Royal Naval Patrol Service Association

Royal Naval Patrol Service Association is a registered charity, No. 273148
The RNPS Association can be contacted at:

RNPS Association
Sparrow's Nest Gardens
Whapload Road
Lowestoft
NR32 1XG

Telephone: +44 (0) 1502 586250

The National Officers:

There are several email addresses available for use depending on the reason for your message:

To email the Association HQ for any purpose: rnps_HQ@lowestoft.org.uk  email
To email Leo Whisstock, the Assistant Secretary: rnps_enq@lowestoft.org.uk   email
To email Alf Muffett, the Museum Curator: rnps_mus@lowestoft.org.uk  email
To email about anything to do with the website: rnps@lowestoft.org.uk

For any purpose, all written correspondence to the Royal Naval Patrol Service Association should be addressed through the National Secretary at the above address.

The History:   When the Royal Naval Reserves were mobilised in August 1939, Sparrow's Nest, Lowestoft became the Central Depot of the Royal Naval Patrol Service, at the most easterly point of Great Britain, then the closest British military establishment to the enemy.

The advantages of using small ships for minesweeping and other duties had been recognised during WW1 and many of the crews of the peacetime fishing fleets had been encouraged to join the Royal Naval Reserve.

At first known as 'Pembroke X' the depot later became HMS Europa and was the administrative headquarters for more than 70,000 men and 6,000 ships which included trawlers, whalers, drifters, MFV's (Motor Fishing Vessels), ML's (Motor Launches), and later MMS (Motor Minesweepers or 'Mickey Mouses'), American produced BYMS (British Yard MineSweepers) and numerous requisitioned vessels.

Within a short while the Royal Navy had almost taken over Lowestoft with the establishment of no fewer than five Naval Bases, HMS Europa (RNPS Headquarters), HMS Martello (the local Minesweeping Base), HMS Mantis (Coastal Forces MGB's and MTB's), HMS Minos (Harbour Defence, small escort and other craft) and HMS Myloden (Landing Craft Training for RM Commandos and Combined Operations).

Here, however, we are only concerned with HMS Europa. The RNPS fought all over the world in all theatres of the war and were involved mainly with minesweeping and anti-submarine work. The only RNPS VC was won at Namsos during the Narvik campaign but over 850 other awards were made to RNPS personnel as well as over 200 Mention in Despatches.

Vessels from RNPS were on convoy duty in the Atlantic and the Arctic, in the Mediterranean and the Far East but many will first think of the keeping clear of the War Channel. Throughout the early years of the war mines were laid by the Germans by sea and air around the British Isles in an attempt to strangle the coastal convoys which were used to keep Britain supplied. It was the work of the RNPS to keep the shipping lane clear so that the convoys could continue and this meant constant minesweeping because as soon as an area had been cleared it was a simple task for E-Boats or aircraft to mine it again.

This hazardous work was recognised by the award of a unique silver badge to RNPS minesweeping and anti-submarine crews. It was not an automatic award and only given to those officers and ratings who had completed six months sea-time. The first issue was with a vertical pin at the back but so many of these were lost that it was changed to having four small eyes so that it could be sewn onto the sleeve.

Because the majority were Royal Naval Reservists the RNPS became 'a Navy within a Navy' and was given a number of unofficial titles, 'Harry Tate's Navy' and 'Churchill's Pirates' being two of the more polite. The peacetime crews becoming Naval seamen together made for a special cameraderie which continued in the Service throughout WW2 even though by the end most RNPS members were 'hostilities only' who had probably had no connection with the sea before the war.

This brotherhood is reflected in the continuing activity of those who were involved in WW2 with the present-day RNPS Association and long may it continue.

The Association: Thirty years after the end of World War 2 a handful of ex-members of the Royal Naval Patrol Service got together to form an Association to link not only those who had passed through HMS Europa, the stone frigate based at Sparrow's Nest Gardens, Lowestoft during the WW2 but also the widows of those who made the supreme sacrifice.

