SHAKESPEARE-Class Flotilla Leader ordered from Thornycroft at Woolston in April
1917 and laid down in August 1918. She was launched on 26th October 1918 as
the 1st RN ship to carry the name and remained at Woolston
for completion in February 1919. Her sister ships HMS KEPPEL and HMS BROKE were
completed in Royal Dockyards. After acceptance she served in the Baltic during
operations in support of countries under threat of invasion by the Soviet army,
and later with the 1st Destroyer Flotilla Atlantic Fleet before being put in
Reserve as part of the post-war economic measures. In 1938 she was selected for
conversion into an Anti-Aircraft Escort and taken in hand by HM Dockyard Devonport. On completion of trials and modifications she
was deployed in Home waters and took up her war station at Rosyth
after the outbreak of war in September 1939. (See General Information).
Following a successful WARSHIP WEEK National Savings campaign in May 1942 she
was adopted by the civil community of the county of West Lothian, Scotland.
Her build cost was £275,000.
B a t t l e
H o n o u r s
NORTH SEA 1941-45 - SICILY 1943
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge: On a field Red, a Lion rampant Silver
M o t t o
Pro Patria: 'For the
Fatherland'
D e t a i l s
o f W a r S e r v i c e
1 9 3 9
September Deployed with Rosyth Escort Force
for convoy defence and patrol in North Sea
to For
details of naval activities in this period see ENGAGE THE
December ENEMY
MORE CLOSELY by C Barnett and Naval Staff History.
(Note: East Coast Convoys were subject to increasing air
attacks
and extensive minelaying, including magnetic mines took
place
with immediate and dramatic consequences. See BATTLE
FOR THE EAST COAST by J P Foynes).
1 9 4 0
January East coast convoy defence in
continuation.
to (Note: Did not take part in evacuation from Dunkirk
May (Operation
DYNAMO).
June In
action against German minelayers off Lowestoft.
July East coast convoy
escort in continuation.
to
December
1 9 4 1
January
6th Deployed as escort for Convoy FS95 in North Sea and under
air attacks by Ju88 and Do17 aircraft two of which were
destroyed
by ships of the escort.
February East Coast convoy escort in
continuation.
to Nominated
for refit
May
June Under refit
to Fire
control radar Type 285 for AA main armament and Surface
July warning radar Type 271
fitted. Type 286 Radar a modified RAF
air surface radar may have been fitted since September 1939.
(For details of
development and use of radar by RN see RADAR
AT SEA by D Howse.)
August Resumed East Coast convoy
escort duties on completion of trials.
September East coast convoy escort in
continuation
to
December
1 9 4 2
January East coast convoy escort in
continuation.
to
February
March
14th In action against E –Boat attacks during escort of Convoy
FN55
with HM Destroyers PYTCHLEY and HOLDERNESS.
April Detached for temporary
duty with Home Fleet and escorted
mercantiles which had escaped from
Swedish ports and were on
passage to UK in North Sea (Operation PERFORMANCE)
May Resumed North Sea convoy escort duties.
June East coast convoy escort
in continuation
to
December
1 9 4 3
January East coast convoy escort in
continuation.
to Nominated
for detached service in support of allied landings in
May Sicily (Operation HUSKY)
June
Passage to Clyde to join escort for joint
military convoy WS31/KMF17
21st Deployed with HM Destroyers ARROW, BLANKNEY, BRECON,
BLENCATHRA,
BRISSENDEN. HAMBLEDON, LEDBURY, MENDIP,
VICEROY,
WITHERINGTON and WOOLSTON as escort during
Atlantic passage.
26th Remained as escort for ships of KMF17 when ships in WS31
detached
for passage to Freetown escorted by destroyers from Gibraltar.
Took passage to Gibraltar with escort.
July Deployed for escort of
assault and build-up convoys to Sicilian
beach heads (Operation HUSKY).
7th Sailed from Bone as part of escort for
military Convoy KMS18.
9th Detached from KMF18 to refuel.
10th Joined Escort Group V to provide AA defence in BARK West
beach head area.
Sustained damage
in air attacks.
(For details see
BRITISH INVASION FLEETS by J de Winser.
also ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY and
Naval Staff
History)
August On release from HUSKY took
passage to UK to resume East Coast
convoy escort duties.
September East coast convoy escort in
continuation.
to Note: By this time ship had been fitted with radio telephone
December equipment for communication with
other escorting ships
and aircraft. Some ships also carried special radio
equipment
with trained operators for interception of German radio
traffic.
1 9 4 4
January East coast convoy defence in
continuation.
to Note: This ship was not deployed for defence of convoys to Normandy
December beach heads. For
details of naval activities before and during and
Operation
NEPTUNE See above references and LANDINGS IN
NORMANDY, June 1944 HMSO)
1 9 4 5
January East coast convoy escort
duties in continued.
to
February Nominated for
withdrawal from operational service.
Paid-off and destored.
March Placed on Disposal List.
20th Sold to Clayton and Davie for
demolition at Dunston.
