Allied Warships

HMS Wallace (L 64)

Destroyer of the Shakespeare class

HMS Wallace as Fast Escort armed with 4-inch Anti Aircaft guns

Navy	The Royal Navy
Type	Destroyer
Class	Shakespeare
Pennant	L 64
Mod	Fast escort
Built by	Thornycroft (Southampton, U.K.)
Ordered	Apr 1917
Laid down	Aug 1917
Launched	26 Oct 1918
Commissioned	29 Jan 1919
End service	20 Mar 1945
History	Reconstructed as Fast Escort, reconstruction completed on 14 June 1939. HMS Wallace served mainly on British east coast escorting coastal convoy's except for a brief period in 1943 when she went to the Mediterranean for the invasion of Sicily. On 16 March 1945 she collided with HMS Farndale off the Humber and considered not worth repairing she was paid off. Being sold to be broken up for scrap 4 days later.

Commands listed for HMS Wallace (L 64)

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	Commander	From	To
1	Lt.Cdr. William Maurice Lloyd Astwood, RN	22 Aug 1939	17 Jan 1940
2	Lt. Edward Anthony Savile Bailey, RN	17 Jan 1940	21 Jan 1940
3	Lt.Cdr. William Maurice Lloyd Astwood, RN	21 Jan 1940	20 Feb 1940
4	Cdr. Ballin Illingworth Robertshaw, RN	20 Feb 1940	11 Sep 1940
5	Lt.Cdr. (emergency) Edward Gavin Heywood-Lonsdale, RN	11 Sep 1940	16 Feb 1943
6	Lt. Denis Guy Douglas Hall-Wright, RN	16 Feb 1943	18 May 1943
7	Lt. Duncan Carson, RN	18 May 1943	late 1943

8	Cdr. Jackson Whayman, RD, RNR	4 Jan 1944	20 Jan 1944
9	Lt.Cdr. Robert Sydney Hopper, DSC, RN	20 Jan 1944	Mar 1945

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Notable events involving Wallace include:

1 Sep 1939
The Polish destroyers Burza (Komandor Podporucznik Stanislaw Michal Nahorski, ORP), Grom (Komandor Podporucznik Aleksander Hulewicz, ORP) and Blyskawica (Komandor Podporucznik Wlodzimierz Andrzey Kodrebski-Poraj, ORP) were met in the North Sea by British aircraft and the British destroyers HMS Wallace (Lt.Cdr. William Maurice Lloyd Astwood, RN) and HMS Wanderer (Cdr Reginald Francis Morice, RN). They were escorted to Leith.

13 Sep 1939
HMS Wallace (Lt.Cdr. W.M.L. Astwood, RN) is damaged in a in a collision off Lowestoft with the British merchant Redriff (1577 GRT). Wallace is under repair until 23 October.

26 Feb 1940
Convoy MT 18 proceeded from Methil Roads to the Tyne. It was being escorted by the sloop HMS Flamingo (Cdr. J.H. Huntley, RN) and the AA destroyer HMS Wallace (Lt. E.A.S. Bailey, RN, RN). The escort was reinforced by the destroyer HMS Jackal (Cdr. T.M. Napier, RN). (1)

21 Nov 1941
With her refit completed HMS Renown (Capt. C.S. Daniel, CBE, DSO, RN) conducted D/G trials off Rosyth. On completion of these trials she departed for Scapa Flow escorted by the destroyers HMS Arrow (Cdr. A.M. McKillop, RN), HMS Vimiera (Lt.Cdr. A.A. Mackenzie, RNR) and HMS Wallace (Lt.Cdr.(Emy.) E.G. Heywood-Lonsdale, RN). (2)

22 Nov 1941
HMS Renown (Capt. C.S. Daniel, CBE, DSO, RN), HMS Arrow (Cdr. A.M. McKillop, RN), HMS Vimiera (Lt.Cdr. A.A. Mackenzie, RNR) and HMS Wallace (Lt.Cdr.(Emy.) E.G. Heywood-Lonsdale, RN) arrived at Scapa Flow. (2)

4 Jun 1943
HrMs O 14 (Lt.Cdr. H.A.W. Goossens, RNN) conducted A/S exercises in the Firth of Forth with HMS Westminster (Lt.Cdr. H.G. Bowerman, DSC, RN), HMS Brimness (Skr. A.E. Larner, RNR), HMS Vega (Lt. C.G. Forsberg, RN) and HMS Wallace (Lt. D. Carson, RN). (3)

13 Jun 1943
HMS Sceptre (Lt. I.S. McIntosh, MBE, DSC, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Scapa Flow with HMS Wallace (Lt. D. Carson, RN), and HMS Viceroy (Lt. T.F. Hallifax, RN) and HMS Woolston (Lt. F.W. Hawkins, RN). (4)

16 Mar 1945
HMS Wallace (Lt.Cdr. R.S. Hopper, DSC, RN) collided with HMS Farndale (Cdr. E.G. Roper, DSO, DSC, RN) off the Humber and considered not worth repairing she was paid off. Being sold to be broken up for scrap four days later.