HMCS Brandon
1943
Anchored at Londonderry, Northern Ireland
Image captured by The TOPICAL Press Agency Ltd., 20 & 21 Red Lion Court, Fleet Ct., London E.C.4

I discovered this photograph today, 12-14-09, while going through a box of old photographs that my mother had put away and then given to me just before she died. I'd never managed to look through the box before today. I wish that I had done so while she was still alive though as there are so many faces that I recognize, but unfortunately I don't remember their names. I was pleasantly surprised to find this photo, to say the least.

This photograph was sent to my mother by my father in 1943 while he was on leave in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, at Christmas time. I was born while he was ashore there the day after Christmas. I recall Dad telling me that he received a telegram notifying him that he had a son. He said that he proceeded to go out on the town and toasted my arrival in fine fashion...

In restoring this photograph I noticed that there was a substantial area on the original negative that had been scraped to obliterate some feature on the side of the ship. It shows up in the photograph under magnification as an obvious attempt to remove something or other. The actual photograph itself is intact in that area so that leaves only the possibility that it was the negative that was altered somewhat crudely. This area is below the ship's main gun in the medium-gray colored area and extends into the light-gray colored area. On the reverse of the photograph is a sticker which says, "AS CENSORED BY THE ADMIRALTY." I added the title in the upper right corner of the photograph.

In the lower right corner my father wrote: "With love to my darling wife Jean. Glen" He was the electric artificer on board, or as his shipmates shortened it - electrificer. That's what we landlubbers would call the ship's electrician. Later he was to setup the Allied cypher machines aboard ships as they formed into convoys off Halifax, and then he become a cypher specialist stationed aboard the HMCS Avalon, a land base in Toronto. He was a part of the 8-man, top-secret, Canadian, Intrepid mission which captured the German, 4-rotor, cypher machine without the Germans' knowledge. He maintained and worked on the secretly stolen German Enigma at HMCS Avalon.

HMCS BRANDON, K149

Built at Lauzon, Que, she was commissioned at Quebec City on 22 Jul 1941. Brandon arrived at Halifax on 01 Aug 1941. She joined Newfoundland Command in September after working up and left St. John's 26 Sep 1941 for her first convoy, SC.46. She served as an ocean escort to and from Iceland until Dec 1941, when she arrived in the U.K. for three months' repairs at South Shields. From mid-Mar 1942, after three weeks' workups at Tobermory, she served on the "Newfie-Derry" run almost continuously until Sep 1944. From Dec 1942, onward, she served with EG C-4, helping defend the hard-pressed convoy HX.224 in Feb 1943, and in the following month escorting convoys to and from Gibraltar. In Aug 1943, she had a three-month refit at Grimsby, England, including fo'c's'le extension. She left Londonderry 02 Sep 1944, to join her last transatlantic convoy, ONS.251, and, after two months' refit at Liverpool, N.S., worked up in Bermuda. On 05 Feb 1945, she arrived at S. John's to join EG W-5, Western Escort Force, in which she served until the end of the war. Paid off at Sorel on 22 Jun 1945, she was broken up at Hamilton, Ont. in 1945.
Built at Lauzon, Que, she was commissioned at Quebec City on 22 Jul 1941. Brandon arrived at Halifax on 01 Aug 1941. She joined Newfoundland Command in September after working up and left St. John's 26 Sep 1941 for her first convoy, SC.46. She served as an ocean escort to and from Iceland until Dec 1941, when she arrived in the U.K. for three months' repairs at South Shields. From mid-Mar 1942, after three weeks' workups at Tobermory, she served on the "Newfie-Derry" run almost continuously until Sep 1944. From Dec 1942, onward, she served with EG C-4, helping defend the hard-pressed convoy HX.224 in Feb 1943, and in the following month escorting convoys to and from Gibraltar. In Aug 1943, she had a three-month refit at Grimsby, England, including fo'c's'le extension. She left Londonderry 02 Sep 1944, to join her last transatlantic convoy, ONS.251, and, after two months' refit at Liverpool, N.S., worked up in Bermuda. On 05 Feb 1945, she arrived at St. John's to join EG W-5, Western Escort Force, in which she served until the end of the war. Paid off at Sorel on 22 Jun 1945, she was broken up at Hamilton, Ont. in 1945.