THE ROYAL NAVAL PATROL SERVICE

Many peoples have heard of the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm and the Submarine Branch but few have heard of the Royal Naval Patrol Service better known as Harry Tate’s Navy or Churchill’s Pirates. It all began in WW1 when the Navy took over the trawlers and their crews for patrol and minesweeping duties.

When the Royal Naval Reserve were mobilized in August 1939 they took over a park in Lowerstoft called the Sparrows Nest. At the time, Elsie and Doris Waters of Gert and Daisy fame, had bought their road show to the Sparrows Nest theatre and on the Wednesday morning they, and some others of their company, were sunning themselves on the lawn outside when along came a handful of C.P.O’s and P.O.’s from Chatham to take over the Nest on behalf of the Admiralty.

This now became the central depot for the RNPS and being the most easterly point to go in England, it also became the closest military establishment to the enemy. At first it was known as Pembroke X, later to become HMS Europa. It was the administrative head quarters for more than 70,000 men and 6,000 ships, which included Trawlers, Drifters, MFV’s, ML’s, MMS (Motor Minesweepers or Mickey Mouses), American BYMS, and a number of requisitioned vessels.

The officers and seamen were mainly ex-fishermen who had manned the trawlers, fishing in all weathers off Iceland, and were some of the best seamen in the world although they did not take too kindly to Naval discipline. These men also took very high casualties in the early part of the war so their numbers were made up by “hostilities only” men like myself who had had very little connection with the sea before the war.

The RNPS fought all over the world in all theatres of the war and were involved mainly with minesweeping and anti-submarine work. During that time there was one VC won at Namsos during the Narvik campaign and over 850 awards made to RNPS personnel as well as over 200 mentions in despatches.

The hazardous work that the RNPS carried out, was recognised by the award of a unique silver badge, it was not an automatic award and only given to those officers and ratings who had completed six months sea-time, it was about the size of an old shilling which became one of the Navy’s most distinctive and most coveted uniform decorations. It took the form of a shield with a sinking shark transfixed by a marlinespike to symbolise the A/S service against a background of a fishing net in which mines were trapped, representing the mine-sweeping

The story of the RNPS can never be fully told. So many ships in different actions, so many men with their own stories. These days each October, we parade and March through the streets of Lowerstoft to Belle Vue Park where a service is held round the memorial which is over 50ft high and has seventeen bronze panels around its base bearing the names of 2,385 men who were never recovered from the sea. We then march down to the Sparrows Nest on to our parade ground and a senior naval officer takes the salute after which we perform Sunset. How much longer can this carry on for we are nearly all between 80 and 100 years old and the numbers get fewer every year?

Marching to the Sparrows Nest	“Ancient and Modern!”	RNPS Memorial