Lest we forget.
Lt Herbert John Davidson, RNVR. Was old enough to sit the war out in his bank job, but joined up anyways.
Sailed Atlantic, Pacific, Africa, and treacherous Arctic convoys.
Why the Navy? It was the only service to guarantee 3 meals a day and a rum ration!
Never once got seasick.
Lt Herbert John Davidson, RNVR. Was old enough to sit the war out in his bank job, but joined up anyways.
Sailed Atlantic, Pacific, Africa, and treacherous Arctic convoys.
Why the Navy? It was the only service to guarantee 3 meals a day and a rum ration!
Never once got seasick.
November 11, 2025 at 5:46 AM
Lest we forget.
Lt Herbert John Davidson, RNVR. Was old enough to sit the war out in his bank job, but joined up anyways.
Sailed Atlantic, Pacific, Africa, and treacherous Arctic convoys.
Why the Navy? It was the only service to guarantee 3 meals a day and a rum ration!
Never once got seasick.
Lt Herbert John Davidson, RNVR. Was old enough to sit the war out in his bank job, but joined up anyways.
Sailed Atlantic, Pacific, Africa, and treacherous Arctic convoys.
Why the Navy? It was the only service to guarantee 3 meals a day and a rum ration!
Never once got seasick.
He was an actor with a love of the sea, and before the First World War was a stage actor in the West End and an amateur yachtsman and part of the RNVR.
In 1914 he was called up and given command of a motor boat on the Dover Patrol.
2/7
In 1914 he was called up and given command of a motor boat on the Dover Patrol.
2/7
March 27, 2025 at 10:08 PM
He was an actor with a love of the sea, and before the First World War was a stage actor in the West End and an amateur yachtsman and part of the RNVR.
In 1914 he was called up and given command of a motor boat on the Dover Patrol.
2/7
In 1914 he was called up and given command of a motor boat on the Dover Patrol.
2/7
Thanks for sharing, bumping to the #NavalHistory feed (Maynard was RNVR - Rob, that's for anyone else reading, not for you!)
October 14, 2024 at 9:23 AM
Thanks for sharing, bumping to the #NavalHistory feed (Maynard was RNVR - Rob, that's for anyone else reading, not for you!)
After surviving the sinking of HMS Laurentic, John Worsley took his first steps towards RNVR status, training at HMS King Alfred.
From there, he was posted to HMS Lancaster - a Great War destroyer that had been supplied by the US Navy and renamed by the RN.
#WorsleyAtWar
From there, he was posted to HMS Lancaster - a Great War destroyer that had been supplied by the US Navy and renamed by the RN.
#WorsleyAtWar
November 4, 2023 at 8:35 AM
After surviving the sinking of HMS Laurentic, John Worsley took his first steps towards RNVR status, training at HMS King Alfred.
From there, he was posted to HMS Lancaster - a Great War destroyer that had been supplied by the US Navy and renamed by the RN.
#WorsleyAtWar
From there, he was posted to HMS Lancaster - a Great War destroyer that had been supplied by the US Navy and renamed by the RN.
#WorsleyAtWar
A bit of a clue for Donald Duck ... Aircraft "6" aboard HMS Victorious: Lieutenant G J Stavgley, RNVR, observer (left) and Lieutenant M J S Newman, RN, off Hvalfjord, Iceland.
IWM A 7568
IWM A 7568
March 26, 2025 at 11:15 AM
A bit of a clue for Donald Duck ... Aircraft "6" aboard HMS Victorious: Lieutenant G J Stavgley, RNVR, observer (left) and Lieutenant M J S Newman, RN, off Hvalfjord, Iceland.
IWM A 7568
IWM A 7568
RNVR lieutenant - do you know who?
July 18, 2025 at 1:21 PM
RNVR lieutenant - do you know who?
