大象传媒

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This is dedicated to my half- brother who unfortunately I never knew as I was born a few months after he joined the navy.
He joined the Royal Navy aged fifteen as a Boy Sailor 2"d Class, eventually becoming a Leading Signalman in the Submarine service. Sadly he did not survive the war, being reported as died in war service at sea on 11 November 1942.
Listed below are the shore establishments and surface ships in which he served including naval actions involving the German navy and the Royal Italian Navy. His submarine service and depot ships are also listed.
Leading SignalmanP/JX.158613 Leonard Henry Mitton Royal Navy 1938 -1942
Leonard Henry Mitton aged fifteen joined the Royal Navy as a Boy Sailor 2nd Class on 3105 1938.
31 May 1938 - 04 September 1939.
HMS Caledonia based at Rosyth Scotland. For induction and training.
OS September 1939 - 22 November 1939. HMS St George Naval School Isle of Man
23 November 1939 -13 December 1939. HMS Victory
14 December-1939 - 03 July 1940.
HMS Manchester light cruiser with the Home fleet based at Scarpa Flow Scotland. Whilst on Northern patrol duties she captured the German merchant ship ss Wahehe on 21 February 1940. After participating in the Norwegian campaign she was based in the Humber on anti-invasion duties.

04 July 1940 - 28 August 1940.
HMS Birmingham light cruiser with the Home Fleet.
29 August 1940 - 06 January 1941.
HMS Manchester, on 15 September-1940 she sailed to the Mediterranean for Operation Collar which was to get a convoy of much needed supplies through to Malta, also further reinforcements for the Eastern Mediterranean. On 27 November contact was made with a powerful Italian force, which included the battleships Vittorio Veneto and Guillio Cesare, seven heavy cruisers and sixteen destroyers. An action developed into the inconclusive battle of Cape Spartivento. During the battle HMS Manchester narrowly escaped destruction when she was straddled by a salvo of 15 inch shells from the Italian battleship Vittorio Veneto. She returned to Britain on-13 December1940, the next four months were spent under refit.
HMS Edinburgh light cruiser with the 2nd cruiser squadron in the Humber on anti - invasion duties. In March 1941 she covered the Commando raid on the German occupied Norwegian Lofoten Islands in the Arctic.
Leonard joined the Submarine Service on OS May 1941. 05 May 1941- 27 June 1941
HMS Dolphin, Royal Navy Submarine and escape training school based at Fort Blockhouse Gosport near Portsmouth.
28 June 1941- 02 September 1942 HMS Cyclops submarine depot ship. Leonard sailed on four Atlantic convoys to and from Canada. Two slow convoys, HS from Halifax Canada and also L2.
I S September 1942.
HMS Forth submarine depot ship, Holy Loch Scotland.
HM Submarine Unbeaten. On 23'd October 1942 unbeaten left Holy Loch to carry out an SOE mission to land a party just north of Vigo in Spain. On the night ofll2 November she reported mission successful. She was then ordered to patrol the Bay of Biscay.
HM Unbeaten did not make a pre- arranged rendezvous off the Bishop Rock Light on 12 November, nothing more was heard from her.
11 November1942 Leonard was reported as died in war service at sea.

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