Would like a little help with service record

[CJW]

Trying to unravel my wife's grandfathers service record during and just after WWI. It's a bit illegible but seems to show the following:

Ganges - Boy 2nd class from 16/8/15

Ganges - Boy 1st class from 19/5/16 to 30/7/16

Albion - Ord. 12/3/17

Albion - AB 4/4/17 to 31/12/17

Woolwich (Pylades) - 1/1/18 to 17/9/18

Greenwich (Pylades) - 18/9/18 to 17/12/18

Vivid II (Pylades) - 18/12/18 to 24/2/19

Apollo (Pylades) 24/2/14/10/19

Vivid I - 15/10/19 to 15/11/19

Apollo (Pylades) - 16/11/19 to 2/2/20

Woolwich (Pylades) - 3/2/20 to 29/2/20

Vivid I - 1/3/20 to 10/3/20

Pembroke I - 11/3/20 to 12/5/20 when he was invalided out.

Ganges I know is a training establishment and a few of the others look like shore-based.

The story handed down through the family is that he was at Jutland (don't think so!), was torpedoed and also served in a submarine - few embelishments there I feel - though I do remember him being very upset when watching the original film of Titanic when they were all abandoning ship so I don't doubt that he saw some things that stayed with him.

Any help with the above and what he was actually up to during his time in the RN would be very welcome - also what is (Pylades)?

His discharge looks like it says neurasthenia but I could well be doing him a disservice there as it's pretty illegible.

Thanks

[johnboy]

APOLLO, minelayer, ex-2nd-class protected cruiser, Apollo-class, N.36 (1914), N.05 (1.18). Launched 10.2.91 Chatham DY. 3400 tons, 314(oa), 300(pp)x43x16ft. TE 9000ihp, 20kts (designed). Conversion to minelayer completed 4.8.09 Chatham DY, armament 4-4.7in, 100 mines. Minelayer, based at Dover and Sheerness 1914-15 (seven Apollo-class minelayers laid nearly 8000 mines in 22 operations), then subsidiary service, ended war as depot ship. BU 8.20 Castle. Plymouth.

[KizmeRD]

HMS Pylades was an M-Class Destroyer attached to the 13th Destroyer Flotilla and HMS Woolwich was her depotship.

Michael

[CJW]

Thanks johnboy & KizmeRD

My knowledge of all this stuff is zero so please be gentle with me!! I assume then that when it lists a ship followed by another name in brackets as, for instance, Apollo (Pylades) then it signifies that he was on Apollo which was a supply ship for Pylades? How does that work if Apollo was a destroyer?

Is there any way of finding out if any of his ships were involved in anything such as rescuing men who's ship had been sunk as I'm curious as to why he was so upset watching Titanic sink in the film - I've looked at a list of RN ships lost in WWI and none of those listed in his service record appear on there.

As I say, I'm new to this so please humour me if I'm asking stupid questions.

Thanks

[johnboy]

If I have the right ship, a minelayer, he may have seen ships sunk and got upset with the film because he knew his mines were capable of sinking ships with many casualties.

[CJW]

Just found this

http://www.worldnavalships.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3688

in which there is a link showing that Apollo was indeed a minelayer but in 1917 became a depot ship for the last three years of her life which explains the (Pylades) following the Apollo name. Looks like the family stories have been blown out of the water (pun intended!) as it seems he spent most of his career on land or depot ships, but I'm sure he would have seen plenty of action sometime - wouldn't think you could go through that war without seeing action of some sort somewhere along the line.

Thanks, you've been a great help, much appreciated.

[horatio2]

On the contrary, he spent most of his time serving in the destroyer HMS PYLADES.

The name of that ship in brackets means that she was what is known as a 'tender' to the ship preceding it, in this case depot ships WOOLWICH, GREENWICH and APOLLO. A destroyer rarely carried her own pay accounts and pay and administration of the ship's company was carried out by a 'parent' depot ship, which also provided base facilities. The convention in service records is, therefore, to name the 'parent' ship, followed (in brackets) by the name of the ship in which the man actually served. He was drafted, for example, to HMS APOLLO for service in HMS PYLADES

[CJW]

Well, that's a great bit of information as I had interpreted it the other way around - good to find someone who is obviously very knowledgeable and is also happy to share that knowledge with someone like me who knows nothing about these matters.

Thanks once again for your help, next task is to google HMS Pylade and see what I can find out about her

Best regards

[johnboy]

Pylades was launched late 1916 so a 'modern' ship.