Reginald Walter Hailes 1904-1943

1904. Reginald Walter Hailes was born to Charles Hailes & Ellen Trevethan 4/1/1904 in Penlee, baptised in Rame on 14/2/1904- this on his father's Army pension records . He went into the Navy as a school boy in 1919: M 35105: appears in The Navy List 1937, lent to RAN, serving Dev.

Reg had passed second in all Ireland for entry to naval training; good at maths he chose engineering.  I have seen some of his engineering drawings which were immaculate. - send me a photo of one please

1911C. Charles Hailes , 30, was in the Overseas Military in Tigne, Malta . From Charles' Military Record- Ancestry- he was there for 4 plus years, 1908 onwards : I assume he had his family with him for this length of time .

Charles & Ellen, with Doreen & Reg - photo likely taken in Malta ~1910

About 1914 his mother's address seemed to be 1 Endsleigh Place, Cawsand, Plymouth, but, it had been 4 Wellington Road Cork( this must have been pre 1909} . His father never served abroad during the war. In 1918 he was awarded a pension and volunteered for an extra year. In 1919 his home address was 19 Beech Road, Southville, Bristol , When he reried from the Military in 1920, his father became Store master on Spike Island, Cork, so Reg 19 and Doreen 14, would hace finished their schooling there

1919. Seems to be his first service - 21/8/1919 on the Fisgard - in the Navy,

1928 Seems to be his last service - 10/2/1928 on the Vivid II - in the Navy,

1929. Seems to be his first service - 21/10/1929 on the Egmont- in the Navy, but his occupation was given as 'schoolboy' , Service number M 35105

1930. A Reginald Walter Hailes married Marguerita Palmer St Germans Jun 1920

1937. Seems to be his last service - 1/1/1937 on the Defiance (Redwing) in the Navy, - all from Ancestry records

1939. Cannot find Reginald, nor a Marguerita, Hailes in the 1939 Register

1943. Reginald Walter Hailes died 27/8/1943 , a Warrant Engineer, aboard the Egret.. Commonwealth war grave, Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Panel 73, col 1 .

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The Egret was sunk in the Bay of Biscay off the coast of Spain by a radio controlled Henschel bomb: 194 crew were killed, 35 survived. Its sinking brought about the end of the British hunting missions for German u-boats in that area of the Atlantic Ocean. HMS Egret was a sloop of the British R.N., the lead ship of her class. She was built by J. Samuel White at Cowes, Isle of Wight, was launched on 31 May 1938, and is notable for being the first ship sunk by a guided missile in combat.

Reginald Hailes

He left a Will, administration to his mother, Ellen Mabel Hailes. £ 1175

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