Above: David Gemmell and his wife, Aggie
Ann Gemmell, my mother, treasured this postcard all of her life.
Her father was on the HMS Agamemnon which was involved in the protection of the North Sea Convoys.
On the 29th of June 1942 she was part of Force X which was to act as a decoy convoy to fool the Germans and set sail from Scapa Flow. Force X was a fleet of some 17 ships designed to tempt the German fleet to attack them. Fortunately, for David, the Germans failed to spot them and did not attack them.
When minelaying was completed in October 1943, she was retained for conversion to an amenities ship as part of a mobile naval base for British Pacific Fleet warships. She underwent further conversion at Vancouver in 1944 including installation of a movie theatre and canteen to be staffed by mercantile crews of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary service.
The postcard was franked on the 26th December, 1944 and was sent to let his 12 year old daughter know he was thinking of her on Christmas Day.
This is the front of the postcard David sent:
The wedding photo I include here took place on the 29th November, 1944. The flower girl is my mother. So, this photo was taken just 3 weeks before the card was sent.
