HMCS BRANDON K149

Flower Class Corvette

Built at Lauzon, Que, she was commissioned at Quebec City on 22 Jul 1941.  BRANDON arrived at Halifax on 01 Aug 1941. She joined Newfoundland Command in September after working up and left St. John's 26 Sep 1941 for her first convoy, SC.46. She served as an ocean escort to and from Iceland until Dec 1941, when she arrived in the U.K. for three months' repairs at South Shields. From mid-Mar 1942, after three weeks' workups at Tobermory, she served on the "Newfie-Derry" run almost continuously until Sep 1944. On 28 Jul 1942 BRANDON rescued 45 sailors from the MV Broompark approx 27 miles from St. John's, Nfld. The Broompark was torpedoed by U-552 on 25 Jul 1942 while in Convoy ON-113. She sank while under tow to St. John's.  From Dec 1942, onward, she served with EG C-4, helping defend the hard-pressed convoy HX.224 in Feb 1943, and in the following month escorting convoys to and from Gibraltar. In Aug 1943, she had a three-month refit at Grimsby, England, including fo'c's'le extension. She left Londonderry 02 Sep 1944, to join her last transatlantic convoy, ONS.251, and, after two months' refit at Liverpool, N.S., worked up in Bermuda. On 05 Feb 1945, she arrived at St. John's to join EG W-5, Western Escort Force, in which she served until the end of the war. Paid off at Sorel on 22 Jun 1945, she was broken up at Hamilton, Ont. in 1945.

Photos and Documents

(LS01) HMCS BRANDON K149 - Harbour craft HC146 alongside HMCS BRANDON  //  Submission from Donald (Bud) Rose: HMCS BRANDON is secured to a mooring buoy in the Bedford Basin, the town of Bedford can be seen in the back ground. As the mast has not as yet been relocated to aft the bridge, which was done during the South Shields England refit in Jan 1942, this photo would have had to be taken in 1941 prior to that.  Note that she is also wearing Western Approaches paint scheme.

(LS02) HMCS BRANDON K149  - The ship is still painted in the classic Western Approaches scheme, but the colours are more now more pronounced. Note the Rocket Launchers attached to the side of her forward gun turret.

(LS03) Sailors working on the quarterdeck of unknown corvette  //  In the background, left to right are HMCS COLLINGWOOD K180, HMCS BRANDON K149, HMCS ORILLIA K119, HMCS CHAMBLY K116

(LS04) HMCS BRANDON K149 alongside - Note the BRANDON Bull on her gunshield and outboard of her the gunshield art of HMCS DRUMHELLER K167  //  Submission from Donald (Bud) Rose: this photo was taken at HMC Dockyard St. John's Nfld. As the ship is still "prim" it is likely that it was taken early in the war. Also, the mast has not been relocated aft the bridge, done in Jan 1942 refit. The most probable date of photo would be around Sep 1941.

(LS05) HMCS BRANDON K149 at sea

From the collection of Edwin Leonard (Ted) Shipman, RCNVR

Courtesy of Scot Urquhart

Onboard HMCS BRANDON K149 - 1944

(GJ06) Sailors on HMCS BRANDON - back row standing PO Glen Johnston (6ft 3inches)

(GJ07) Petty Officers of HMCS BRANDON - PO Glen Johnston (centre)

(GJ08) Petty Officers on HMCS BRANDON - PO Glen Johnston (left)

(GJ09)  PO Glen Johnston on HMCS BRANDON

(GJ10) HMCS BRANDON at anchor, Ireland

Onboard HMCS BRANDON K149 - 1944

(GJ11) Sailors on HMCS BRANDON - PO Glen Johnston (front, centre)

(GJ12) Sailors on HMCS BRANDON - PO Glen Johnston (sitting, 3rd from right)

From the collection of Glen A. Johnston, EA3c, RCNVR

Courtesy of Glen F. Johnston

(NPW032) Fishing vessel at St. John's, Newfoundland

(NPW033) Fishing vessel at St. John's, Newfoundland

(NPW034) Mount Pearl, St. John's, Newfoundland - Aug 1944

(NPW035) Anti-Submarine booms at the entrance to St. John's Harbour, St. John's, Newfoundland

(NPW036) St. John's Newfoundland.  The twin spires of St. John the Baptist Cathedral Basilica are seen in the centre of the photo

(NPW038) Skippy walking up main street, Londonderry, Northern Ireland - 1944 (Censor stamp: From HMC Ship. Examined by DB/N 532)

