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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

HMS Victory


jack

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Before, during and after WWI, my grandfather was at HMS Victory after spells on cruisers. Was HMS Victory the name given to Portsmouth Dockyard during the Great War ? Or, would he have actually been attached to Nelson's ship ?

Jack

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From my list of home bases RN

HMS Nelson - Portsmouth Royal Naval Barracks WW2 Previously HMS Victory,

renamed due to confusion with the historical HMS Victory on display there.

so it would appear HMS Victory was used in WW1 as the name of Portsmouth Barracks.

Aye

Malcolm

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Until fairly recently, there was some confusion in Portsmouth as there were both HMS Victory and Victory barracks. The barracks have been renamed but I can't remember the new name. I don't think that the dockyard ever had a name.

As HMS Victory has been in continuous commission since well before then ;) , I suspect that your grandfather was attached to Nelson's ship, which is still the flagship of C in C Portsmouth. I believe that it is now a prestigious posting.

Nigel

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HMS Victory has been used at least sixteen times for various establishments. The WW1 uses were....

HMS Victory - Flagship Portsmouth & barracks 1840 - 1974

HMS Victory II - Crystal Palace - Training depot RN Divs 1914-19

HMS Victory III - Portsmouth Accounting Sec 1914-17

HMS Victory IV - London/Portsmouth/Petersfield RNR 1914-17

HMS Victory VI - Crystal Palace depot for RNR & RN Divs 1914-19

HMS Victory VII - Portland auxiliary patrol depot 1915

HMS Victory IX - Reserves Portsmouth 1915-16

HMS Victory X - Portsmouth accounting section 1917-19

That is very briefly. Some of these names were later used for other locations further complicating the issue!

So references to 'Victory' do not necessarily have anything to do with Nelson's ship.

All the above from the excellent 'Shore Establishments of the Royal Navy'

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Don't know the situation duirng WWI but during WWII HMS Victory (Nelson's ship) was used as accommodation for naval ratings undergoing training at Portsmouth. The IWM Photo Archive has a good series of images showing ratings boarding HMS VICTORY and their accommodation on board.

ALAN

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  • 5 years later...

To avoid starting a new thread I thought I would check the search regarding Victory II, but can't find my answer so here goes.

Where was HMS Victory II [2] in 1923..? The Stoker I am looking into is listed 'on' or more probably 'at' this 'ship' from 21.9.23 to 25.2.24. In brackets at the side of the name in small writing it says (Eagle), which leads me to wonder if this was a cover name of some kind for Eagle whilst she was being refitted with the longer "Island" and new anti-torpedo defences before she was commissioned on 26.2.24, because on that date 'my' Stoker is listed as crew on HMS Eagle, until transfer off her on 3.9.26 after a spell with the Med. Fleet.

Apologies for the not-wholy-WW1 question, but he was serving from 1909 :)

regards

Matt

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HMS Victory II was an administrative depot; he was probably shore based, with Victory II handling his administration (mail, pay, training etc) while Eagle was being refitted and he was possibly working on the refit crew, they would still need power.

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HMS Victory II was the administrative and accomodation depot for Stokers and ERA's, , situated in HM Naval base Portsmouth before 1914 and after 1919 during the Great War situated at Crystal Palace London. Looks like he was standing by while she was fitting out.

Regards Charles

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  • 5 months later...

Hi I wonder if anyone knows if the HMS Victory was an active ship during WW1 or purely a shore base - I can only find information on the shore base but my grandfathers royal marine records state he served on the HMS Victory at the Dardanelles - any information would be appreciated

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Janet

The 1805 VICTORY was built in the 1750s and first named in 1760.

In 1831 it was listed for disposal but (THE) Hardy couldn't sign the warrant for that !

In 1905 it was rammed accidentally by HMS Neptune on it's way to the breakers.

In 1922 it was set in the dry dock in Portsmouth that it still occupies.

It was not at Gallipoli. Your GFs record might have shown that he was posted to Victory the shore base in Portsmouth and joined a ship from there or was RMLI (?) posted on to war.

Sotonmate

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Janet,

Welcome to the Forum, yes HMS Victory was a seagoing ship during the Great War, and as with all the others had a Ships Company, she never left Portsmouth though!

It was also a Naval Barracks in Portsmouth (now called HMS Nelson) that dealt with the accommodation and administration of the men. This was devided up into Divisions. During the Great war they where numbered 1 to 11, the Division a man was attached to was recorded by roman numerals after HMS Victory.

He would also have been given a 'List and Number 'on the Divisions ledger which would indicate why he was there.

Regards Charles

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  • 4 years later...

Hello,

I appreciate this is an old thread, but i am looking at a RNVR service record and his ship is shown as Victory X (Observer) , there is a line above and below the 'X'. Does this mean HMS Observer the M class destroyer? if yes i can not find any information for this ships service?

thanks

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HMS VICTORY X (the lines are simply how Roman numerals are hand-written) was the Portsmouth accounting branch 1917-1919. He was borne on their books while serving on HMS Observer.

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No, sorry; you might find it by using the forum search option.

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  • 7 months later...

HI,

I've got a man who served on the "Victory" for all of 1915, 1916 and into January 1917, then on "Victory I" from 17th April 1918 until his death in September 1918. I know from other documentation that he was involved in action at Egypt, the Dardanelles and France (he's buried in Bac Du Sud Cemetery at Bailleulval) and he died from a serious chest wound. Does anyone know how I would find any war diaries to see where / what he was doing when he was wounded? He was in RMLI 1st RM Battalion RN Division.

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The Fleet Air Arm Museum may have an attestation pack of papers for him and they certainly have the 1/RMLI war diary.

He did not "serve on the VICTORY"; he was borne on the books of HMS VICTORY (a pay/admin office at Portsmouth) while serving in the RM battalions of the Royal Naval Division.

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Thank you all, I couldnt find it on ancestry but I'll look again!

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  • 3 years later...

Interesting old thread.

 

A long serving Private in the RMLI is shown “aboard” Victory from 28 January 1919, to do duty in or at ... illegible!

 

Can anyone read this?

 

:cheers:

William

4648AB61-16D0-4B91-AF46-F0CAA783430D.jpeg

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