27th Arrived in tow at breaker’s yard
S p e c i
a l N o t e
HMS WALLACE spent most of her
war service escorting North Sea convoys and like others deployed for this essential service received
little publicity. Enemy attacks by E-Boats and aircraft were never relaxed . In
addition coastal waters presented many
additional dangers when convoys were diverted from recognised swept channels to avoid new minefields. Despite
these and the ever changing weather conditions in the area the regular flow of traffic was maintained and the
majority of ships in convoy arrived safely. Another of the unsung heroines of
the East Coast.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS
WALLACE
by Don Kindell
Date convoy Joined
convoy
Convoy
No. Left convoy Date convoy
sailed as escort arrived
12/09/39 12/09/39 FS 0004 14/09/39 14/09/39
26/10/39 26/10/39 FS 0027 28/10/39 28/10/39
01/11/39 01/11/39 FS 0030 03/11/39 03/11/39
11/11/39 11/11/39 FS 0035 13/11/39 13/11/39
17/11/39 17/11/39 FS 0038 19/11/39 19/11/39
15/11/39 17/11/39 HN 002 18/11/39 18/11/39
11/12/39 11/12/39 FS 0053 12/12/39 12/12/39
26/02/40 26/02/40 FS 0106 28/02/40 28/02/40
04/03/40 04/03/40 FS 0112 06/03/40 06/03/40
17/03/40 17/03/40 FS 0123 19/03/40 19/03/40
20/03/40 20/03/40 FN 0125 22/03/40 22/03/40
25/03/40 25/03/40 FS 0129 27/03/40 27/03/40
02/04/40 02/04/40 FS 0136 04/04/40 04/04/40
14/04/40 14/04/40 FS 0146 16/04/40 16/04/40
21/04/40 21/04/40 FS 0152 23/04/40 23/04/40
01/05/40 01/05/40 FS 0159 03/05/40 03/05/40
20/05/40 20/05/40 FS 0175 22/05/40 22/05/40
28/05/40 28/05/40 FS 0182 30/05/40 30/05/40
31/05/40 31/05/40 FN 0185 02/06/40 02/06/40
03/06/40 03/06/40 FS 0187 05/06/40 05/06/40
06/06/40 06/06/40 FN 0190 08/06/40 08/06/40
14/06/40 14/06/40 FS 0195 16/06/40 16/06/40
17/06/40 17/06/40 FN 0198A 18/06/40 18/06/40
22/06/40 22/06/40 FS 0202 24/06/40 24/06/40
25/06/40 25/06/40 FN 0205 27/06/40 27/06/40
02/07/40 02/07/40 FN 0211 04/07/40 04/07/40
11/07/40 11/07/40 FS 0219 12/07/40 12/07/40
14/07/40 14/07/40 FN 0222 16/07/40 16/07/40
18/07/40 18/07/40 FS 0225 19/07/40 19/07/40
24/07/40 24/07/40 FS 0231 26/07/40 26/07/40
06/09/40 06/09/40 FS 0274 07/09/40 07/09/40
11/09/40 11/09/40 FN 0278 13/09/40 13/09/40
15/09/40 15/09/40 FS 0282 16/09/40 16/09/40
18/09/40 18/09/40 FN 0284 20/09/40 20/09/40
22/09/40 22/09/40 FN 0288 24/09/40 24/09/40
02/10/40 02/10/40 FS 0298 04/10/40 04/10/40
05/10/40 05/10/40 FN 0300 07/10/40 07/10/40
13/10/40 13/10/40 FS 0308 17/10/40 17/10/40
17/10/40 17/10/40 FS 0312 19/10/40 19/10/40
20/10/40 20/10/40 FN 0315 21/10/40 21/10/40
26/10/40 26/10/40 FS 0320 28/10/40 28/10/40
29/10/40 29/10/40 FN 0322 31/10/40 31/10/40
03/11/40 03/11/40 FS 0327 05/11/40 05/11/40
06/11/40 06/11/40 FN 0328 08/11/40 08/11/40
08/11/40 09/11/40 FN 0329 10/11/40 10/11/40
15/11/40 15/11/40 FS 0336 17/11/40 17/11/40
18/11/40 18/11/40 FN 0337 20/11/40 20/11/40
23/11/40 23/11/40 FS 0343 25/11/40 25/11/40
26/11/40 26/11/40 FN 0343 28/11/40 28/11/40
06/12/40 06/12/40 FS 0354 08/12/40 08/12/40
09/12/40 09/12/40 FN 0355 11/12/40 11/12/40
19/12/40 19/12/40 FS 0364 22/12/40 22/12/40
27/12/40 27/12/40 FS 0372 29/12/40 29/12/40
04/01/41 04/01/41 FS 0379 06/01/41 06/01/41
15/01/41 15/01/41 FS 0389 17/01/41 17/01/41
23/01/41 23/01/41 FS 0395 26/01/41 26/01/41
28/01/41 28/01/41 FN 0394 30/01/41 30/01/41
18/11/41 18/11/41 EN 008 20/11/41 21/11/41
28/06/43 28/06/43 MKF 017 30/06/43 30/06/43
13/06/43 02/07/43 UGS 010 06/07/43 10/07/43
28/06/43 07/07/43 KMF 018 10/07/43 11/07/43
22/07/43 22/07/43 GUS 010X 25/07/43 13/08/43
26/07/43 29/07/43 MKS 019Y 29/07/43 31/07/43
31/07/43 31/07/43 MKF 020 04/08/43 11/08/43
31/07/43 31/07/43 MKS 020 04/08/43 10/08/43