(NPW039) Skippy in the centre, walking down to the seaside. Portrush, Northern Ireland (Censor stamp: From HMC Ship. Examined by DB/N 532)  // Webmaster's note:  The Arcadia Cafe is still in operation as of 2024

(NPW040) Tram that goes to the Giant's Causeway (Censor stamp: From HMC Ship. Examined by DB/N 532)

(NPW041) Thatched roof on one of the farm houses (Censor stamp: From HMC Ship. Examined by DB/N 532)

(NPW042) This is the home of the owner who owned the property where the camp is.  The estate is called Cromore Place (Cromore House) (Censor stamp: From HMC Ship. Examined by DB/N 532). Webmaster's note: the reference "where the camp is" is a rest camp that the RCN established in Portstewart during the Second World War.

(NPW042) HMCS BRANDON K149 transiting the River Foyle, Northern Ireland

(NPW043) Depth charges off HMCS BRANDON K149 - 1944

(NPW044) Depth charges being transferred from a freight to HMCS BRANDON K149 while in convoy in the Atlantic - Sep 1944

(NPW045) "Boys on the Brandon" getting ready for a ship's company photo - fall 1944

(NPW046) HMCS BRANDON at St. George's, Bermuda - Dec 1944

(NPW047) St. George's, Bermuda - Dec 1944

(NPW048) St. George's, Bermuda - Dec 1944

(NPW049) Bermuda, the quarterdeck of HMCS BRANDON K149 in the foreground - Dec 1944.  The large white patch ashore is a area designed to catch rainwater

(NPW050) Bermuda - Dec 1944

(NPW051) Stokers on HMCS BRANDON K149 at Bermuda - Dec / Jan 1944-45

(NPW052) HMCS BRANDON K149 at St. George's, Bermuda - Dec / Jan 1944-45

(NPW053) British Sub in dry-dock at HMS MALABAR, Bermuda - Jan 1945

(NPW054) "Chuck Horgan and I" (Norm Wilson) on an iced-up HMCS BRANDON K149 - Jan 1945

(NPW055) HMCS BRANDON K149 iced-up at sea

(NPW056) Martin by the pom-pom in the after gun tub on HMCS BRANDON K147 - Spring 1945

(NPW057) HMCS BRANDON K149 at sea - 1945

(NPW058) US Navy blimp flying past HMCS BRANDON K149 - May 1945

(NPW060) Pom-pom firing on HMCS BRANDON - Jun 1945

(NPW061) Horton and I (Norman Wilson) on the gun deck of HMCS BRANDON throwing ammunition overboard

(NPW062) Doug Krevenas and Chuck Horgan dumping ammunition off of HMCS BRANDON K149 - Jun 1945

(NPW063) Roy Narnier and I (Norman Wilson) dumping ammunition off of HMCS BRANDON K149 - Jun 1945

(NPW064) Ray Braa on the quarterdeck of HMCS BRANDON K149 - 1945

(NPW065) HMCS BRANDON at the trots, Saint John, New Brunswick - Jun 1945

(NPW066) HMCS BRANDON at the trots, Saint John, New Brunswick - Jun 1945

(NPW067) HMCS BRANDON at the trots - Jun 1945

(NPW068) HMCS BRANDON at the trots - Jack Kearney (right) and myself (Norman Wilson) - Jun 1945

(NPW069) HMCS BRANDON At the trots, Sydney, Nova Scotia - Jun 1945

* Webmaster's note: Since BRANDONwas stationed at St. John's, Nfld for the final few months of the war and then was paid off at Sorel, QC in Jun 1945, it is likely that the photos that were marked "at the trots, Saint John, New Brunswick - Jun 1945" was taken at Sydney, NS as she would have de-ammunitioned there before going up to Sorel, Quebec for disposal.

(NPW069) HMCS BRANDON oiling at sea on the way to New York - 1945

(NPW070 HMCS BRANDON K149 at sea - 1945

(NPW071) Norman Wilson, Ron Paul of Winnipeg, MB and Osie Saari of North Bay, ON on HMCS BRANDON K149

(NPW072) Norm Wilson (sitting) and unknown shipmate on HMCS BRANDON K149. Written on the back "I'll get some better ones ..??? ... Love Norm xxx  // Back of photo

(NPW073) Surrendered U-190 in harbour at St. John's, Newfoundland - Jun 1945

From the collection of Norman Wilson ,QR II, RCNVR

Courtesy of Randy Wilson