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Leonard Frank Lovell RMBX1173Leonard Frank Lovell RMBX1173 - Born 29th September Midsomer Norton, Somerset
Len was educated at Midsomer Norton Secondary School and joined the RN School of Music (later to become the RM School of Music) on 14th March 1938 at Deal in Dent as a Band Boy at the tender age of 14 and a half years old.
Owing to the outbreak of WW II, and with all the ships having a band on board (cruisers and above), there was a shortage of Musicians. Len was sent to sea as a Band Boy and joined HMS Berwick at Pompey on 5th February 1941, becoming a musician on 28th March 1941. On board the cruiser Berwick there was very little time for music but he endeavoured to cheer up the lads when possible in port. His main station at sea was the Gunnery Control Transmitting Station some three decks below, four hours on watch and four hours off, doing North Atlantic Convoys to Murmansk and Arkangel from his base in Iceland. Len left HMS Berwick in July1943 and was drafted to Combined Ops. At Westcliffe-on-Sea in Essex he experienced the Doodle Bomb raids and left there in October 1944. He was drafted to HMS Colossus (aircraft carrier) in December 1944 sailing to Sydney to join the Pacific Fleet for the war against Japan.
At the end of the war he dashed up to Nagasaki in Japan (the first British ship to go there after the Atom Bomb was dropped) to pick up British POW’s who he took to Hong Kong. Len left HMS Colossus in July 1946, joining HMS Excellent in December of the year. He then joined HMS London where he was involved in the ‘Yangtze Incident’ on 21st April 1949. London was endeavouring to help HMS Amethyst to escape capture, in the Yangtze River by Chinese communists, but with several Artillery Batteries on the North Bank they were a sitting-target. In such a narrow river she came under very heavy fire, causing severe damage and the loss of life leaving no option but to withdraw.
The crew was advised that the ship would be returning home having temporary repairs en route in Hong Kong and Singapore arriving in Chatham mid August. Len had three weeks leave; returning to the School of Music then followed spells at HMS Cochrane, HMS St Vincent and then back on board again to HMS Vanguard.
The Band them left HMS Vanguard (she was to be broken up) to form the Band for HMS Newcastle, embarking May 1952 and sailing to Korea on the troopship Delwara 1953 for home and eventual release from the service in January 1954.
Len worked for 19 years in the Insurance Business as agent and the District Inspector in Pompey, as Assistant Manager in Leicester and returned to Yeovil as Manager.
He gave up insurance in 1972 to join the Civil Service as an Industrial Clerk at Shepton Mallet Prison with the Home Office. In 1978 he transferred to the MoD taking up an appointment as a Curitorial Officer in the Fleet Air Arm Museum. He retired in September 1988 at the same time as his wife Barbara who was also a Civil Servant at RNAS Yeovilton.
Len passed away in Yeovil on 9th April 2008.
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Hornblower
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RIP Len - what a colourful (and sometimes scary) Royal Marine life you must have led!!!
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sticky blue
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RIP Len - condolences to those left behind
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2nd Clarinet
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R.I.P. Len......what a time in the RMBS he had!
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Nick B
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RIP Len, what a great career you had. 
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RAB
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RIP Len... Quite an education
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