SS Le RhIn / HMS Fidelity:

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HMS Fidelity (D57) was a Special Service Vessel of the British Royal Navy during World War II, originally the French merchant vessel La Rhin.

The 2,456 ton ship was built by H. & C. Grayson Ltd. of Garston, Liverpool, and completed in 1920 for Compagnie de Navigation Paquet, Marseilles.

In June 1940 La Rhin sailed for Gibraltar under the command of Lieutenant de Vaisseau Claude Andre Michel Peri, and was turned over to the Royal Navy at Barry, Wales. The ship was converted into the special service vessel, and commissioned on 24 September 1940 as HMS Fidelity (D57) under the command of Lt. Peri, serving as Lieutenant Commander Jack Langlais RNVR. Her officers included Lt-Cmdr. Patrick Albert O'Leary RNVR and First Officer Madeleine Barclay WRNS.

In 1941 Fidelity operated off the coast of Southern France under the direction of the Special Operations Executive (SOE), landing agents and picking up escaped prisoners, disguised as Spanish or Portuguese freighter. She also took part in small-scale sabotage operations. In 1942 Fidelity was refitted to operate as a commando carrier for operations in south-east Asia. She was armed with four 4-inch guns, four 21-inch torpedo tubes, and carried two OS2U Kingfisher floatplanes, the motor torpedo boat MTB-105, and the landing craft HMS LCV-752 and LCV-754.

More at: LINK

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Claude and Madelaine by Edward Marriott

Fidelity BOOK:

Fidelity (Ex - SS Le Rhin) Claude and Madelaine by Edward Marriott, I found my copy via Amazon for 1 penny plus post and packing. So a bargain at £2.75 for a book that not only provides more info on a topic of interest to me, but also is an interesting read thus far and is also described as both a “Ripping Yarn” and “A Spectacular story.

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From Jaques Renay via Barry at War:

My Father served on board HMS Fidelity in around 1941 based in and around Barry Docks in South Wales but was not on the ship when it was sunk.

He had to change his name on board as most of the French had to. The name he took was James Stephens which was the name on his Marriage Certificate to my Mother Lyne or Lena. We don`t know his real name but most people called him Jacques. They divorced sometime later still not knowing his real name. Some years back I traced a friend, Rene, who served with him but he did not know his French name either.

My father was a sick berth Petty Officer. I have tried the Naval authorities Merchant Navy & French Navy to no avail they all said without his real name it's virtually impossible. Someone told me about this site and here I am writing this in the hope someone may just know something. I do have some of his wedding photographs but that's about it. I recently tried the Museum in Caens but as of yet nothing. So will keep my fingers crossed.

Update:

I sent details to this website relating to my father about 10 years ago asking if anyone recognized him from the wedding photo as I did not know his real name at that time, nothing happened so after 50 years of looking for him I gave up!

Last year, 2012, unbeknown to me a brother was researching his father who was aboard HMS Fidelity came upon my email from ten years ago and suddenly thought who is this man looking for my father, he took the name from my email and googled it and lo and behold he found me in Sydney Australia and I now have a brother 2 sisters and a family of 80 all over France and of course found all the details of my father who after he disembarked Fidelty went into s.o.e then into underwater chariots then into commanding midget submarines till the end of the war, he then went back to France and married again and became harbour master in Madagascar where he was unfortunately killed saving a comrade in a shipping collision in 1959 he was awarded the congressional medal of honour for bravery.

His name was changed as were all aboard Fidelity to James Stephens and at the end of the war he reverted back to his real name which was Jacques Robert Vieuxbled. His son ( my new brother) joined the French navy as a 16year old and has just retired after 45 years rising to commander of destroyers and attack vessels also being awarded the congressional medal of honour for bravery in the gulf war.

So I would like to say a massive thank you to The Wartime Memories Project as without your site this would not have happened. Once again my congratulation for everything that you do.



Cmdr. Jacques Robert "James Stephens" Vieuxbled . Royal Navy HMS Fidelity from Paris, France

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