Marine Society Medal. Reginald James Theodore Thomas Payne. WWII HMS Bicester. Poisoned gas. Mentioned in Dispatches. Born Whitechapel.
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A interesting medal thevmarine society medal on super swivel suspender named to r j t t payne 19 March 29 .
Reginald was born at Whitechapel in London 26th June 1907 .
He joined the Royal Navy as a boy sailor class 2 21st October 1922.
He served through until end of ww2 and was mentioned in despatches during the war whist on hms Bicester please see below for some information on that ships service during ww2 .
Mid was LG 36544 8th june 1944.
Bicester detached from WS22 on 1 September, returning to Derry for further convoy escort duties, which included joining military convoy WS23 in the Clyde on 4 October. After detaching from WS23, Bicester returned for escort duties in Derry, and was nominated for the escort of military convoys to North Africa for allied landings on 8 October. Bicester was deployed escorting the convoys to Gibraltar throughout November and December.
In January 1943, Bicester was based at Algiers in continuation of her duties. In February, the destroyer was deployed with other Hunt-class destroyers for patrol and convoy escorting duties. On 17 February she took part in the search for the Italian submarine Asteria whilst defending a convoy. On 20 February Bicester was deployed with the destroyers Lamerton and Wheatland on their search for the German submarine, U-443. Bicester took part in attacks on the German submarine, along with the other two destroyers and on 23 February, after a three-day search and destroy operation, the submarine was sunk by sustained depth charge attacks, with no survivors.[3]
Between March and April, Bicester continued her convoy defence and patrol duties at Algiers. In May the destroyer took part in the blockade of the Cape Bon area in order to prevent the escape of Axis craft. On 9 May, during deployment with Oakley, the destroyers found themselves under air attack by Spitfire aircraft; Bicester sustained major damage from a near miss, with the bomb exploding alongside causing major flooding and extensive damage. Bicester was taken in tow to Malta for temporary repairs, which were carried out in June. In July, the destroyer made a passage through to the United Kingdom for permanent repairs, which were carried out between August and September.
Malta, Adriatic and Indian Ocean
In October, Bicester was nominated for service in the 59th Destroyer Division, which was based in Malta, with the destroyer continuing her post repair trials. The destroyer made a passage to Malta in November, where she was deployed in the Adriatic and the central Mediterranean. On 2 December Bicester was damaged during an air raid on Bari when an ammunition ship was hit and exploded, spreading her cargo of mustard gas over the harbour and town. The destroyer Zetland was also damaged, but less seriously. Zetland towed Bicester to Taranto for repairs.[3] There were so many mustard gas casualties that, on arrival in Taranto, the ships had to ask for assistance to enter the harbour as all navigating officers had their vision impaired by this chemical weapon.[4]
In January 1944, the destroyer was under repair. These were completed on 15 January with a post repair trial and the resumption of convoy defence duty. Bicester was deployed for convoy escort duties in the central Mediterranean, and for support of military operations in the Adriatic between February and April. On 5 May Bicester bombarded the town of Ardea in support of shore operations. Between June and July, the destroyer was back in the Adriatic in the support and defence of convoys.[1]
Bicester joined US Navy ships on their passage to Naples in August 1944, forming part of the escort for Assault Convoy SM1 which was made up of three Royal Navy trawlers, and six US Navy minor warships. The destroyer detached from SM1 on 15 August upon arriving off the landing beachhead. After being released from Operation Dragoon, Bicester returned to Royal Navy control in September, and was deployed in the Adriatic in the support of convoys, guerrilla attacks and other shore operations. Between October and November, Bicester formed close support of the reoccupation of a number of Aegean islands, as well as convoy defence duties. During December and January, the destroyer was a Piraeus guardship, supporting and defending convoys, until she was rebased at Malta from where she was nominated for refit in Alexandria.
Obviously more research needed into his service dates on the Bicester.
