Brian M Posted 13 May , 2004 Share Posted 13 May , 2004 Does anyone have any information on HMS Rimula? I have a photo of my Grandfather in his RNVR uniform holding his cap which sports band with the name of that ship. The only references I can find relate to the Shell Oil product of that name. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted 13 May , 2004 Share Posted 13 May , 2004 Do you mean HMS Primula?? Flower class sloop. Pennant No T55, 1250 tons launched 6/12/1915 by Swann Hunter and was an ARABIS Class sloop. Turbine 2000 ihp = 16 knots. Armed with 2 x 4.7 inch guns, 2 x 3 pounder AA guns. Sunk 1/3/1916 by U35 in the Mediterreanean. Aye Malcolm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian M Posted 14 May , 2004 Author Share Posted 14 May , 2004 Malcolm Unfortunately no. I can read the letters "MS RIMULA" clearly on the hat band with no indication of a "P" preceding the rest of the name. I must assume that the "H" from HMS is obscured. My Grandfather also enlisted in 1916 and there is no family story that he had ever been torpedoed. Thanks anyways for the suggestion. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted 14 May , 2004 Share Posted 14 May , 2004 Brian, There is an HMS Romola, flotilla leader Destroyer. I can't find anything else in Dittmar & Colledge British Warships 1914-1919. Can you scan the pic and post it? Aye Malcolm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian M Posted 15 May , 2004 Author Share Posted 15 May , 2004 Malcolm Here is a photo, but unfortunately the name is hat band is rather dark. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted 15 May , 2004 Share Posted 15 May , 2004 Brian, So far it has me beaten. I saved it and did a blow-up inverted. The name appears to be ?INULA , the shape of the first looks like a P an R or a B. I have looked in Dittmar but no luck so far. I'll look again at the endings of ships later. Off to a birthday party. Aye Malcolm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian M Posted 22 May , 2004 Author Share Posted 22 May , 2004 Apparently he spent some time stationed in or around Gibralter so perhaps the name "Rimula" can be found in some peninsular reference. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westkent78 Posted 23 May , 2004 Share Posted 23 May , 2004 Probably not much help but I know that Shell UK had a ship called Rimula in the 1970's as I learnt to walk on it while sailing round the UK. Given this fact it could be construed that he served on an earlier Dutch-Shell tanker of that name, MS standing for "Merchant Ship". I'll have to check to see if my father has a history of Shell in WW1. I know he has in WW2, but that's not much help here. Matthew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westkent78 Posted 24 May , 2004 Share Posted 24 May , 2004 Further to the above. I found a list of "Shell" ships 1930-45 and they have a Rimula built in 1920. So we're getting closer. Shell at that time was apparently called "Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Company Ltd." This raises the issue of naval personnel on merchant ships. I know this occurred in WW2 but not so sure in WW1. I suppose they would have still needed navy gunners and signallers when running in convoys. Could that be the crossed flags rank on his arm? Matthew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian M Posted 24 May , 2004 Author Share Posted 24 May , 2004 I have Leonard Ward's W.W. 2 Canadian Army records which states that he did indeed serve as a signalman in the R.N during the Great War. Whether or not he served on a naval ship or a merchant vessel seems to be the question. If I recall, there were R.C.N. personel on on Canadian merchant ships during the 2nd War. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westkent78 Posted 24 May , 2004 Share Posted 24 May , 2004 Brian, I've spoken to my father and he looked up Rimula in his books. Apparently there have only been two in the Shell fleet, the one built in 1920, and the second in the 1970's. He also checked for Bimula, Himula, Pimula, Binula, Hinula, Pinula, Rinula with no success. He did find out that some Shell ships were used as auxiliary tankers by the navy so there must have been other ships STUFT (Ships taken up from trade -to coin Falklands War phraseology). As no-one seems to have a record of a naval vessel with any name like these, I'd guess he was on an auxiliary or merchant vessel. The only thing I can suggest is that you check the Lloyds Lists for the relevant years and just prior to the war to find the ship, but you probably already know that. Sorry I can't be more help. Matthew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian M Posted 25 May , 2004 Author Share Posted 25 May , 2004 I'd like to thank both Malcolm and Mathew for their kind help and expert research skills in pursuing this puzzle. As L.F. Ward was born in 1900 he was a mere youth, as illustrated by the photo, when he joined the colours. My mother tells me that he was very proud of his military service yet must have also been quite modest in that he spoke very little of it. I expect my next step is to track down his Naval Records from the P.R.O. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
