H.M.S. VERONICA.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16841, 22 May 1920, Page 2

H.M.S. VERONICA.

« lEEE OFFICERS. j (fhosi our own correspondent.) I LONDON, April 3. | The sloop Veronica, which is to leave j shortly for the New Zealand station j and which has been commissioned at Pembroke Dock, has had a thorough overhauling ahd repair. Commander F H. L. Lewin, who is to be in command, entered the Britannia m 1894, ana two years later went out to H.M.S. Trafalgar, at that time rear-flagship in the M diterraner.n. As sub-lieutenant and junior lieutenant, he served in H.M.S. Cressy in Ciuna, and returned to England in 1903 to qualify ae gunnery lieutenant. This I course he successluiiy completed in j 1904, and ever since he has served ■ as gunnery officer. From 19C8 to 19101 he was in H.M.S. Lancaster. in the Mediterranean, aid for the nest two years was in H.M.S. Venerable in the Atlantic Fleet. Then, for five ycjirs (IDI2-17) he was with the 6th Destroyer Flotilla at Dover. In February, 1917, he was chosen to servo on. tiie staff ot Admiral Bacon as flag and gu meryj commander, to which rank he hr.d bean! promoted at the.end of 1915. For four months Commander Lewin was attached to the three 9.2 guns which Admiral Bacon mounted in the dunes at Nieu-I port, and he took part in practical y all! the coast bombardments 1915-17. Ea. ly | in 1917, when Commander Lewin was; in H.M.S. Ghurka, she was mined off! Dungeness, and for his services in this; connexion the Rryal Humane S:c'etyj honoured h'.m with their Silver Medal, i and subsequently with the St-nhopo 1 Gold Medal. In consequence of the exposure which he suffered at th s period he_ became crippled with lumbago and sciatica, and in July was laid up for some months, but was passed fit for shoro service in February, 1918, when he joined the Trades Division at the Admiralty, and served there until recently appointed to the command of H.MS, veronica for her new du'y. The navigating officer of the vessel wi'l be Lieutenant C.V.S. J. Mar?d n, R.N.; the first lie'itennnt will be Lieu- i tenant T. F. H. M-rriott. The other officers will be Sub-Lieutenant A. B. Ferguson, RN. (Auckland), until recently m H.M.S. Rencwn; Gunner Idwal Griffiths, RN,, and Lieutenant-Commander T. J. O Riordan. I