H.M.S. Arctic Ranger adoption plaque
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In 1941, during Warship Week (1st to 8th November), the people of Thirsk and Sowerby ‘adopted’ H.M.S. Arctic Ranger and presented this plaque to the ship to commemorate the occasion. The bell and falcon design was the unofficial emblem of Thirsk, having been borrowed from the Bell family of Thirsk Hall, prominent in the district and Lords of the Manor since 1723.
Crafted from solid oak, the plaque features a carved mouse on the top edge, showing that it was made in the workshops of Robert Thompson, the famous ‘Mouseman’ of Kilburn. Almost certainly it was made by Mr Thompson himself.
H.M.S. Arctic Ranger was a commercial trawler adapted for use by the Royal Navy. The plaque was returned to Thirsk when the ship was decommissioned after the war.
The crew of H.M.S. Arctic Ranger in Gibraltar, 1945 (picture courtesy of Alan Collenette, whose father, Arthur Collenette, served aboard H.M.S. Arctic Ranger).
Exhibit data
Date: | November 1941 |
Approx. size: | 27 x 40 cm |
See also