War Dead 1944
October 1944
Dulwich
WW2
Jas A Truman (Italy)
Lt R. Cleare (Beds & Herts Reg)
Lt R.A. Durham (RNVR)
October 1944
Dulwich
WW2
Jas A Truman (Italy)
Lt R. Cleare (Beds & Herts Reg)
Lt R.A. Durham (RNVR)
June 6, 2025 at 12:21 PM
War Dead 1944
October 1944
Dulwich
WW2
Jas A Truman (Italy)
Lt R. Cleare (Beds & Herts Reg)
Lt R.A. Durham (RNVR)
October 1944
Dulwich
WW2
Jas A Truman (Italy)
Lt R. Cleare (Beds & Herts Reg)
Lt R.A. Durham (RNVR)
Can anyone offer advice on where I would start looking for records of a RNVR FAA relative who joined MI9 Naval Intelligence? It's not the sort of thing that appears on Ancestry :-|
May 10, 2024 at 2:48 PM
Can anyone offer advice on where I would start looking for records of a RNVR FAA relative who joined MI9 Naval Intelligence? It's not the sort of thing that appears on Ancestry :-|
My Great Uncle was an Observer in them for a while, laying mines off Europe. He had a varied career!
March 20, 2025 at 10:32 AM
My Great Uncle was an Observer in them for a while, laying mines off Europe. He had a varied career!
2/ "One of our Submarines" is something of a classic and a throughly engaging story of an RNVR officer who rises to commamd his own submarine over the course of the war. Well-written and engaging, it's certainly worth your time.
#HistBookChat
#HistBookChat
July 25, 2025 at 12:39 PM
2/ "One of our Submarines" is something of a classic and a throughly engaging story of an RNVR officer who rises to commamd his own submarine over the course of the war. Well-written and engaging, it's certainly worth your time.
#HistBookChat
#HistBookChat
Commander James Bond CMG RNVR
Enjoying the #KentuckyDerby and a Mint Julep
Happy Derby Day, Seersucker “preferred”, but Bond’s Glen Plaid suit more than acceptable
Enjoying the #KentuckyDerby and a Mint Julep
Happy Derby Day, Seersucker “preferred”, but Bond’s Glen Plaid suit more than acceptable
May 4, 2024 at 1:03 PM
Commander James Bond CMG RNVR
Enjoying the #KentuckyDerby and a Mint Julep
Happy Derby Day, Seersucker “preferred”, but Bond’s Glen Plaid suit more than acceptable
Enjoying the #KentuckyDerby and a Mint Julep
Happy Derby Day, Seersucker “preferred”, but Bond’s Glen Plaid suit more than acceptable
Built in Sunderland in 1864 as the clipper ship Adelaide, and rescued from the breakers by the new Clyde Division of the RNVR, she arrived in Glasgow in 1948 and remained here for over 40 years.
September 6, 2025 at 10:55 AM
Built in Sunderland in 1864 as the clipper ship Adelaide, and rescued from the breakers by the new Clyde Division of the RNVR, she arrived in Glasgow in 1948 and remained here for over 40 years.
Daily #JamesBond Lexicon entry - ROYAL NAVAL VOLUNTEER RESERVE: RNVR aka the “Wavy Navy” after the wavy gold stripes on the officers’ uniforms. Bond served as a member of RNVR in World War II and held the rank of Commander [MOONn].
June 6, 2025 at 6:48 AM
Daily #JamesBond Lexicon entry - ROYAL NAVAL VOLUNTEER RESERVE: RNVR aka the “Wavy Navy” after the wavy gold stripes on the officers’ uniforms. Bond served as a member of RNVR in World War II and held the rank of Commander [MOONn].
HMS Carrick passing under Jamaica Bridge in Glasgow on the way to a permanent berth in the Broomielaw as the HQ of the RNVR. (1949)
April 15, 2024 at 12:33 PM
HMS Carrick passing under Jamaica Bridge in Glasgow on the way to a permanent berth in the Broomielaw as the HQ of the RNVR. (1949)
William Reid Dick, Dawn, 1921
https://botfrens.com/collections/14375/contents/1114150
https://botfrens.com/collections/14375/contents/1114150
September 9, 2024 at 1:22 AM
William Reid Dick, Dawn, 1921
https://botfrens.com/collections/14375/contents/1114150
https://botfrens.com/collections/14375/contents/1114150
Not that I think it'd necessarily be the ideal way to go with a re-start for the franchise, but it'd be interesting to see the story in which RNVR officer James Bond winds up getting recruited by the Secret Service.
