HMS Veronica (Royal Navy) 1924

[AlanBoyd]

Seems that he just missed out on this:

Wednesday 12 October 1927: Belfast Telegraph

WAR-PAINTED NATIVES' MANY VICTIMS.
S.O.S, FROM SOLOMON ISLES.
WHITES FLEE AFTER MASSACRES.
The Commonwealth Government has received further S.O.S. messages from the Solomon Islands reporting more outrages and asking for immediate help, wires the "Evening News" Sydney correspondent.

Two white missionaries and the entire native crew of the missionary ship Auki were massacred by natives in full war paint who attacked the vessel in war canoes.

Terror stricken, the white women and children are fleeing from the inland plantations to the coastal points, where the authorities are concentrating the defence.

A strong force of native police meets the Adelaide at a given point on the coast of Malaita on Friday to guide the bluejackets' landing party. Jungle fighting is expected.

The store ship Biloela leaves Sydney on Friday with stores and munitions for a considerable campaign.

The sloop Veronica may go from Sura and the cruiser Dunedin from New Zealand as it is realised that the white man's prestige in the islands is involved.

It is believed that the rising is due to the superstition of frenzied natives. When excited, the natives, the fiercest in the South Seas, are reverting to cannibalism and head hunting. They are armed with rifles and ammunition.

[mrs.tenacious]

"HMS Veronica was a "HMS Veronica was a 'V&W' Class destroyer, serving in the patrol flotillas off the South cost of Ireland"., serving in the patrol flotillas off the South cost of Ireland".

Per Reply #1, HMS Veronica was not a 'V&W' Class destroyer, but a Fleet Minesweeping Sloop, Flower-class, Acacia-type.

Does your grandfather's naval records clearly state that he served on HMS Veronica and not another ship with a similar name?

There seems to have been much confusion with your grandfather's naval records!


Tony

His naval records:

[AlanBoyd]

Well, I’m relieved to see that my Veronica-related research wasn’t wasted.

I wonder if those entries of “off Cook”(?) are related to the Cook Islands?

Perhaps the misinformation you were given happened because someone carelessly slipped to the next line in a reference list: there were two versions of HMS Verulam for example, although neither was active in the 1920s.

[mrs.tenacious]

I'm very grateful for your help so far, Alan!

"Off. Cook" is "Officers Cook" - that's what my grandad was.

I don't know where else to ask about HMS Veronica - any ideas?  Maybe the National Archives ...

In the meantime, something very interesting turned up whilst Googling - I came across what appears to be an auction site called worthpoint.com.......it has "1924 photo album: Royal Navy: HMS Veronica: New Zealand, Fiji, China: over 350 photos".  In the description it gives a summary of the album, and has some names referenced, one of which is "Rogers"....my grandad's surname.
Without registering on the site, I can't determine if this item is still 'live' - although it doesn't look like it says 'sold anywhere' . I may have to register and see if I can find out more.  The referenced name of 'Rogers' comes immediately after the word 'officers'.....perhaps it actually reads 'officers cook' (as in 'Officers Cook ....Rogers'.)  Yet more sleuthing required!

If you come up with anything, I'd be really grateful - thank you!.

EDIT; Worthpoint.com is just an online price guide and to be avoided  ... it showed source as eBay, but the album isn't on there any more, so must have sold.  What a shame! 

[shanreagh]

HMS Veronica is well remembered in Hawkes Bay in New Zealand. 

On 3/2/1931 there was a huge earthquake 7.8 centred north-west of Napier that destroyed all transportation & communication links, uplifted land, ruptured gas mains leading to a fire.  HMS Veronica came to Napier, actually had just arrived, and provided a life giving service with crew helping with the clean-up etc. It was able to give the first advice of the disaster to the rest of NZ. 
There is a memorial walk along the foreshore in Napier and in pride of place is the Veronica bell, now in the museum, but which is brought out every year for a thanksgiving service.

The Veronica Parade.
https://nzhistory.govt.nz/hawkes-bay-earthquake-0

https://www.napier.govt.nz/our-council/news/article/2437/1931-earthquake-marked-on-3-feb

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hut7O3xwnHo

My mother who was on her second day at secondary school lived in a small town north of Napier that was badly damaged.  She watched as the tennis court they were exercising on buckled and split.  Their house was badly damaged and she & her mother set up a tent of rugs and sheets, that were on the washing line and camped out until their house could be assessed and repaired.  The house was too dnagerous to go inside as there were many after shocks.  My grandmother used the garden rake to lean in the windows/doors to drag out items they needed.  My mother's family owned a sheep station out of Wairoa.  Roads/bridges  were destroyed and her brothers rode overland to bring supplies and be with my grandmother and mother. 

A family friend from Wairoa who was due to get married in Napier shortly after the quake rode along the beaches from Wairoa to Napier, trekking inland where needed.

As children we often visited Napier and always went to the foreshore and looked at the Veronica Bell/ Parade. 
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/veronica-bell-memorial-1931-earthquake-napier-new-zealand-averil-mucalo.html

If your relation was on HMS Veronica then you can be justly proud of the wonderful life saving/giving work that everyone on that navy ship carried out. 
 

[AlanBoyd]

That "off Cook" mistake is a great example of over-interpreting!

A search for "HMS Veronica" at The National Archives yields 24 items; link below. I imagine that none of these is available online. I didn't screen them carefully – some may relate to the second HMS Veronica, launched in 1940.

http://tinyurl.com/34cun7ac

Other than that, I’m not a naval expert: maybe a question in another part of the site about how to research a ship in the 1920s?

[mrs.tenacious]

That "off Cook" mistake is a great example of over-interpreting!

A search for "HMS Veronica" at The National Archives yields 24 items; link below. I imagine that none of these is available online. I didn't screen them carefully – some may relate to the second HMS Veronica, launched in 1940.

http://tinyurl.com/34cun7ac

Other than that, I’m not a naval expert: maybe a question in another part of the site about how to research a ship in the 1920s?

Thank you for that Alan, and for all your help.  I truly appreciate your efforts

Mrs. T.

[mrs.tenacious]

shanreagh -

I had read all about it, quite a story! But my granddad was on the Veronica from 1924-1927, so wasn't involved.

However, the ship he was serving on in May 1940 suffered a German air attack whilst they were helping to evacuate the Queen of Norway, he was injured and invalided out of the Navy from then.
Thankfully he made a full recovery and lived to the age of 89 (albeit it with pieces of shrapnel embedded in him) ... so he's still a hero in my eyes.