On November 5th, 1975, the Association was duly launched. In October 1976 the first Annual Re-union was held and a re-union has been held each October every year since. Members and visitors come from as far afield as the U.S.A., Canada, Newfoundland, New Zealand and Australia.

The National Office and Museum are situated in Sparrow's Nest and a most attractive display of relics and memorablilia has been gathered together by members of the Association who devote a great deal of their spare time in making this a unique and brightly-decorated meeting place.

The Association provides a link for all ex-members of RNPS and a source of information to those researching careers and service records as well as looking after the Museum. It publishes a bi-annual Newsletter and organises the Annual Reunion held each October, the highlight of which is the Parade, Service of Remembrance, Wreath Laying and March Past followed in the evening by the Annual Dinner.

Because the events which caused the formation of RNPS are now so long ago time is catching up with a number of members and numbers attending the Annual Reunion are dwindling each year. Families and the next generation are encouraged to join the Association in an Associate capacity so that the experiences and sacrifice of their fathers and grandfathers are not forgotten.

The Museum is located in 'The Stannard Room' on the first floor (the floor above the ground floor, access only via a flight of stairs) and includes the 'slops' shop; and 'The Europa Room' (on the ground floor behind the War Memorial Museum); both are in some of the few remaining original buildings in Sparrow's Nest, Lowestoft.

Lining the walls of the Europa Room are the 17 boards listing the 850 or thereabouts honours won by members of the R.N.P.S. during WW2, including a VC, along with a list of over 200 'Mentioned in Despatches'.

The VC was awarded to an ex-Merchant Navy officer, Lieut. Richard Stannard, of the Hull trawler Arab, during the Narvik campaign. He steamed his ship into Namsos harbour on August 16th, 1940, to fight a fire on the pier which threatened to blow up an ammunition dump. His junior officer, Sub-Lieut. E. T. Lees, R.N.V.R., was awarded the D.S.O. and three other members of his crew received decorations. There is also a record of the C.B.E. awarded to Commodore Daniel de Pass for his services at the Nest.

In addition to a mock-up of a wheelhouse there are numerous small exhibits including photographs and models of many of the ships of RNPS and much war memorablilia such as shields, uniforms, flags and personal possessions. The photographs illustrate many of the members of RNPS at their various duties, in many parts of the world and at various locations in Lowestoft. Many include unidentified members and so if you visit and can recognise anyone we have not identified please let us know.

Additional material not able to be displayed is also available for research purposes and there is a small reference library.

Admission to the Museum is free and it is generally open throughout the year on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings until noon but......

...Museum opening is subject to the availability of volunteers to man it. As with all volunteer run enterprises the planned opening times cannot always be relied on, so if you are travelling a long distance to visit it will be worthwhile checking in advance whether or not the museum will be open and if possible arranging an appointment.

The RNPS Memorial stands in an imposing position on the cliff top in Belle Vue Park, Lowestoft, overlooking the sea and Sparrow's Nest Gardens. It was erected and is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

The Memorial commemorates the members of RNPS who died during 1939-1945 who have no known grave other than the sea and a few others who died on shore but have no known grave. Dedicated in 1953 it consists of a circular base some 40 feet in diameter with a fluted column surmounted by a gilt bronze galleon.

Around the base is a panel of Portland stone with the main inscription and 17 bronze panels listing the 2385 names of those lost including 49 from Newfoundland.

Not everyone who wants to will be able to visit the site. To try to make the details available to all, a description and details of the panels and the CWGC register is set out online with the names listed in surname order, by date of loss and by vessel name, each record being linked to an image of the relevant bronze panel. It is hoped that this facility will also prove useful to historians and family history researchers.

RNPS Books: There have been quite a number of books written about the Royal Naval Patrol Service and as is to be expected, some are more academic than others!

One of our members is a bookseller who trades as 'A Book for all Reasons' and he has compiled a reading list of RNPS titles, not necessarily in stock but ones to look out for.

His allocation of a category to any book is a subjective decision so please be guided more by the description of the contents. He usually has some RNPS titles available for sale so if you would like further information about any of them please contact him.