HMS NILE - Special Services??

[DAVID LYON]

Can anyone help, or point me in the right direction, to find any details regarding an entry on my late grandfathers Royal Navy service record.

Charles Henry Houghton BOWN's rank in November 1943 was that of 'Stoker' stationed at HMS NILE.
The record shows that from 3/11/43 to 31/1/44 he was on 'Special Services'. Does anyone have any idea what this might mean or involve?
Gratefull for any help.

David.

[Forrest Anderson]

Charles Henry Houghton BOWN's rank in November 1943 was that of 'Stoker' stationed at HMS NILE.
The record shows that from 3/11/43 to 31/1/44 he was on 'Special Services'. Does anyone have any idea what this might mean or involve?

HMS Nile was a shore establishment, rather than an actual vessel. Based at Ras el Tin Point, Alexandria, Nile had a large number of personnel on the books - mainly those based in the Eastern Mediterranean.

As regards "Special Service", the Royal Navy had a number of "Special Service Vessels" which included decoy ships ("Q" ships) and dummy ships, and those which undertook special tasks like landing agents. HMS Fidelity was one of the best-known of these, but she was sunk in 1942.

This may or may not be what is meant by "Special Service" in his Service Record.

Forrest

[DAVID LYON]

Thanks for that Forrest, I wonder if I could pick your brain further - Prior to this posting his record shows; HMS NILE (SPHINX).
Would 'SPHINX' refer to an actual vessel? Would it throw any more light on the Special Services posting?

David

[Forrest Anderson]

Thanks for that Forrest, I wonder if I could pick your brain further - Prior to this posting his record shows; HMS NILE (SPHINX).
Would 'SPHINX' refer to an actual vessel? Would it throw any more light on the Special Services posting?

David

I believe that this notation does normally indicate an actual vessel, but in this case HMS Sphinx was another shore establishment - an accommodation camp at Alexandria, commissioned on 20 Apr 1941 and paid off in May 1946.

There was a warship with the same name, but she was sunk in the Moray Firth in 1940.

Forrest

[DAVID LYON]

Thanks Forrest, I'm begining to build a picture now, even if I haven't got to the bottom of this Special Services thing yet.

David

[smorse]

Special Services (SS) Brigades was the title given to Combined Operations units and personel prior to 15th August 1943. After that they became officially know as Commandos and other special units such as SAS, SBS etc.
HMS Nile was the RN base at Alexandria but was also located at Tripoli (06.1943-12.1943), Mersa Matruh (08.1942-12.1943) and Bengahazi (08.1942-12.1943).
See: https://www.unithistories.com/units_b..._MedFleet.html

Your Grandfather was more than likely serving in my Grandfathers unit (Lt-Cmr E.R. Morse(E)), which I still have no official information on. The logic behind this is your Grandfather was a stoker (Navy Engineer) and this was a specialised Naval Engineering unit (Secret unit?).

From April 1942 to December 1944 the Unit(s) were in charge of opening captured ports along the African/Mediterranean coast, then Sicily, Salerno and Naples in Italy. (Operations Avalanche, Torch, Husky etc)
Most of the experience they gained was used to plan the D-Day invasion.
The unit was called NIMLRU, to my knowledge there were only four of these units and 2,3 & 4 were used on D-Day (Overlord).

This is the only official mention of an MLRU.
MLRU stood for 'Mobile Land Repair Unit' and was used extensively in the immediate aftermath of the D Day landings. It consisted of mainly Engineering officers and was used to keep everything that came ashore, working.

"to assist in beach recovery and repair, maintenance of naval vehicles, provide spares, and to provide emergency repair facilities in a captured port before the arrival of the port parties."

I will continue to try and track down the histry of this unit, as there seems to be nothing recorded in any of the history I have found to date.

Here is a photo of the Unit, sorry I don't know the location or the date, but it is prior to January 1944.

https://
news.webshots.com/photo/2000711590101840815KXEEAG

Regards Stephen

[DAVID LYON]

Thanks for that info Stephen. Its fascinating & exciting stuff.

My grandfathers service record shows his postings after the 'Special Services' at HMS NILE, were at Tripoli (HMS HASDRUBAL) 1/2/44 - 5/4/44, and then Naples (HMS BYRSA) 6/4/44 - 21/12/44 - 8 months??

This may well fit in with the units you refer to?

I would be facinated to hear from you with any more info. you manage to obtain.

Regards, David

[smorse]

I think you can safely assume that your grandfather was attached to this Unit, as the dates coincide. Have you checked the photo to see if he is there?
This is my Grandfathers Record of Service:

NZ Army Engineers 20 Field Company Fiji 3/10/40 to 21/8/41
NZ Army Engineers 19 Field Company Egypt 5/9/41 to 25/4/42.

