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Ex
USS HERNDON (Type A
- ANNAPOLIS-Class) built by Newport News SB
Co. The ship
was launched on 31st May 1919 and transferred
under the UK/US
Lend Lease Agreement in September 1940. When
commissioned she was named HMS USS
HERNDON and later renamed CHURCHILL after the
selected names for the Class were
approved. The selection of this name is in
some doubt. Town Class destroyers
were given names common to places in USA and
UK which in this case is common to
a village in Nevada, a Worcestershire Hamlet
and
two places in Canada.
This destroyer was the first RN warship to
bear the name but it is understood the post
war submarine, second RN to bear
this name was considered to have been
originally named after the famous WW2
Prime Minister. As he was
Member of Parliament for Wanstead.
Essex it was particularly appropriate
that in March 1942 after a successful WARSHIP
WEEK National Savings campaign
the ship was ‘adopted’ by the civil community
of that area. now in the Greater
London Borough of Redbridge. This may well be
why the later ship believes the
name was given to this renowned war leader.
B a t t l
e H o n o u r s
None
H e r a l
d i c D a t a
Badge: On
a Field barry wavy of
six White and Blue a lion rampant gardant
White,
holding
between the paws a staff Gold flying therefrom
to the sinister a flag
Red
charged with a dexter hand couped white
and charged on the body with
a hurt, thereon
a mullet also White.
D e t a i
l s o f
W a r S e r v i c e
(for more
ship information,
go
to
Naval History Homepage
and
type name in Site Search)
1
9 4 0
September
Prepared for RN services.
9th
Commissioned as HMS HERNDON at Halifax.
Prepared for passage to UK.
10th
Names of TOWN Class destroyers announced
Sustained serious damage in collision with
sister destroyer HMS WELBOURN C WOOD
(Later HMS CHESTERFIELD.)
Taken in hand for repair .
October
Under repair
2nd
Renamed HMS CHURCHILL
November
On completion of repair and sea trials took
passage to UK with call at St Johns,
Newfoundland.
5th
Diverted to search for survivors from HM Armed
Merchant Cruiser JERVIS BAY sunk in action
with German pocket battleship ADMIRAL SCHEER
on 3rd.
Called in Iceland after search and resumed
passage to Plymouth.
17th
Arrived at Plymouth.
Taken in hand for refit by HM Dockyard
Devonport to suit RN convoy defence
requirements.
December
Under refit.
Nominated for service with Liverpool Escort
Group.
1
9 4 1
January
On completion of sea trials took passage to
Liverpool to join Escort Group for service
in western Approaches.
(Note: One source records deployment as part
of escort of ships on passage from Bristol
Channel to join military convoy WS5B.
Convoy assembled in Molfre Bay on 8th January)
Deployed for convoy escort duty in NW
Approaches based at Liverpool.
February
Liverpool deployment in continuation.
to
Transferred to Iceland and later joined 18th
Escort Group in Newfoundland.
July
Part of escort for Convoys SC39 and
SC43/HX150.
For details of dates for Atlantic passages see
ALLIED CONVOY SYSTEM IN WW2 by
A Hague.)
August
Passage to Liverpool for repair.
September
Under repair in commercial shipyard at
Liverpool
to
October
November
Transferred to Dundee for completion of
repair.
December
Under repair in commercial shipyard at Dundee.
1
9 4 2
January
On completion of repair joined 5th British
Escort Group.
Transferred to Newfoundland with Group for
convoy defence in support of US Navy.
(See ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C.
Barnett and THE BATTLE OF THE
ATLANTIC by D Macintyre, U-BOAT WAR IN THE ATLANTIC (HMSO) and HITLER’S
U-BOAT WAR by C Blair for details of US Navy
deficiencies in anti-submarine tactics).
February
Deployment for Atlantic and US coastal convoy defence in
continuation.
to
(For details of U-Boat operations and poor
tactical reactions by RN during 1940 and 1941
see above
May
references.
June
Deployed with HM Destroyer HAVELOCK as escort
for Convoys WAT13 and TAW12 in
Windward Passage.
July
Convoy defence in western Atlantic continued.
to
August
September
Under refit in Charlestown, SC.
to
December
1
9 4 3
January
On completion of post refit trials transferred
to 4th Canadian Escort Group.
Deployed for defence of Atlantic convoys
9th
Part of escort for Convoy ONS158 with Group..
Under attack by FALKE Group of U-Boats
See above references.
February
1st
Part of escort for Convoy hx224 with HM
Canadian Destroyer RESTIGOUCHE, HM Canadian
Corvettes AMHERST, COLLINGWOOD, BRANDON,
SHERBROOKE and HM Corvette
CELANDINE.
Under attack by FALKE Group of U-Boats which
sank three ships over a three day period.
Later joined escort for military Convoy KMF10B
to Algiers.
March
Returned to Newfoundland from Algiers.
Resumed North Atlantic convoy escort duty.
April
Part of escort for Convoy CN177 with Group.
23rd
Part of escort for Convoys HX234 under threat
from MEISE Group of U-Boats.
(For details of improved tactical measures and
improvements in weapons see SEEK AND STRIKE
by W Hackmann and U-BOAT WAR IN THE ATLANTIC
May
2nd
Part of escort for Convoy ONS8 and
supplemented by British 2nd Support Group.
June
Atlantic convoy escort with Group in
continuation.
to
August
September
Part of escort for Convoy HX254 with Group.
