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Arctic Star help needed

Hi

My father served in the Royal Navy from 1941-1946

He had sometimes spoken about escorting the Russian convoys.

He passed away in 2009 and I applied for his service record which was duly received.

I noticed he was assigned to HMS Baldur in Iceland from June 1943- March 1944. This would tie in with him mentioning the Russian convoys. I am not sure if this is HMS Baldur the troop ship or HMS Baldur the land base. His record shows him as what looks like A/AB, not sure if this is able seaman?

I applied unsuccessfully for the Arctic Star for him as although he is shown on his record as being in Iceland, he is not entitled to the star unless I can provide evidence to support him being on a ship that entered the arctic circle, as Iceland is actually just outside the arctic circle.

His record shows the following and I have written as it actually reads (-"- means ditto mark)

Baldur. 6 July 43
-"- 25 Aug 43
-"- 15 Oct 43
-"- 2 Mch. 44

not sure why there are several entries for the same base/ ship?

there are also some numbers in the same column as the ships names, not sure if these could be pay references or the such like?

Would anyone be able to tell me if there is any way I can find out if my dad actually went to sea while in Baldur?

i just desperately want to get him the medal he deserves

any help would be massively appreciated
 
Sainfoin, Had a bit of a dig on the internet, and the Baldur which you refer to as a troop ship (seems to have been renamed a few times) appears to have been an accommodation ship, so unlikely to have been involved in the convoys
 
Looking at the dates & bearing in mind there would usually only be one HMS Baldur commissioned, I guess it's the land base where he served unfortunately, quite possibly involved with the arctic convoy logistical support.
 
It would seem HMS Baldur was also an accounting base, which would tie in with it being an accommodation ship (much like submarine or destroyer depot ships).

This site has been asked the same sort of question and got a comprehensive reply.

APO John Jenkins, HMS BALDUR

If you had any evidence he served on one of the listed trawlers and small ships you may be in with a chance.
 
Found on the net.
BALDUR was the colective name of the bases in Iceland sited at Reykjavik and including the Royal Naval Air Stations at Kalardarnes and Huitanes.
 
Hi all, thanks very much for all your replies, really good to know there are plenty of chaps out there willing to help; thank you!

if anyone could shed light on the following;
what does A/AB stand for?
any idea why there are several dates in succession for being at Baldur ?
lastly, can anyone tell me, what do the numbers mean before the ship entry on his service record?
example there are some numbers, 152, over a horizontal line under which I think the word "misc" is written

thanks in advance for all your help lads
 
A/AB stands for Acting Able Seaman.

He'll have a succession of dates as he moved from ship to ship as the Baldur would be the parent ship where his service doc's and pay accounts were held.

Without seeing the documents I would guess the underlined number was his ships book number for which ever vessel he was on at the time, the "misc" would stand for miscellaneous, so he was probably a spare hand onboard meaning no specific duties.
 
Thanks again all for your help, means a lot to me.
I have done some further research and think I have found out the following;

There were many trawlers stationed at Baldur, and going on the numbers written on my dad's service records I have found out that he was probably on 3 different vessels during his time there.
they are FY 823 which is HMS (HMT) Saturn, FY 102 HMS (HMT) Hugh Walpole and FY 142 HMS (HMT) Cambridgshire.

There is some information on these vessels on the internet, and it seems all three had service in Iceland at some time but there are no firm dates.
Does anyone know of any source that I can gain information regarding the movement of these ships between July 1943 and march 1944?
if I can prove that any of these ships entered the Arctic Circle within these dates I will be able to obtain his Arctic Star medal to add to his others which I have proudly displayed on my office wall at home

Thanks again for all your help
 

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