Interpreting RN service records

[dismorr59]

I would be very grateful if somebody could help me interpret the service records of a man - Percy Donald Kinsey - I am researching - please see attachment. In particular I am puzzled by the names in brackets following Attendance (I think!) and Greenwich - that is Attendance (Murray), Greenwich (Observer) and Greenwich (Patriot). Are these references to the ships HMS Murray, HMS Observer and HMS Patriot? And if so why are their names in brackets, and did Kinsey actually serve on these ships? Apologies for being rather vacant about this, but I am not au fait with naval research.

Stephen

[horatio2]

You are correct. He actually served in the three destroyers named. Such ships did not perform their own pay and administration which was carried out in a parent ship (or depot ship). The destroyers were known as 'tenders' to the parent ship: HMS MURRAY was tender to HMS ATTENTIVE II at Dover; HMS OBSERVER and HMS PATRIOT were tenders to HMS GREENWICH at Scapa Flow.

[rolt968]

It isn't Attendance, I think it is Attentive II (HMS Attentive 2) which I think was the shore base of the Dover Patrol. HMS Greenwich was a destroyer depot ship.

In all cases the ship named in brackets was small and its ship's company was carried on the books of the base or depot ship for administrative purposes.

HMS Murray was an M Class destroyer

HMS Observer was also an M Class destroyer

HMS Patriot was also an M Class destroyer

(I think they ran out of M names!)

RM

Edit: [Beaten to it.] Horatio knows much more than I do about this kind of thing.

Edited 5 September , 2019 by rolt968

[dismorr59]

Dear Horatio and RM

 

Thank you so much for the information you both provided - invaluable.

 

Stephen