28th
Part of escort for Convoy ON203 with HM
Destroyer HOTSPUR .HM Canadian Corvettes
COLLINGWOOD, WOODSTOCK and HM Corvettes
NASTURTIUM, ORILLIA and
TRILLIUM.
Convoy diverted North of ROSSBACH U-Boat Group
patrol line.
October
Part of escort for Convoy HX260 with Group.
November
Atlantic convoy defence with Group in
continuation.
December
Withdrawn from operational service because of
increasing defect load and the availability
of new escorts.
1
9 4 4
January
Passage to UK to pay off and de-store
Reduced to Reserve.
February
Laid up in Tyne.
to
Nominated for loan to USSR.
March
April
Under refit prior Russian naval service.
May
Russian crew arrived.
30th
Transferred to Russian Navy and renamed
DEYATELNYI
S p e c i
a l N o t e s
HMS
CHURCHILL as DEYATELNYI
sailed to North Russia with Convoy JW59 that
included the battleship
ARKHANGELSKI (Ex HMS ROYAL SOVEREIGN) and
other Ex USN Land-Lease destroyers
being transferred to Russia. She then Joined
the Northern Fleet and was
deployed for convoy defence in the Arctic. On
16th January 1945 she was
torpedoed and sunk by U956 in defence of a
White Sea convoy. This destroyer was
the only one of the TOWN Class loaned to the
Soviet
Navy which was lost.
Addendum
CONVOY
ESCORT MOVEMENTS of HMS
CHURCHILL
by
Don Kindell
These
convoy lists have not been cross-checked with
the text above
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Date
convoy sailed
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Joined
convoy as escort
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Convoy No.
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Left
convoy
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Date
convoy arrived
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28/01/41
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29/01/41
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OB
279
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01/02/41
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02/02/41
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21/01/41
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03/02/41
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HX
104
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06/02/41
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08/02/41
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17/02/41
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26/02/41
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TC
009
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27/02/41
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27/02/41
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06/05/41
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16/05/41
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HX
125A
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18/05/41
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22/05/41
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01/06/41
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07/06/41
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HX
130
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13/06/41
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20/06/41
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11/06/41
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17/06/41
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OB
334
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23/06/41
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25/06/41
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30/06/41
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06/07/41
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HX
136
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13/07/41
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18/07/41
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01/07/41
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06/07/41
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SC
036
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13/07/41
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19/07/41
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11/07/41
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16/07/41
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OB
345
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24/07/41
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26/07/41
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01/08/41
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05/08/41
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HX
142
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12/08/41
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18/08/41
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15/08/41
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21/08/41
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ON
007
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23/08/41
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25/08/41
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10/08/41
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24/08/41
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HX
144
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unknown
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30/08/41
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10/09/41
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12/09/41
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HX
149
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20/09/41
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25/09/41
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16/09/41
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25/09/41
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HX
150
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28/09/41
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30/09/41
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03/03/42
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05/03/42
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ON
072
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14/03/42
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19/03/42
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21/03/42
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23/03/42
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NA
006
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28/03/42
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28/03/42
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08/04/42
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08/04/42
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CT
014
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16/04/42
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16/04/42
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20/04/42
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23/04/42
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HX
186
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01/05/42
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02/05/42
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15/05/42
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16/05/42
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ON
095
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25/05/42
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29/05/42
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07/06/42
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07/06/42
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TO
005
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09/06/42
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09/06/42
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13/06/42
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13/06/42
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OT
008
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16/06/42
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16/06/42
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19/06/42
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19/06/42
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TO
008
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21/06/42
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21/06/42
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28/06/42
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28/06/42
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OT
012
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02/07/42
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02/07/42
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12/07/42
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12/07/42
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TAW
004
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21/07/42
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21/07/42
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22/07/42
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unknown
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WAT
008
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22/07/42
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31/07/42
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08/08/42
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08/08/42
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TAW
012
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17/08/42
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17/08/42
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21/08/42
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21/08/42
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WAT
016
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01/09/42
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01/09/42
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19/09/42
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19/09/42
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GN
005
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26/09/42
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26/09/42
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04/12/42
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11/12/42
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SC
112
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25/12/42
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25/12/42
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02/01/43
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05/01/43
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ON
158
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17/01/43
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23/01/43
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10/03/43
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10/03/43
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MKF
010B
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17/03/43
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17/03/43
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02/03/43
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02/04/43
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KMF
010B
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09/03/43
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09/03/43
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06/04/43
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07/04/43
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ON
177
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17/04/43
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23/04/43
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18/04/43
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24/04/43
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HX
235
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03/05/43
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05/05/43
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17/05/43
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18/05/43
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ONS
008
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29/05/43
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01/06/43
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05/06/43
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08/06/43
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SC
133
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19/06/43
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19/06/43
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03/07/43
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04/07/43
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ONS
012
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15/07/43
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18/07/43
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19/07/43
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23/07/43
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SC
137
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03/08/43
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03/08/43
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14/08/43
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15/08/43
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ON
197
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22/08/43
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28/08/43
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27/08/43
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02/09/43
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HX
254
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09/09/43
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12/09/43
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22/09/43
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23/09/43
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ON
203
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03/10/43
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10/10/43
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05/10/43
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11/10/43
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HX
260
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18/10/43
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20/10/43
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31/10/43
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09/11/43
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ON
209
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10/11/43
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17/11/43
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13/11/43
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18/11/43
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HX
266
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26/11/43
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27/11/43
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09/12/43
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10/12/43
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ON
215
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22/12/43
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28/12/43
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22/12/43
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27/12/43
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HX
272
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04/01/44
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06/01/44
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(Note
on Convoys)
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