HMS Hathi

[Rayfo]

I wonder if anyone is able to help me with this problem.

My uncle, Cyril Geoffrey Vaughan Neale, after serving with the Shanghai Municipal Police, joined the RNVR in May, 1941 as a Temporary Acting Lieutenant (Special Branch).

In October 1944, I have him based at HMS Lanka, in Ceylon, and in July 1945 at HMS Hathi, before returning to HMS Victory, Portsmouth in 1946.

HMS Lanka, and HMS Victory, I have no problem with – but cannot definitively place HMS Hathi. One site, ‘unithistories.com’ places it in Delhi, India, whilst two passing references on other sites locate it at Kandy, Ceylon.

Family legend has Cyril on Mountbatten’s staff (presumably peripherally), and this would make sense if HMS Hathi were in Kandy, which is where Mountbatten had his HQ in the later years of the war.

If anybody is able to throw any light on the subject of HMS Hathi – or indeed on Cyril Geoffrey Vaughan Neale - I should really be most grateful.

[liverpool annie]

Hi Rayfo !

Just a couple of snippets but I think you have all this already ..... 

Neale, Cyril Geoffrey Vaughan

02.11.1905
Croydon district, Greater London / Kent / Surrey
-
(12?).1976
Brent district
T/A/Lt. (Sp.Br.)
02.05.1941
T/Lt.
27.03.1946, seniority 02.05.1941
Served until August 1940 with the Shanghai Municipal Police, and spoke several languages, including various dialects of Chinese and Japanese.
(10.1944)

HMS Lanka (RN base, Colombo, Ceylon) *
(07.1945)

HMS Hathi (RN depot, Delhi) *
(04.1946)
 
 HMS Victory (RN base, Portsmouth) *
* indexed, but not listed as such

http://www.unithistories.com/officers/RNVR_officersN.html

Surname Forename                Joined Serving Left Previous Employment Date of Birth Place of Birth
Vaughan-Neale Cyril Geoffrey 1929              1940 junior manager, Sunlight Soap 02 Nov, 1905 England, London

http://eis.bris.ac.uk/~hirab/smptuv.html

[Rayfo]

Thanks very much for replying, Annie. 

Yes, the information noted there is mainly info that I have myself contributed to a couple of databases (apart from info about HMS Lanka, and HMS Hathi), but it is extremely kind of you to go to the trouble of researching it – and one never knows when something has been overlooked!

Much obliged for your input – the search for HMS Hathi goes on. 

[jean72]

I spotted this  and as a relative of c. g. vaughan-Neale, i would be interested to know more.thanks, Jean

[Rayfo]

I spotted this  and as a relative of c. g. vaughan-Neale, i would be interested to know more.thanks, Jean

Hello Jean,

I have sent you a Personal Message.

[jean72]

having difficulty trying to reply to Ray

Jean

[Rayfo]

having difficulty trying to reply to Ray

Jean

Now sorted out.

[garibaldired]

I know these are old posts but I see from my father's Naval service record that his Conduct record is signed by C G Vaughan Neale on 31 Dec 1945 and 7 Jan 1946, both at HMS Victory (Barracks) at Portsmouth!

[Rayfo]

Thank you for that Garibaldired. So that places my uncle in Portsmouth in December, 1945 - somewhat earlier than I had thought.

I should just like to take the opportunity of making a tribute to the great usefulness of Rootschat in general, by telling members of an extremely beneficial result that came out of this thread, if you will indulge me.

I knew that my uncle had married a Chinese lady whilst he was serving in the Shanghai Municipal Police, and that they had adopted a little Chinese girl as their daughter. I also knew that he had abandoned them at some stage, but I didn't know where or when - I assumed when he left China upon the Japanese occupation. As part of my genealogical research, which commenced some time after my uncle's death in 1976, I of course tried to trace them, but with no success - Chinese records are closed for the most part.

As a result of my original post on this thread, a poster  replied saying that she was a relative of C. G. Vaughan-Neale, and would like to know more. She had searched for him for many years, and then came across Rootschat and my post.
 

Now, thanks to Rootschat and this thread, she has two families, who all love her.

Moderator Comment: Post has been edited to protect privacy of living persons as per Rootschat policy