Born 1900 – died 1971

Herbert Hadfield Wild was born on the 23rd September 1900 in Whaley Bridge. At the time this was in Cheshire but is now part of Derbyshire. His father George was a postman and his mother’s name was Annie. He had a sister, Ellen Ogden born c1908. Herbert’s occupation before joining the navy was a clerk.

Two days after his 18th birthday in September 1918 Herbert joined HMS Vivid II, the Stokers and Engine Room Artificers School at Devonport. In December 1918, a month after the armistice, he was posted to HMS Ganges, a shore-based Royal Navy Training School at Shotley, Suffolk. A reference to ‘MCS 1st April 1919’ under ‘Engagement’ on the record card is unclear but it might refer to the Mine Clearance Service established in 1919 to clear sea mines laid during the war*.

In August 1919 Herbert was posted to HMS Victorious II. From October 1918 to February 1919 Victorious II (previously HMS Prince George) was a destroyer depot ship based at Scapa Flow. In February the ship reverted to her previous name HMS Prince George and transferred to Sheerness. It is not clear if Herbert’s posting was to this ship or another shore establishment or possibly to HMS Victorious, a pre-dreadnought battleship based at Scapa Flow as a repair ship. He was demobilised on the 22nd December 1919.

In 1922 Herbert married Winifred J Kidd. There are no further records for him in this country, but a Herbert Hadfield Wild died on the 7th April 1971 in Cape Town, South Africa survived by his wife Winifred Josephine Wild.

*After the war the Royal Navy established the Mine Clearance Service to clear the thousands of mines laid during the conflict. It operated from 1919 until it was disbanded in 1920.