LEIGHTON & FERRIGE
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RICHARD WILLIAM JONES(BILLY)
D/JX290773
William was the 2nd eldest of the 3 brothers. Billy's service started on the 5/8/41 on a merchant ship the Newton Ash as DEMS gunner.
Defensively Equipped Merchant Ship (DEMS) was an Admiralty Trade Division program established in June, 1939, to arm 5,500 British merchant ships with an adequate defence against enemy submarines and aircraft.
The acronym DEMS was used to describe the ships carrying the guns, the guns aboard the ships, the military personnel manning the guns, and the shore establishment supporting the system,
Billy served on many ship's during the war including
5 Aug 41- 17 Nov 1941 GLENDOWER
18 Nov 41- 13 Apr 1942 PRESIDENT or NEWTON ASH
14 Apr 42- 2 Jun 1942 KONGOM
3 Jun 42- 23 Feb 1944 FROBISHER
24 Feb 44- 26 Mar 1944 TANA
27 Mar 44- 3 Jul 1944 LANKA
4 Jul 44- 11 Jan 1945 DRAKE
12 Jan 45- 28 Feb 1945 MALAYA
29 Feb 45- 30 Apr 1945 DRAKE
1 May 45- 15 May 1945 SANSOVINS
16 May 45
Billy passed away on the 16th August 2006
Billy (Far left) on service 1940's maybe Ceylon.
Found in Freddy's home. 3 brothers togeather
checking photo details before adding ....please wait
HMS NEWTON ASH
The Newton Ash SS was a British Cargo Steamer of 4,625 tons built in 1925. 1941 the Newton Ash was sold by John Ridley, Son & Tully, Newcastle-upon-Tyne to Charles Strubin & Co Ltd, London. On the 8th February 1943 when on route from ST JOHN (N.B.) & HALIFAX for HULL in Convoy SC-118 and carrying a cargo of 6,500 tons of grain & mails and military stores she was torpedoed by German submarine U-402 and sunk.
34 crew lost from a total of 38.
HMS FROBISHER
Improved BIRMINGHAM or Hawkins-Class Cruiser built by HM Dockyard, Devonport, laid down on 2nd August 1916, and launched on 20th March 1920 as the first RN warship to carry the name of the well known Elizabethan seaman. The ship was completed on 3rd October 1924. After serving in the Far East and the Mediterranean she reduced to Reserve at Chatham in 1930 and was converted for use as a Cadet Training ship where she served between 1932 and 1937. Transferred to Portsmouth this cruiser was used as Gunnery Training Ship. In 1939 she was re-armed. During WW2 she was adopted by the civil community of Rochdale, Lancashire following a successful WARSHIP WEEK National Savings campaign in March 1942.
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
NORMANDY 1944