Wiltshire and the Royal Navy
Despite Wiltshire being a land-locked county, many Wiltshire men and women served in the Royal Navy. Naval service would probably not have been a first choice peacetime occupation because the nearest ports were Bristol, Avonmouth, Gloucester and, further afield, Portsmouth, Southampton & Plymouth. The only local sailing or water based work available would have been as bargemen on the canals and rivers such as the Kennet and Avon.
Nevertheless, as well as serving in the Royal Navy itself, we have identified many people associated with Wiltshire, who served in the Royal Marine Artillery, Royal Marine Band, Royal Marine Light Infantry, Royal Marines, Royal Naval Reserve, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, Women’s Royal Naval Service and the Commonwealth naval services.
Research shows that many Wiltshire men were present at some of the biggest naval battles in British history, including the Battle of Trafalgar (1805) and the Battle of Jutland (1916).
Wiltshire men also served in Royal Navy ships escorting Merchant Navy convoys to the UK and other Allied countries in the Second World War, including Arctic convoys delivering supplies to Russia (see link to Arctic Convoy article below).
After the Second World War, there was a Royal Navy training establishment at Corsham. HMS Arthur, which had previously been located (and closed in 1946) at Ingoldmells in Lincolnshire, was recommissioned in January 1947 at Westell Road, Corsham. Initially used for inducting seamen for National Service, it was later used for leadership training of Naval Petty Officers. The final personnel left in 1993. The site was redeveloped as a retirement home complex in 2014.
Three ships of the Royal Navy have been named after places in the county of Wiltshire:
| H.M.S. Fittleton | Unfortunately, this minesweeper was involved in an accidental collision and sank on exercise in the North Sea on 20 September 1976, with the loss of 12 men. A memorial plaque was dedicated to the men in All Saints Church, Fittleton in 2023. |
| H.M.S. Salisbury | This aircraft detection frigate served through the 1960s and 1970s, before becoming a training ship in 1980. She was sunk as a target ship in 1985. |
| H.M.S. Wilton | A coastal minesweeper/minehunter, she served through the 1970s and 1980s before being retired in 1994. She was eventually sold in 2001, and was fitted out as the new home of the Essex Yacht Club at Leigh-on-Sea. |
Information related to Wiltshire and the Royal Navy
The following documents have been transcribed and contributed by our members:
| WWI Volunteers by Parish (Wiltshire Telegraph), 1914 | Detailed listing of 1,600+ Wiltshire men who enlisted, as reported by the Wiltshire Telegraph, August – September 1914. The list includes men enlisting into the Wiltshire Regiment, other Army regiments, The Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry and some into the Royal Navy. |
| Navy Probate Index 1708-1775 | A list of 19 men from Salisbury, with some details, whose probate records indicate they were serving on ships. (Obtained from the WSHC). |
| Royal Navy Deserters in Australian Newspapers 1869-1882 | A list of 7 Wiltshire men, with some details, who deserted from Royal Navy ships in Australia. |
Please let us know if you would like to submit any historical information or interesting personal articles about the Royal Navy and Wiltshire.
Royal Navy Memorials
As of June 2025, the WOPC had identified over 800 personnel, associated with Wiltshire, who served and fell whilst serving in one of the naval services, mainly the Royal Navy, mostly during the First and Second World Wars. It is an ongoing project to identify the ships in which they served. These casualties are included in the We Will Remember Them listing described on the Remembrance page.
There are three main Royal Navy memorials in the United Kingdom to the naval casualties of the First and Second World Wars: at Chatham, Plymouth and Portsmouth. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) provides information about the location and background of the memorials together with details of all the fallen, including Wiltshire servicemen, commemorated at each location:
Chatham Naval Memorial | Cemetery Details | CWGC
Plymouth Naval Memorial | Cemetery Details | CWGC
Portsmouth Naval Memorial | Cemetery Details | CWGC
If a member of the Royal Navy with a Wiltshire connection died in service, then any images of their individual grave or memorial (UK or Overseas), that we have received from our members, may be found via the Military Gallery link on the relevant parish page on the website.
Royal Navy Gallery
The link below only holds Royal Navy-related images, received from members, which refer generally to Wiltshire. These may include photographs of the main Royal Navy memorials, county-wide Wiltshire-related Royal Navy memorials, historical photographs, postcards and other artefacts.
With grateful thanks to the Imperial War Museum for use of the image above of HMS Invincible, which was sunk at the Battle of Jutland, 31 May 1916 with the loss of over 1,000 Royal Navy personnel, including 25 men from Wiltshire.
Royal Navy – Useful Links
| Royal Navy Service Records | The Imperial War Museum (IWM) guide on where to find Royal Navy Service Records |
| Royal Navy Family History Research | The Imperial War Museum (IWM) guide on Tracing your Royal Navy Family History |
| Arctic Convoy Project (wshc.org.uk) | Describes an excellent project by Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre, which gathered oral histories from Wiltshire Naval men serving aboard ships in the Arctic Convoys. |
Wiltshire & The Royal Navy – Related Books
Apart from some naval books referencing Wiltshire regiments travelling by sea on overseas service, we are not aware of any books specifically related to Wiltshire and the Royal Navy. Please let us know if you would like to bring one to our attention.
