[Written by Selina Peet (granddaughter) and Ed Thompson (ACM volunteer)]
Frederick Robert Phillips (JX 192814) was born in Pontllanfraith, Monmouthshire on the 13th March 1920. Prior to the outbreak of WWII, Frederick was a Grocer’s Assistant in Bedfordshire. He volunteered for naval service on 28th February 1940, just two weeks short of his 20th birthday. Fred started his basic training on 14th May 1940 in Skegness, Lincolnshire; then to Devonport. His first deployment was aboard the Ocean Boarding Vessel (OBV), HMS Cavina, a converted banana boat, requisitioned by the Admiralty, from Elders & Fyffes. Fred spent 16 months in service on HMS Cavina which was mainly deployed on escort duties for freighters travelling to the UK from Gibraltar and from Freetown, Sierra Leone. In April 1943, Fred joined HMS Chaser, a converted escort carrier. In February 1944, HMS Chaser was assigned ocean escort duties to Convoy JW57, from Loch Ewe to Murmansk. The convoy consisted of 40+ freighters, plus support vessels. The convoy was attacked and HMS Chaser deployed it’s aircraft to confront the Luftwaffe and the U Boat threat. Two U boats were sunk but the destroyer HMS Mahratta was torpedoed and sunk off the north cape of Norway. Only 16 of her 236 crew survived. On the return convoy (RA57), in appalling weather conditions, HMS Chaser again deployed her aircraft to counter the U boat threat, whenever it was possible to launch them. Three U boats were sunk by aircraft launched from HMS Chaser.
Fred and HMS Chaser never returned to Arctic Convoy duties, as they were assigned to the Pacific Fleet until Fred left the ship on 24th October 1945. Fred was released from naval service Class A on 20th April 1946 and went on to train as a bricklayer. He played football in Brixham.
Fred was a loving husband to Winifred (Jenkinson), whom he married in December 1947 in Newton Abbot, Devon. They had one son, Christopher who was born in 1950. Sadly, Fred passed away in January 1976 in Torbay, Devon, aged 55 and never met his two granddaughters and five great grandchildren.
Fred is on the right of the image above with his coat buttoned up.