Ahoy - Mac's Web Log

Dear sirs,

Ny name is Rick Diack and my grandfather was the lieutenant on HMS Ladybird, he unfortunatley died a few years back but left me the ships bible signed before it was sunk I would greatly appreciate any info you have on the ship and my grandfather.  I am currently trying to find other ships he served on.

Regards

Rick Diack
Bedfordshire

Rick,

At this URL: http://www.hmsfalcon.com/index.htm is a history of the River Gunboats in China, if you scroll down you will find a picture of HMS Ladybird.

Do you know the book GUNBOAT SMALL SHIPS AT WAR by Bryan Perrett and published by Cassell & Co. London. 2000?

In it are some details of Ladybird's history and two pictures, one in China and one at Tobruk where she was sunk.

I have E-Mailed the two pictures separately.

See URL: http://www.hmsfalcon.com/cricket/discovery3.htm

A report about Cricket, another gunboat, and your Grandfather is mentioned at the end of para 2.

While her sisters were busily engaged along the North African coast the
Cricket, after her adventurous voyage from Singapore, was still in harbour
at Port Said. The urgent necessity for her to be docked there to repair the
damage caused by the shaking up she had received in the Arabian and Red Seas
unfortunately coincided with the arrival of the stream of British warship
casualties from the Greek convoys and subsequently the battle of Crete.
Since these larger vessels - cruisers and destroyers for the most part -
were far more important than a mere gunboat the Cricket's refit was delayed
for some three and a half months. During the period the bulk of her ship's
company spent their time serving in various hoppers and dredgers which had
been fitted out for the purpose of sweeping up mines dropped by German
aircraft in the Suez Canal.

At last, however, a dry dock became available and workmen began to restore
the Insect to a seaworthy condition. Since her own 3-inch gun had vanished
into the fog of war she was rearmed with a collection of Italian weapons.
These included a 75 mm gun originally designed to be mounted on a lorry, two
30 mm Dredas, and a dozen 8 mm Fiats. Impressive though these may have
looked when mounted in the little warship they subsequently proved to be
almost useless, due to the ill effects upon them of the sand-laden air of
North African waters. Carnduff, who had had a succession of officers since
leaving Shanghai, was now given Lieutenant A H Diack as first lieutenant.
Until his ship was sunk in Tobruk Diack had held a similar appointment in
the Ladybird and therefore a veteran of the Inshore Squadron.

Regards,

Mac. Gregory.

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