healdav Posted 25 May , 2004 Share Posted 25 May , 2004 Could RINULA (as I read it) be the name of a depot ship? It would be most unusual for a RN anything to be formally posted to a merchant ship. It could lead to all sorts of complications if he was captured. I would have thought that he would be formally posted (and shown in the Navy Lists) as appointed to HMS RINULA and 'detached for special duty'. His cap tally would be HMS RINULA. The system of taking up ships was totally different to today's and I am not sure what it was. The trouble is that most people forget about support ships entirely and so records are never kept. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian M Posted 25 May , 2004 Author Share Posted 25 May , 2004 I would have thought that he would be formally posted (and shown in the Navy Lists) as appointed to HMS RINULA and 'detached for special duty'. His cap tally would be HMS RINULA. Yes, it does seem strange that his hat band (cap tally) would carry the name of a non-naval vessel seeing as he was a memeber of the RN. I've included a higher resolution reversed close-up of the ship's name that can be clearly read as "MS RIMULA." Again, I must assume that the H has been obscured by the cap's curve. Still puzzling Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westkent78 Posted 26 May , 2004 Share Posted 26 May , 2004 Unless it is an R for RMS, although in the blow-up it does look more like the straight edge of an H. Just had an idea that you could also check the wartime Jane's. They usually include support vessels. Another avenue may be to see if someone has a list of onshore naval bases- I seem to recall that they're usually HMS as well. Matthew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.S.Regt. Posted 27 May , 2004 Share Posted 27 May , 2004 Greetings I looked through Janes 1919 and no mention of a Rimula either current or sunk during the war. Sorry for the bad news. N.S.Regt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian M Posted 27 May , 2004 Author Share Posted 27 May , 2004 Here's a thought, perhaps he served on the Shell vessel after his Royal Naval service in 1920. If the two chevrons on his sleeve represent two years of military service and he enlisted at the age of say, 17 or 18, two years later would bring him to 1919 or 1920, just in time to serve on the elusive Rimula. He was in British Columbia in 1922/23 so any time spent with that ship would have been very short lived. What do you think? Am I getting close or just manipulating events to fit the lack of hard evidence? Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmsk212 Posted 27 May , 2004 Share Posted 27 May , 2004 I have a photo of my Grandfather in his RNVR uniform Brian Hi Brian Perhaps if you can give us some more details on your grandfather it may help. If you can give us his full name and possibly his service number a look at his records should be able to confirm the name of Rimula and any other ships he may have served on. Unless his name is something like John Smith it should be possible to look him up at Kew without his service number but if you do have it that will help a great deal. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted 27 May , 2004 Share Posted 27 May , 2004 Unless it is an R for RMS, although in the blow-up it does look more like the straight edge of an H. Just had an idea that you could also check the wartime Jane's. They usually include support vessels. Another avenue may be to see if someone has a list of onshore naval bases- I seem to recall that they're usually HMS as well. Matthew As Brian knows, I have looked in Dittmar & Colledge, Janes Fighting Ships of WW1 and my list of Stone Frigates or UK Bases. I do not have a list of overseas base names, does anyone?? This is annoying me! It may be worth a search of LLoyds Register. I even looked for RMS!!! Aye Malcolm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmsk212 Posted 27 May , 2004 Share Posted 27 May , 2004 Another avenue may be to see if someone has a list of onshore naval bases- I seem to recall that they're usually HMS as well. Matthew Hi I have a copy of "Shore Establishments of the Royal Navy" by Lt Cdr B Wardlow RN and can confirm that Rimula or the other variations of this name put forward in this thread was not a known Shore Base. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
healdav Posted 27 May , 2004 Share Posted 27 May , 2004 Jus a passing thought. Could he have been in the Canadian or Australian or NZ Navy? They would have been HMS at that time, I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westkent78 Posted 21 August , 2004 Share Posted 21 August , 2004 Just a thought. I was leafing through a recent medal gazette and came across a person serving on a R.I.M.S. Minto. Could this be an Indian ship he was serving on? Unfortunately I have absolutely no idea where to look to see if this is another dead end. Matthew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian M Posted 3 September , 2004 Author Share Posted 3 September , 2004 Just a thought. I was leafing through a recent medal gazette and came across a person serving on a R.I.M.S. Minto. Could this be an Indian ship he was serving on? Matthew, You may have stumbled upon something, as my G. Father (Leonard Francis Ward) served aboard the stern wheelers on the Arrow Lakes in south-east British Columbia after the war. The Minto was one of the steam ships working the Lake. I believe that it is currently on permanent display at Kaslo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian M Posted 3 September , 2004 Author Share Posted 3 September , 2004 Oops, I just found the reference to a Lt. John Ward of the R.I.M.S. Minto who earned the Bronze Medal Citation in 1910. Same last name and coincidently the same ship's name, but unfortunaely not my guy. http://www.lsars.eurobell.co.uk/bronz10s.htm I also goofed on the SS Minto as it was burned in 1968. http://www.powerpioneers.com/BC_Hydro_Hist...0_02160406.aspx Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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