HMS Victory training base, Portsmouth, 1938

HMS Royal Oak arrives at Portsmouth June 1939

Here's a very atmospheric picture from the Evening News of the Royal Oak's arrival in Portsmouth on 6th June 1939, watched by sunbathers on Southsea beach. I think this picture shows that even though Royal Oak was by now over twenty five years old (she fought in the First World War at Jutland) her arrival in Portsmouth was a big event. As you can see the plan at that time was for her to join the Mediterranean Fleet. 

Visits to Torquay and Weymouth June/July 1939

HMS Royal Oak was recommissioned for active service the day after her arrival at Portsmouth on Wednesday 7th June 1939. She took on a whole new crew including Tom Osborne, who was on board for all of the activities and events from now on.

During the next few weeks of June and July 1939, Royal Oak carried out working-up exercises to get the new crew into an efficient working unit. She left Portsmouth on 9th June and arrived in Torbay the next day for a goodwill visit. She was open to the public for viewing and hundreds of local people came aboard to look over the ship.  And there was a cricket match between Torquay and a team from the Royal Oak. Three of those cricket team members (Grace, Fenn, Moore) died later when the ship was torpedoed.

Because of the bunting we think this picture of some of the crew relaxing on the foredeck was taken at Weymouth awaiting the arrival of the Royal Yacht. Tom could be among them. Note the letters RO (Royal Oak) on top of the gun turret. This must have been to aid identification from aircraft.

Royal Oak rejoins the Home Fleet July 1939 

At about this time because of the threat of war the Admiralty changed their plans and included Royal Oak with other ships that were to be added to the Home Fleet at Scapa Flow in Orkney.

Prior to departing for Scapa Flow, The Illustrated London News came on board Royal Oak and took some photographs to accompany a publicity article. Here are two of those photographs showing first the boiler room, and then the engine control room. Tom would have carried out his duties as a stoker in both of them.

Royal Oak joins flotilla to Scotland August 1939

On 1st August 1939 a flotilla of 16 ships left Portsmouth headed for Invergordon on Cromarty Firth, Scotland. The flotilla included 5 battleships including Royal Oak, 5 cruisers and 7 destroyers. This picture shows them after arriving at Invergordon in August 1939. The LH line are the battleships Repulse, Royal Sovereign, Royal Oak, Resolution, and Rodney; the middle line is the 2nd Cruiser squadron, and the right hand line are destroyers.

The arrival of this important fleet of ships to the naval base at Invergordon was a notable event locally, as these newspaper clippings show. It would be nice to think that Tom went ashore at Invergordon, and maybe played in one of the several football matches.

War is declared September 1939

They left Invergordon on the 13th August and arrived in Scapa Flow on 21st August. Why it took 8 days is anybody's guess. They must have conducted some exercises or manoeuvres on the way. The picture below shows Royal Oak lying in Scapa Flow.

The war with Germany was declared on 1st September 1939.

Royal Oak took part in two patrols while at Scapa Flow.

On 3rd September 1939 the Admiralty received a report that the German Fleet was putting to sea. The assumption was that they would travel north and try to reach the Atlantic by passing north of Orkney and through the Fair Isle channel.  Royal Oak and Royal Sovereign accompanied by 6 destroyers left Scapa to patrol near Fair Isle to try to intercept the German ships. In the event there was no sign of them and they returned to Scapa on the 6th September.

A similar action took place on 9th October after a report of 5 German warships off the coast of Norway. Again, Royal Oak was part of the patrol near Fair Isle with nothing sighted. She returned to Scapa on Wednesday 11th October. 

The sinking of the Royal Oak 14th October 1939

Two nights later in the early hours of Saturday 14th October Royal Oak was hit by two torpedoes fired by the German U-Boat U47.  If you want to find out details of the attack there are plenty of websites and books which give detailed accounts. But for here we'll show the local family story using the Portsmouth Evening News.

Portsmouth Evening News, Saturday 14th October 1939

Portsmouth Evening News, Monday 16th October 1939

Portsmouth Evening News, Wednesday October 25th 1939

The final resting place

This is how Scapa Flow looks today, with the buoy marking the position of the wreck of the Royal Oak and the tower of St. Magnus cathedral Kirkwall in the distance.

And finally, a curiosity.

Prize Money

In Tom's Royal Navy service record there is an entry showing a payment of £4 4s Naval Prize Money, in 1950 to his mother Ada Mary Osborne, our Granny. A bit of research revealed that Naval Prize Money was originally paid during the 18th century to officers and crew of warships that captured merchant vessels in time of war. The money was the value of the ship and cargo which was subsequently sold. By the time of WW2 the payment of prize money was still being carried out. But the system had changed such that all prize money was put into a fund that was shared amongst all military personnel who had served in the war, from Navy, Army, and Air Force. I had never heard of this before seeing the entry in Tom's service record.