Dear Ms Whiteley,

My wife and I recently found the lovely oak plaque in an antique shop in Wiltshire that commemorates the adoption of the Flower Class Corvette HMS Coltsfoot by the Rural District of Amesbury in February 1942. By chance both my wife and I were born in February 1942 and we were so taken by the beautifully carved plaque with its depiction of Stonehenge, oak leaves & acorns that we bought it. Having done some limited research on the war record of this ship and the role it played in support of some of the most hazardous 1942 Malta Convoys we feel very honoured to own this plaque and wonder if it would be possible to find some further background information on HMS Coltsfoot?

We appreciate that the Flower Class Corvette Association is essentially in place for ex-serving members of the crews of these vessels and their direct families and descendants - but if it were at all possible to gain some sort of associate membership of the FCCA we would be delighted to be able to join.

Because the plaque has two very strong "keyhole" type slot fastenings on the rear face of the plaque this suggests that such a firm & secure fixing method may mean that this plaque could have been presented to the ship and may have been installed in her wardroom, since such a fastening method would be quite unnecessary for a shore-based location? If any of your members could shed light on this matter that would be very helpful.

Please feel free to share these photographs on your website. The lettering on the plaque has been carved wonderfully well and although the gold paint infill in the lettering is somewhat faded it is a beautiful piece of work and I am getting professional advice on the best way to preserve and perhaps sensitively restore this historic item. And again may I say we feel immensely proud and honoured to own this and grateful for the sacrifices made by the men of the Royal Navy who served in these ships.

Yours sincerely

Wilf Bishop

Richmond
North Yorkshire

Email: wilf.bishop@btinternet.com