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Postcard of the HMS Gambia 'Fiji' Class Cruises, landed 1940, completed 1942. Adopted by the town of Huddersfield during “Warship Week” in 1942. Served with the Royal New Zealand Navy in the Pacific 1944-45, scrapped in 1968.

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Title:Postcard of the HMS Gambia 'Fiji' Class Cruises, landed 1940, completed 1942. Adopted by the town of Huddersfield during “Warship Week” in 1942. Served with the Royal New Zealand Navy in the Pacific 1944-45, scrapped in 1968.
Date Period:c.1946
Further Information:

Kirklees Towns Remember Wartime Adopted Ships

During Warship Week, a fund-raising event in May 1942, several towns in what later became Kirklees raised enough money to adopt their own warships. To commemorate this, the Admiralty presented handsome plaques bearing the ships crest. These were placed in the appropriate town hall or library, but several were later removed to storage. One plaque, to Spenborough for the destroyer HMS Airedale, was never actually presented as the Airedale was tragically sunk by German aircraft.

Over the past few years, Museums & Galleries staff have been locating, refurbishing and researching these ships plaques. All have now been replaced on public display in Council buildings, with panels giving details of the adoption scheme and histories and photographs of the ships.

The project culminated in a moving ceremony on 5 November 2005 at Cleckheaton Town Hall, led by Cllr Ann Raistrick. A new plaque for HMS Airedale, made by John Davies, a Museums and Galleries craftsman, and the refurbished plaque for HMS Nairana, were unveiled by men who had actually served on the ships, watched by many of their comrades as well as local service organisations. The event was highlighted by the Huddersfield Examiner, Spenborough Guardian, Bradford Telegraph and Argus, and BBC Bradford Website.

John Rumsby, Collections Manager, November 2005