It'd also be interesting to set it in 1938, make Bond a period piece. Again, not...
It'd also be interesting to set it in 1938, make Bond a period piece. Again, not...
April 4, 2025 at 11:42 PM
Not that I think it'd necessarily be the ideal way to go with a re-start for the franchise, but it'd be interesting to see the story in which RNVR officer James Bond winds up getting recruited by the Secret Service.
It'd also be interesting to set it in 1938, make Bond a period piece. Again, not...
It'd also be interesting to set it in 1938, make Bond a period piece. Again, not...
My Great Uncle:
SUB LIEUT (A) W N JONES, RNVR, HAS NEARLY COMPETED HIS SECOND SIX MONTHS' SPELL ON MALTA. HE HAS DONE MORE THAN 50 OPERATIONAL STRIKES WITH THE ISLAND'S AIR FORCES, AND HIS 540 HOURS ARE A RECORD FOR AN OBSERVER WITH THE FLEET AIR ARM. | Imperial War Museums (iwm.org.uk)
SUB LIEUT (A) W N JONES, RNVR, HAS NEARLY COMPETED HIS SECOND SIX MONTHS' SPELL ON MALTA. HE HAS DONE MORE THAN 50 OPERATIONAL STRIKES WITH THE ISLAND'S AIR FORCES, AND HIS 540 HOURS ARE A RECORD FOR AN OBSERVER WITH THE FLEET AIR ARM. | Imperial War Museums (iwm.org.uk)
October 20, 2023 at 10:31 AM
My Great Uncle:
SUB LIEUT (A) W N JONES, RNVR, HAS NEARLY COMPETED HIS SECOND SIX MONTHS' SPELL ON MALTA. HE HAS DONE MORE THAN 50 OPERATIONAL STRIKES WITH THE ISLAND'S AIR FORCES, AND HIS 540 HOURS ARE A RECORD FOR AN OBSERVER WITH THE FLEET AIR ARM. | Imperial War Museums (iwm.org.uk)
SUB LIEUT (A) W N JONES, RNVR, HAS NEARLY COMPETED HIS SECOND SIX MONTHS' SPELL ON MALTA. HE HAS DONE MORE THAN 50 OPERATIONAL STRIKES WITH THE ISLAND'S AIR FORCES, AND HIS 540 HOURS ARE A RECORD FOR AN OBSERVER WITH THE FLEET AIR ARM. | Imperial War Museums (iwm.org.uk)
That's not at all Bond's story. Fleming based Bond on typical MI5 officers recruited from the military (just like OSS); Bond was a trained, experienced Naval Commander before being recruited into MI6 & remains in the Naval Reserve, styled CMG RNVR. There's no such thing as a "semi-honorary" rank.
December 23, 2024 at 5:47 PM
That's not at all Bond's story. Fleming based Bond on typical MI5 officers recruited from the military (just like OSS); Bond was a trained, experienced Naval Commander before being recruited into MI6 & remains in the Naval Reserve, styled CMG RNVR. There's no such thing as a "semi-honorary" rank.
Looking over to Carlton Place in 1975. Keeking in from the left is the bow of HMS Carrick, built in Sunderland in 1864 as the clipper ship Adelaide. Rescued from the breakers by the new Clyde Division of the RNVR, she arrived in Glasgow in 1948 and remained here for over 40 years
November 22, 2024 at 12:33 AM
Looking over to Carlton Place in 1975. Keeking in from the left is the bow of HMS Carrick, built in Sunderland in 1864 as the clipper ship Adelaide. Rescued from the breakers by the new Clyde Division of the RNVR, she arrived in Glasgow in 1948 and remained here for over 40 years
While Worsley set to work creating Albert's head, his roommate Lt Bob Staines RNVR began creating a cage which, beneath a great coat, would serve as a body.
