HMS Warrior, R31

Rowland Victor Webb

In November 2019, I received the following from Taff Webb. His father was Rowland Victor Webb who was born in Cardiff in 1932. He served his National Service from June 1953 - June 1955 in the Royal Navy as Stoker/Mechanic D/K 931288. After training on HMS Raleigh, he joined HMS Warrior for her 1953/54 commission in Mess 432. After demob, Rowland worked at the British Steel Works in Port Talbot as a Mechanical Foreman/Boilermaker. He passed away in 2017.

HMS Warrior's cruise from Plymouth to Suez, 1954

HMS Warrior's cruise from Plymouth to Suez, 1954

HMS Warrior's cruise from Suez to Hong Kong, 1954

HMS Warrior's cruise from Suez to Hong Kong, 1954

HMS Warrior's cruise in the Far East, 1954

HMS Warrior's cruise in the Far East and the Vietnam evacuation,1954

The text in the image above reads:

Viet Nam Evacuation
Between the 5th and 13th of Sept.
a total of 3,188 refugees were
taken in two journeys, south from
Haiphong to St. Jaques.

Depart Hong Kong - 12 June
Kobe - 15-16 June
Kure - 16-19 June
Sasebo - 20-21 June
Inchon - 29 June - 2 July
Kure - 4-12 July
Kure - 24-28 July
Kure - 6-8 August
Kure-Singapore - 9-16 August
Singapore - 16-31 August
Haiphong evacuation - 31 August - 15 September
Singapore - 15-23 September
Singapore-Hong Kong - 23-28 September
Hong Kong - 28 September - 7 October
Sail for Singapore - 7 October

1954 began with new communist offensives menacing South Vietnam, central and northern Laos, and the northeast of Cambodia. On May 8, 1954, the French base at Dien Bien Phu suffered a major defeat after a heavy artillery attack. The French forces in North Vietnam evacuated to below the 16th parallel. Bao Dai wished to lead the country with the support of the United States, but a referendum held in October decided to uphold Ngo Dinh Diem. Under the pece accords civillians had 300 days, ending on May 18, 1955, to choose which part of the country, north or south, they wanted to live in.

During Operation Passage to Freedom, around 800,000 people moved south with the help of mostly American and French ships. HMS Warrior was the UK's contribution to the effort. On September 4, 1954, HMS Warrior transported 1,455 people from Haiphong in the north Vietnam to Saigon in the south. There are other figures of the number of refugees helped. The figure of 3,188 is taken from one of HMS Warrior's 'seatime' postcards. The Presidential Citation given to the crew of HMS Warrior gives the figure as 3,221.


Taff very kindly sent some of his father's photos for use on the site:

Rowland Victor Webb, aged 21 at HMS Raleigh Rowland Victor Webb Rowland Victor Webb Rowland Victor Webb and friends Rowland Victor Webb Rowland Victor Webb and friends Rowland Victor Webb Rowland Victor Webb Rowland Victor Webb at Kure, Japan, July 6, 1954 Deck hockey, 1954 Deck hockey, 1954 Deck hockey, Marsaxlokk, Malta, 1954 HMS Warrior's Port Watch, Kure, Japan in 1954 Captain of a US warship Malta, February 10, 1953 Aden in Yemen, April 21, 1953 Aden in Yemen, June 1953 Suez, Egypt in April 1954 Colombo, Ceylon in May 1954 Kure, Japan, June 16, 1954 Sea Fury FB.11 Sea Fury FB.11, Malta, March 10, 1953 Sea Fury FB.11, April 23, 1953 HMS Vanguard Canadian destroyer, HMCS Crusader 228


Taff visited Eden Camp, Malton, North Yorkshire, a "Modern History Theme Museum" and there photographed a "Crossing the Line" certificate issued to B. H. Gott on November 30, 1954.

"Crossing the Line" certificate issued to B. H. Gott on November 30, 1954

"Crossing the Line" certificate issued to B. H. Gott on November 30, 1954

The certificate reads:

HMS Warrior
1953 - 1954
Home Sea Service

A Proclamation
To Whom It May Concern

Whereas we give this as a Royal Patent to certify
that B. H. Gott
this day visited Our Royal Domain on board Her Britannic
Majesty's Ship Warrior and has received the ancient initiation
and rite necessary to become one of Our Loyal Subjects...
Should he at any time fall overboard we recommend all Sharks,
Dolphins and Denizens of the Deep under Our commnd to
refrain from eating, plying with or otherwise maltreating him.
We further direct all Masters, Mates, Matelots, Marines
and Mariners to treat him with the respect due to one who has
visited Us. In longitude 9° 52' W
this 30th day of November 1954
Neptunus Rex