The following information has been extracted from
pages 192 - 195 in Chapter 12 of my book,
"Peerless Powditch's", Vol 3, 'Norfolk Vacated' (1989)
- the Chapter of which is accessible on this website, by clicking
Rex John LeHuray Powditch Notes
With his love of the sea, it is not surprising that in March 1937, Rex joined the Navy - his
"home base" being Devonport, near Plymouth, Devon.
Rex was drafted to the cruiser, H.M.S. Galatea - (built by Scotts, 9 August 1934. She was
5,220 tons; 48Oft x 51ft, and had 6 - 6in. guns and 8 - 4in. guns) - then serving in the Mediterranean.   The Spanish Civil War was still on - and in Palestine, Jews and Arabs were
fighting (Rex has a General Services Medal, "Palestine").
When in 1939 war was declared in Europe, HM.S. Galatea was still in the Mediterranean. The
next year however, saw ''Galatea" returning, in February 1940, to Devonport, for a refit - and
Rex leaving her, to join a new ship.
After a brief spell of "leave", Rex joined the "V/W" Class destroyer - H.M.S. Valentine, on
28 March 1940.   All "V/W" class destroyers were of an average 1,300 tons and an average
300ft x 29ft.   They had 4 - 4in. guns, and (by 1939) 6 - torpedo tubes. H.M.S. Valentine was
built by Cammell Laird on 24 March 1917, being just one of 51 such "V/W" 's "laid down" in
1916/1917.
H.M.S. Valentine was one of an escort group on East Coast Convoys, until almost the end of
April 1940 - at which point, she was, with other ships, detached on special duties, up the
Schelde in Holland.   Not long afterwards, in May 1940, Rex joined her - for what was to be
an eventful short association, for both man and ship.
On 15 May 1940, after a week up the Schelde, providing support to Allied troops fighting in
Holland, mainly against air attacks, H.M.S Valentine was bombed, and severely damaged -
with many casualties, both dead and wounded. The ship was near Terneuzen, and it was
possible to beach her into a dyke.   The wounded went to a Dutch Hospital, and were
subsequently taken prisoner by the Germans.   Those able to travel, Rex amongst them,
made their way overland, through Holland and Belgium, into Dunkirk, and then to England.
Three months after H.M.S. Valentine was beached, Rex John Powditch married Ursula
Anderson.   Rex was aged 21 years old, and Ursula, was just 34 days short of her 21st #
birthday.
Rex's next ship was the Duke of Westminster's yacht, "Cutty Sark", which was an
ex-"S. Class" Destroyer.   The yacht, which had been converted for use in the war, was used
to convey landing parties for "demolition" missions. It was whilst on one of these missions
that the "Cutty Sark" was bombed off the west coast of France (St. Nazaire).
Following the bombing, the "Cutty Sark" was towed back to Plymouth by H.M.S. Viscount (like
H.M.S. Valentine, the Viscount, also, was a "V/W" Class destroyer).
Around the same time that Rex arrived back in Plymouth, the Navy was being re-formed, and
he volunteered to join a Naval Battalion, preparing for the defence of the English coasts
against an expected invasion by the Germans, following the fall of France. The threat of
invasion passed, and the battalion was disbanded. Afterwards, Rex was drafted, for a few
months, to H.M.S. Heron, the Royal Naval Air Station at Yeovilton.
From Yeovilton, Rex joined the survey vessel (sloop), H.M.S. Stork (1,190 tons, 266ft x 37ft,
with 4 - 4.7in. guns, built by Denny, 21 April 1936), under the respected skipper - Captain
Frederick John Walker - otherwise known as Captain "Johnny" Walker.
According to the "Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea";-
"Frederick John Walker (1897 to 1944), was one of the
first officers In the Royal Navy to specialise in
anti-submarine warfare in 1921, and in March 1941 he
was appointed to H.M.S. Stork to command one of the
regular escort groups then being formed. He brought
his group to a very high state of training, and was
rewarded by a notable victory over the U-boats,
sinking four of them when a convoy from Gibraltar he
was escorting, was attacked in December 1941"

F.J.Walker's exploits in the Stork brought him a D.S.O. and bar, and in 1942, promotion to
Captain.   Between 1943 and 1944 on H.M.S. Starling, his group were to account for six
U-boats during a single mission.   Although dying In 1944, his name lives on through the
"Captain Johnny Walker Old Boys Association", which meets at Liverpool.
Rex served on board H.M.S. Stork for approximately one year, and then only left after the Stork
was in collision with H.M.S. Deptford - a collision which was to cost the lives of a number of
"U"-boat prisoners on H.M.S. Stork, due to H.M.S. Deptford striking at the point where the
prisoners were kept locked up.   Although no crew were lost from either of the ships, there
was, nevertheless, considerable damage to both vessels.
At Vickers Armstrong shipyard, Barrow- in-Furness, Cumberland (now Cumbria), a new 8,000
ton cruiser was "laid-down" on 16 November 1940.   Measuring 538ft x 62ft, and hosting
12 - 6in. and 8 - 4in. guns, the ship - named H.M.S. Jamaica - was to see Rex John Powditch
arriving at Barrow to help commission the ship.
Rex served on Jamaica until June 1942, when, following promotion to Petty Officer
Telegraphist, he was drafted - via H.M.S. Drake (R. W. Barracks, Devonport) - to Freetown
(Sierra Leone, West Africa) - taking passage on the Armed Merchant Cruiser, "Celicia".
Here he was to be for 13 months. Next, he went further north up the coastline, to Dakar (then
in French Senegal).   Reg being both a telegraphist, and a fluent French speaker (thanks to
his Guernsey upbringing), was, together with two other Frenchmen, very much in demand in
this French- speaking part of Africa - and for the year he was there, he was one of the British
Naval Liaison staff.
A spell of "leave" parted Rex from Dakar, and after the "leave" was over, he joined H.M.S.
Onslaught - a ship of 1,540 tons; 338.5ft x 35ft; and having 4 - 4.7inch guns and 4 - Torpedo
Tubes.   The ship - after taking part in twelve Russian Convoys as escort, or part of covering
forces, and also taking part in the Battle of North Cape - returned to Russia, after hostilities
had ended in Europe, to bring back damaged ships - among them, H.M.S. Cassandra.
Back home again after the war - having been demobbed at the Gunnery School on Whale
Island, Portsmouth (Pompey) - Rex joined his wife, Ursula, and their two young sons.
Rex, like his brother Raymond, has many memories of his time during World War Two, and not
only has he likewise kept a war-time diary, but he has also recorded much of his time in the
Navy, both through his Naval Associations, and article writing
Rex John LeHuray Powditch died in December 2002 in his 84th year.