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Richard Albert Leonard — Able Seaman - Royal Navy No. JX.523301

A brief history

My father-in-law volunteered for the navy on the 4th August 1943 aged 17, he commenced enlistment on the 29th January 1944 (his 18th birthday).
He was born in Kingston upon Hull, East Yorkshire in 1926 and was working as a store keepers labourer in Hull before volunteering, he had 2 brothers and 1 sister.

My father-in-laws certificate of service shows the following ships he served:
Collingwood from 4th August 1943 to 12th October 1943
Victory from 13th October 1943 to 10th November 1943
Exellent from 11th November 1943 to 8th February 1944
Victory from 9th February 1944 to 14th April 1944
Howe from 15th April 1944 to 3rd August 1944
Howe from 4th August 1944 to 5th February 1947

The following is a personal log my father-in-law kept showing dates of departure and arrival of ports whilst serving on HMS Howe:
Depart Devonport 10-5-1944, Arrived Scapa flow 12-5-1944
Depart Scapa flow 10-6-1944, Arrived Rosyth 11-6-1944
Depart Rosyth 13-6-1944, Arrived Scapa flow 14-6-1944
Depart Scapa flow 30-6-1944, Arrived Greenock 1-7-1944
Depart Greenock 1-7-1944, Arrived Algiers 7-7-1944
Depart Algiers 9-7-1944, Arrived Port Said 14-7-1944
Depart Port Said 15-7-1944, Arrived Tewfik (Suez) 16-7-1944
Depart Port Tewfik 22-7-1944, Arrived Aden 24-7-1944
Depart Aden 28-7-1944, Arrived Colombo 3-8-1944
Depart Colombo 8-8-1944, Arrived Trincomalee 9-8-1944
Depart Trincomalee 19-8-1944, Arrived Trincomalee 27-8-1944 (opps on Sumatra between these dates)
Depart Trincomalee 8-9-1944, Arrived Trincomalee 9-9-1944 (fleet manouvers)
Depart Trincomalee 14-9-1944, Arrived Trincomalee 20-9-1944 (opps Sumatra)
Depart Trincomalee 10-10-1944, Arrived Colombo 11-10-1944
Depart Colombo 23-10-1944, Arrived Trincomalee 24-10-1944
Depart Trincomalee 26-11-1944, Arrived Colombo 27-11-1944
Depart Colombo 2-12-1944, Arrived Freemantle 11-12-1944
Depart Freemantle 11-12-1944, Arrived Sydney 17-12-1944
Depart Sydney 12-1-1945, Arrived Manus 19-1-1945
Depart Manus 24-1-1945, Arrived Sydney 29-1-1945
Depart Sydney 2-2-1945, Arrived Auckland 5-2-1945
Depart Auckland 14-2-1945, Arrived Sydney 17-2-1945
Depart Sydney 28-2-1945, Arrived Manus 7-3-1945
Depart Manus 18-3-1945, Arrived Ulithi 20-3-1945
Depart Ulithi 23-3-1945, Arrived Leyte 23-4-1945 (opps on sakashimae)
Depart Leyte 1-5-1945, Arrived Manus 30-5-1945
Depart Manus 2-6-1945, Arrived Sydney 6-6-1945
Depart Sydney 8-6-1945, Arrived Freemantle 13-6-1945
Depart Freemantle 15-6-1945, Arrived Durban 27-6-1945
Depart Durban 10-9-1945, Arrived Simonstown 12-9-1945
Depart Simonstown 14-9-1945, Arrived Cape town 14-9-1945
Depart Cape town 20-9-1945, Arrived Mussel bay 21-9-1945
Depart Mussel bay 21-9-1945, Arrived East London 22-9-1945
Depart East London 22-9-1945, Arrived Killindini 28-9-1945
Depart Killindini 31-10-1945, Arrived Seychelles 3-11-1945
Depart Seychelles 6-11-1945, Arrived Addu attoll 9-11-1945
Depart Addu attoll 10-11-1945, Arrived Colombo 12-11-1945
Depart Colombo 14-11-1945, Arrived Trincomalee 15-11-1945
Depart Trincomalee 22-11-1945, Arrived Singapore 27-11-1945
Depart Singapore 1-12-1945, Arrived Seletar bay 1-12-1945
Depart Seletar bay 4-12-1945, Arrived Singapore 4-12-1945
Depart Singapore 7-12-1945, Arrived Colombo 12-12-1945
Depart Colombo 15-12-1945, Arrived Bombay 18-12-1945
Depart Bombay 19-12-1945, Arrived Aden 24-12-1945
Depart Aden 26-12-1945, Arrived Port Said 30-12-1945
Depart Port Said 1-1-1946, Arrived Portsmouth 9-1-1946

After the war my father-in-law married my mother-in-law on 5th April 1947, my father-in-law died in 1993 aged 67.
He left the following documents:
Certificate of Service
Gunnery History Sheet
Instrument of Surrender (copy of Japanese surrender, signed at Tokyo Bay)
HMS Howe book including track chart (dated 1944-1945)
Photographs (25) dating 1944 to 1945
Personal log of ports visited
A pocket guide to Malaya-1945
Souvenir letter card of ‘Beautiful Durban’
HMS Howe ‘Ancient Order of the Deep’ certificate
Map of Ceylon dated 1945
Information for visiting troops ‘Welcome to Cape Town’ (dated 1943)
Twenty four views of Durban (booklet)
The New Zealand Herald, Thursday, Feb. 22, 1945 (shows pictures of HMS Howe)
The Weekly News (New Zealand, Auckland) 21st and 28th Feb. 1945 (shows HMS Howe)

His medals:
1939-45 Star
Burma Star
Burma Star (Pacific)
War Medal 1939-45
Occupation of Japan 1946-52 (BCOF) issued by BCOF Association of Queensland

If anyone is interested in receiving any of the photographs mentioned above, I have scanned them and can e-mail them or they could be sent if copied, I would be interested in receiving the same from others who served on HMS Howe.

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