The result, compete with real hair and moving eyes was impressive. Albert was ready for an outing.
🧵 2/6 #WorsleyAtWar
The result, compete with real hair and moving eyes was impressive. Albert was ready for an outing.
🧵 2/6 #WorsleyAtWar
November 24, 2023 at 9:18 AM
While Worsley set to work creating Albert's head, his roommate Lt Bob Staines RNVR began creating a cage which, beneath a great coat, would serve as a body.
The result, compete with real hair and moving eyes was impressive. Albert was ready for an outing.
🧵 2/6 #WorsleyAtWar
The result, compete with real hair and moving eyes was impressive. Albert was ready for an outing.
🧵 2/6 #WorsleyAtWar
A temporary gentleman whose one shot at social advancement was being commissioned in the RNVR in WW2. He’s going to hang onto that opportunity with his fingernails rather than go back to his former destiny as an insurance firm clerk in Durham or Stoke-on-Trent.
August 19, 2025 at 5:38 AM
A temporary gentleman whose one shot at social advancement was being commissioned in the RNVR in WW2. He’s going to hang onto that opportunity with his fingernails rather than go back to his former destiny as an insurance firm clerk in Durham or Stoke-on-Trent.
My father died in the sea in Sardinia #OTD in 1974. I was with him and just survived the undercurrent. He was 58, I was 16. I've missed him every day since. I miss the conversations we never had. The moments we never shared. And I will remember him until the day I too die.
May 31, 2025 at 9:58 AM
My father died in the sea in Sardinia #OTD in 1974. I was with him and just survived the undercurrent. He was 58, I was 16. I've missed him every day since. I miss the conversations we never had. The moments we never shared. And I will remember him until the day I too die.
🗓️ #OTD in 1943 – in a remarkable feat of stamina/endurance, in rough weather COPP/ME 1 men Bob Smith (📸 IWM A 17766) and David Brand (📸 IWM A 17740) paddle 75 miles (120 km) from Sicily to Malta after missing a rendezvous with sub HMS United. #NavalHistory 🧵
▶️ www.coppsurvey.uk/march-1943/#united
▶️ www.coppsurvey.uk/march-1943/#united
March 1, 2025 at 9:00 AM
🗓️ #OTD in 1943 – in a remarkable feat of stamina/endurance, in rough weather COPP/ME 1 men Bob Smith (📸 IWM A 17766) and David Brand (📸 IWM A 17740) paddle 75 miles (120 km) from Sicily to Malta after missing a rendezvous with sub HMS United. #NavalHistory 🧵
▶️ www.coppsurvey.uk/march-1943/#united
▶️ www.coppsurvey.uk/march-1943/#united
🗓️ #OTD in 1944 – during canoe-based recce in the Adriatic, COPP 10's George Talbot and Nick Carter (📸 from IWM Documents.7063) get 'stuck' underneath a jetty when a German sentry mounts guard just inches above their heads. #NavalHistory
▶️ coppsurvey.uk/august-1944/...
▶️ coppsurvey.uk/august-1944/...
August 23, 2024 at 8:40 AM
🗓️ #OTD in 1944 – during canoe-based recce in the Adriatic, COPP 10's George Talbot and Nick Carter (📸 from IWM Documents.7063) get 'stuck' underneath a jetty when a German sentry mounts guard just inches above their heads. #NavalHistory
▶️ coppsurvey.uk/august-1944/...
▶️ coppsurvey.uk/august-1944/...
No lives were lost. CO Lt W. J. Tucker RNVR was found guilty of negligence (for entering an unswept area) and of prematurely abandoning his ship (he had ordered abandonment immediately, then returned, then abandoned ship again). Dismissed his ship and reprimanded. [2/2] #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory
September 8, 2025 at 8:46 PM
No lives were lost. CO Lt W. J. Tucker RNVR was found guilty of negligence (for entering an unswept area) and of prematurely abandoning his ship (he had ordered abandonment immediately, then returned, then abandoned ship again). Dismissed his ship and reprimanded. [2/2] #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory