RN base, Devonport)
(10.1944)     HMS Eaglet (RN base, Liverpool) *
(01.1945)     no appointment listed
(07.1945)     HMS Trelawney (RN base, Loch Alsh) *
Published: Diary of a Wren, 1940-1945 : war years in the Women's Royal Naval Service (2001).
* indexed, but not listed as such
Hebeler,
Daphne Norah Horsfall
(Mrs.)
see: Watson,
Daphne Norah Horsfall
(Miss)
 
Heigham,
Vida Mary
(Mrs.)
V.M. Heigham
?
-
C/O
28.08.1943
       
Heimann,
Brenda
(Miss)
B. Heimann
Daughter (with two sisters) of Hermann Paul Heimann (1888-1981), lawyer, and Lily Chapman (1893-1980).
Married ((06?).1947, Hampstead district, London) Leo Birney [who changed surname of Birnbaum to Birney by deed poll of 28.03.1947] (09.02.1911 - 20.04.2008), viola player, son of Abraham Jacob Birnbaum (1879-1942), and Leah (Laya) Gold (1880-1959); one daughter.

19.09.1917
Golders Green, Hendon district, North London
-
05.09.2017
Kenbrook Nursing Home, Wembley Park, London
A/3/O 19.09.1943
3/O 11.04.1944, seniority 19.09.1943 (reld 16.07.1946)
Education: Wessex Gardens primary school; Hendon County Grammar School; La Sagesse Convent School; Pitman’s Secretarial College..
Shorthand typist with Industrial Engineering.
03.02.1942 - 17.02.1942 joined WRNS as a Writer; trained at Westfield College, Hampstead (HMS Pembroke I), then HMS Pembroke III in Mill Hill
18.02.1942 - 05.1942 Minesweeping Office, Dover [HMS Lynx (RN base, Dover)]
05.1942 - 07?.1943 HMS Wasp (Coastal Forces base, Dover) (as Higher Specialised Rate)
07?.1943 - 09.1943 on staff of Resident Naval Officer, Folkestone [HMS Lynx (RN base, Dover)]
09.1943 - 09.1943 RN College, Greenwich (for officer training)
20.09.1943 - 09.1944 WRNS Headquarters [HMS Pembroke III]:
09.1943 - 10.1943 for officers' appointments
10.1943 - 09.1944 detached to Assault Force 'S' at Cameron Barracks, Inverness (from 04.1944 Portsmouth area) preparing for the Normandy invasion
26.09.1944 - 12.1945 HMS Byrsa (RN base, Naples, Italy) (for duty with the Staff Officer (Intelligence) at Allied Forces HQ at Caserta, from 06.1945 at Malta)
12.1945 - 16.07.1946 no appointment listed
Teacher and expert on English porcelain.
Published: The Women's Royal Naval Service : a World War Two memoir (2016)
Hellaby,
Lettice Marjorie
(Miss)
L.M. Hellaby
Elder daughter (with one sister) of Richard Sydney Hellaby (1887-1971), and Ruth Hollingsworth (1880-1945), of Dedham, Essex.
Married (27.07.1946, Dedham, Colchester district, Essex) Cdr. (S) [later R.Adm.] John Kingdon Watkins, RN (24.02.1913 - 13.05.1970), younger son of Dr John Grandisson Watkins (1882-1967), and Esme Kathleen G. Dawe (1881-1978), of Sidmouth, Devon; one son, two daughters.
26.04.1918
Christchurch district, Hampshire
-
10.2003
Norwich district, Norfolk
3/O 12.07.1942 (reld > 10.1945, < 04.1946)
(10.1942) - (02.)1943 HMS Caroline (RN base, Belfast)
05.02.1943 - (06.)1944 HMS Proserpine (RN base, Lyness, Scapa Flow)
22.08.1944 - (10.)1944 HMS Dolphin (submarine depot, Gosport)
04.11.1944 - (04.)1945 HMS Byrsa (RN base, Naples, Italy)
22.04.1945 - (10.1945) HMS Badger (minesweeper base, Harwich)
Hepworth,
Marjorie Pauline
(Miss)
M.P. Hepworth (Photo courtesy of Rachel Wilkins)
Unmarried.
30.05.1910
-
06.2004
Ryde, Isle of Wight
3/O 04.09.1942
A/2/O 15.04.1944
2/O 1945?, seniority 15.04.1944
Shorthand typist.
04.09.1942 - (08.)1943 HMS Dartmouth (RN base, Dartmouth)
09.08.1943 - (04.)1944 HMS Vectis (RN base, Seaview, Isle of Wight)
15.04.1944 - (07.1945) HMS Northney (landing craft bases, Hayling Island) (duty as Quarters Officer in Northney II, III and IV)
04.03.1946 - (04.1946) HMS Badger (RN base, Harwich)
1946? - 1960? Women's Royal Naval (Supplementary) Reserve
Hesslegrave,
Dorothy Alice
(Mrs.)
D.A. Hesslegrave
?
-
C/O
25.01.1943
       
Hill,
Rosanne Maureen
(Mrs.)
R.M. Hill
?
-
C/O
18.11.1943
       
Hoare,
Daphne Maude Ross
(Mrs.)
see: Williams,
Daphne Maude Ross
(Miss)
 
Hodge,
Anne Lesley
(Miss)
A.L. Hodge
21.01.1916
-
25.10.1985
3/O
?
A/2/O
15.07.1942
2/O
?, seniority 15.07.1942
A/1/O
24.08.1944 (reld < 04.1946)
08.07.1943
-
(06.1944)
HMS Spartiate II (WRNS training establishment, Tullichewan)
24.08.1944
-
(07.1945)
HMS Shrike (RN Air Station, Maydown, Northern Ireland)
Holland,
Clarissa Mary
(Miss)
C.M. Holland
Daughter of ... Holland, and ... Winter.
Married ((09?).1948, Hampstead district, Middlesex) Lt. John Bruce Fowler, RNVR (16.01.1922 - 07.1996); three daughters, two sons (twins).
02.12.1919
Weymouth district, Dorset
-
10.1994
Lambeth district, London
3/O 01.02.1943
2/O 31.07.1944
01.02.1943 - (10.1944) HMS Badger (minesweeper base, Harwich)
(01.1945) - (07.1945) HMS Badger (minesweeper base, Harwich) *
* indexed, but not listed as such
Holland,
Joan Kathleen
(Miss)
J.K. Holland
06.12.1912
-
12.1990
Westminster, London
C/O
25.01.1943
       
Holt,
Margaret Jane Venetia
(Mrs)
see: Malcolm,
Margaret Jane Venetia
(Miss)
 
Holt,
Rowena Mary Vesey
(Miss)
R.M.V. Holt (Phot courtesy of Mr Nicholas Holt)
Daughter (with two brothers and one sister) of V.Adm. Reginald Vesey Holt, CB, DSO, MVO, and Evelyn Constance Day.
Sister of Lt. Christopher Robert Vesey Holt, CVO, VRD, RNVR & Cdr. John Geoffrey Vesey Holt, OBE, RN.
Married (11.01.1962) Cdr. Arthur John Cinnamond Pomeroy, RNVR; two sons.
12.10.1920
-
17.05.2017
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Wren 02.1940
Ldg. Wren 01.1942
3/O 21.06.1942 (reld 24.11.1945)
21.06.1942 - (10.)1943 HMS Eaglet (RN base, Liverpool)
(12.1943)     no appointment listed
10.12.1943 - (07.1945) HMS Cormorant (RN base, Gibraltar)
Mrs Pomeroy writes: "My Certificate of Service is showing that I enrolled in the Wrens on 28th Feb. 1940 and commenced duty on 1st Feb. 1940 (sounds a bit odd to me but we (Marigold Wake-Walker, the friend I joined with and I) worked for free to start with I think because everything was happening so fast it was all a bit chaotic. We enrolled at Harwich, which was known as HMS Badger and we were messengers in the Signals Office. At the time of Dunkirk our respective mothers (both Admirals wives) thought Harwich was too dangerous and pulled strings and got us transferred to Rosyth (HMS Cochrane) in Scotland - much to our annoyance. We both became plotters, plotting ships on a giant wall map in the Operations Room. I became a Leading Wren in Jan. '42 and went to Greenwich Naval College for Officer training in June '42 and was promoted to Third Officer WRNS on 21 June '42 and was sent to Liverpool and Dec. 43 went to Gibraltar. Left Gibraltar in August '45 and returned home to be discharged on 24th November, 1945."
Houston,
Roxane Mary
(Miss)
R.M. Houston
Daughter (with two brothers) of Bertram Beaman Houston, MC (1883-1944), chemical manufacturer, and Winifred Muriel McGregor (1890-1959).
Sister of Midsh. David Arthur Houston, RN, and Capt. Anthony Bertram McGregor Houston, Royal Engineers.
Married ((03?).1957, Westminster district, London) Joseph Graham Senior (27.04.1921 - 22.10.1992); two sons.
03.10.1919
Brentford district, Middlesex
-
13.04.2020
3/O 29.05.1941
2/O 01.01.1945 (reld 20.03.1946)
09.08.1940 - 1941 signals messenger, HMS Vulture (RN Air Station, St Merryn, Padstow, Cornwall)
(08.)1941 - (10.)1941 cypher officer, HMS Eaglet (RN base, Liverpool)
07.11.1941 - (02.)1943 HMS Landrail (RN Air Station, Machrihanish, Argyllshire)
03.04.1943 - (08.)1943 HMS Monck (HQ Combined Training, Largs & RN Barracks and landing craft base, Port Glasgow)
08.09.1943 - (01.)1945 HMS Warren (Combined Operations base, Largs)
14.02.1945 - (04.)1945 HMS Pembroke III (WRNS accounting base, London)
05.04.1945 - (10.1945) HMS Hathi (RN depot, Delhi, India & Kandy, Ceylon)
Opera and concert singer.
Published
: Reflections of harmony (1978); Details from changing course : the wartime experiences of a member of Women's Royal Naval Service 1939-1945 (2005).
Hoyer Millar,
[Dame] Evelyn Louisa Elizabeth
(Miss)
E.L.E. Hoyer Millar (© National Portrait Gallery, London NPG x168456) E.L.E. Hoyer Millar

E.L.E. Hoyer Millar E.L.E. Hoyer Millar
Only daughter (with two brothers) of Robert Christian Hoyer Millar (1871-1932), and Muriel Rosa Lilian Foster (1879-1852), of Craig, Montrose, Angus,

17.12.1910
Montrose, Angus, Scotland
-
26.02.1984
Hillside, Angus, Scotland
Wren 01.1942
3/O 08.11.1942
A/3/O 1943, seniority 08.11.1942
A/2/O 22.11.1943
2/O 1944?, seniority 22.11.1943
1/O 01.,01.1945
A/C/O 30.11.1945
C/O 01.01.1946
Supt. 19.11.1951
Cdt. 02.04.1958 (retd 15.05.1961)
Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (Military Division) DBE 11.06.1960 HM's birthday 1960 [investiture 05.07.1960]
Officer of the Order of the British Empire (Military Division) OBE 01.01.1952 New Year 1952 [investiture 12.03.1952]
Education: privately.
Served in the Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) 1939-1941.
01.1942 - 10.1942 RN Air Station, Donibristle
10.1942 - 11.1942 officer training, RN College, Greenwich
08.11.1942 - (06.)1943 HMS St Christopher (Coastal Forces training establishment, Fort William)
10.07.1943 - (10.)1943 HMS Robertson (Combined Operations base, Kitchener Camp, Richborough, Kent)
22.11.1943 - (04.)1944 HMS Claverhouse (RN base, Leith & Granton)
09.05.1944 - (06.)1944 HMS Lochinvar (destroyer / minesweeper base, Port Edgar) (in charge WRNS)
(10.1944) - (01.1945) no appointment listed
(04.1945) - (10.1945) RM Barracks, Plymouth
30.11.1945 - (04.)1946 HMS Pembroke III (WRNS accounting base, London) (in charge WRNS Mill Hill)
(07.1946)     no appointment listed
08.1946 - (10.1946) HMS St Angelo (RN base, Malta) (in charge WRNS)
22.03.1948 - (05.)1949 HMS Victory
13.12.1949 - (05.)1951 Assistant Director WRNS
 19.11.1951 - (07.)1954 Superintendent HMS Daedalus (in charge of the Air Branch WRNS)
02.12.1954 - 1958 Superintendent HMS Dauntless (in charge WRNS Training and Drafting)
02.04.1958 - 15.05.1961 Director WRNS
08.04.1958 - 1961 also: Honorary ADC to HM the Queen
Retired to Scotland. Justice of the Peace (JP) Angus 1968-1976. Deputy Lieutenant (DL) Angus 01.12.1971.
Hutton-Balfour,
Jean Spottiswood
(Miss)
J.K. Holland
Married ((09?).1940, Kilwinning district, Scotland) then Lt. (later Lt.Cdr.) Thomas Carfrae Seddon, RN (12.05.1912 - 06.12.1997); one son.
07.10.1916
-
16.04.2009
Dearness Home, London, Ontario, Canada
3/O 24.11.1939 (reld > 10.1941, < 12.1941)
(03.1940) - (04.1940) HMS Spartiate (RN base Clyde, Glasgow)
(05.1940) - (10.1941) HMS Fortitude (RN base, Ardrossan)
Hyatt-Box,
Barbara Courtenay
(née Linton)
(Mrs)
B.C. Hyatt-Box (Photo courtesy of Mrs Jane Drakard)
Daughter of ... Linton, and ... Bowen.
Married 1st (15.01.1944) Maj. John Allan Hyatt-Box, RAC (marriage dissolved 1951); one daughter.
Married 2nd (1979, Inverness district, Scotland) Lt.Col. William Carson Alford, OBE, RAMC.
25.02.1922
Cardiff, Glamorgan
-
05.2016
Melbourne, Australia
A/3/O 11.04.1943
3/O 13.11.1943, seniority 11.04.1943
2/O 18.08.1944 (reld 13.08.1945)
01.1941     joined WRNS
1942 - 1943 Cypher Office, HMS Eaglet (RN base, Liverpool & HQ of Commander-in-Chief Western Approaches)
1943 - 1943 officer training, RN Staff College, Greenwich
11.04.1943 - (06.)1944 Cypher Officer, HMS Lynx (RN base, Dover) (Normandy invasion preparations)
(10.1944) - (04.1945) HMS Lynx (RN base, Dover) *
(03.1945)     on staff of Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill (Yalta Conference)
1945 - 13.08.1945 Port of London Authority
* indexed, but not listed as such
 
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Hales, F.M.
to
Holland, J.K.