Transfered to RN as T/Lt(E) "for disposal Special Services, additional for duty Officer (Engineer) as E.O. in charge NCI."

(I don't know what NCI means, EOIC reports to NOIC see: www.
history.navy.mil/library/online/comnaveu/comnaveu-10.htm

HMS Nile T/Lt(E) 26/4/42 to 10/2/43
HMS Nile T/Lt(E) 11/2/43 to 19/5/43
HMS Hasdrubal (Base) T/Lt(E) 20/5/43 to 23/11/43
HMS Hasdrubal (Base) T/Lt(E) 24/11/43 to 31/12/43
HMS Byrsa T/Lt(E) 1/1/44
HMS Byrsa T/Lt-Cmr(E) 30/9/44 to 14/9/44
HMS Cook (NZ) 15/9/44 to 18/3/45 (Middlemore Hospital, burnt in explosion)
HMS Victory 19/3/45 to ????
HMS Royal Albert (RN base, London [for Berlin, Germany])
HMS Royal Edgar (Port Party, Hamburg, Germany)
HMS Royal Rupert (Naval Party 1735, Wilhelmshaven, Germany).
HMS Cook (NZ) ???? to 23/12/45

I do know that he went through every port in North Africa and Italy that was captured between April 1942 and September 1944. I know he lost a lot of his crew killed and wounded.
Have a look at the site showing bravery awards for Mine and Bomb disposal, as you can see these men were working on port clearance in the Mediterranen and some were attached to these shore establishments.
www.
mcdoa.org.uk/ww_ii_awards_for_rn_diving_b_and_md_F.htm

I have talked with The Royal NZ Navy and have as much information that they can supply. I next intend to talk to the Director of the Royal Navy Museum to see if ther is any other records of this Unit.

Regards Stephen

[Geoffers]

My grandfathers service record shows his postings after the 'Special Services' at HMS NILE, were at Tripoli (HMS HASDRUBAL) 1/2/44 - 5/4/44, and then Naples (HMS BYRSA) 6/4/44 - 21/12/44 - 8 months??

Searching TNA's catalogue https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/c...ue/default.asp
suggests that 'Hasdrubal' was RNSQ at Bizerte, Tunis in 1944

Geoffers

[DAVID LYON]

I think you can safely assume that your grandfather was attached to this Unit, as the dates coincide. Have you checked the photo to see if he is there?
This is my Grandfathers Record of Service:

NZ Army Engineers 20 Field Company Fiji 3/10/40 to 21/8/41
NZ Army Engineers 19 Field Company Egypt 5/9/41 to 25/4/42.

Transfered to RN as T/Lt(E) "for disposal Special Services, additional for duty Officer (Engineer) as E.O. in charge NCI."

(I don't know what NCI means, EOIC reports to NOIC see: https://www.history.navy.mil/library/...omnaveu-10.htm)

HMS Nile T/Lt(E) 26/4/42 to 10/2/43
HMS Nile T/Lt(E) 11/2/43 to 19/5/43
HMS Hasdrubal (Base) T/Lt(E) 20/5/43 to 23/11/43
HMS Hasdrubal (Base) T/Lt(E) 24/11/43 to 31/12/43
HMS Byrsa T/Lt(E) 1/1/44
HMS Byrsa T/Lt-Cmr(E) 30/9/44 to 14/9/44
HMS Cook (NZ) 15/9/44 to 18/3/45 (Middlemore Hospital, burnt in explosion)
HMS Victory 19/3/45 to ????
HMS Royal Albert (RN base, London [for Berlin, Germany])
HMS Royal Edgar (Port Party, Hamburg, Germany)
HMS Royal Rupert (Naval Party 1735, Wilhelmshaven, Germany).
HMS Cook (NZ) ???? to 23/12/45

I do know that he went through every port in North Africa and Italy that was captured between April 1942 and September 1944. I know he lost a lot of his crew killed and wounded.
Have a look at the site showing bravery awards for Mine and Bomb disposal, as you can see these men were working on port clearance in the Mediterranen and some were attached to these shore establishments.
www.
mcdoa.org.uk/ww_ii_awards_for_rn_diving_b_and_md_F.htm

I have talked with The Royal NZ Navy and have as much information that they can supply. I next intend to talk to the Director of the Royal Navy Museum to see if ther is any other records of this Unit.

Regards Stephen

Thanks for that Stephen, I have had a look at the photo, but unfortunately he doesn't feature on it.
I'm now totally fascinated about this - so will keep in touch if I find any further info, would appreciate it if you could do the same please.

Spoke to someone recently, who suggested I write to The Ministry of Defense, Naval Records. But stated that they might not release any info. So I'll give that a try.

Regards, David