This year I joined the Naval Wargames Society, partly to get me going with some naval wargaming projects and partly to support a worthwhile group. The NWS journal, All Guns Blazing, has made a regular appearance in my inbox and very interesting it is too, even though my naval projects have yet to be realised.
http://www.navalwargamessociety.org/
This months edition featured a series of articles on the modern Royal Navy and it's future, including a report on the launch of the latest addition to the fleet, HMS Duncan. This is the last of the new Type 45 destroyers in the Daring class and a very capable warship indeed.
This is of particular interest for me, as my grandfather served on the destroyer HMS Duncan before the war as a Petty Officer Wireless Telegrapher and named my dad after his ship. In turn, I was given the middle name of Duncan, so I suppose I have a personal connection of sorts with the latest of this line of illustrious warships?
The first of this year's editions of Battlefleet is nearly ready to go. I've seen an advance copy. it looks a cracker!
ReplyDeleteNice connection to HMS Duncan.
ReplyDeleteNo offence though Duncan isn't the most threatening name for a ship. Especially as her sister ships are:
HMS Daring, HMS Dauntless, HMS Defender, HMS Diamond and HMS Dragon. All hard sounding names (even Diamond, as it's one of the hardest elements known to man).
:-)
Gary
Interesting stuff! Great to acknowledge that link to the services...though What if you had been a girl...? Or his ship had been the 'Ariadne'...?
ReplyDeleteMy father served on HMS Duncan at the China station during 1937. He told me about evacuating British refugees from Shanghai on 18 August 1937. They sailed for Hong Kong with the refugees. When I was a kid he gave me a copy of book that was published as a memento for the crew after the completion of their tour. Later I lost the book while moving houses. Anyone have any idea where I could find a copy of this book? I imagine there were limited copies printed.
ReplyDelete