HMS LEWES COMPASS
HENLOPEN POST 5
Rehoboth Beach Henlopen
Post 5 American Legion acquired a valuable
relic Monday night
February 2, 1953.
The ships compass of the
HMS Lewes of the British Navy was presented to the
post by an attache of
Vice Admiral L. E. Porter of the British Joint Services
Commission of Washington.
The compass had been on
the navigators bridge of the HMS Lewes which was one
of the fifty lend-lease
destroyers sent to Great Britain in WWII.
HMS Lewes was named for
the historical Delaware town of Lewes. .
The compass, as
presented, was mounted on a stand that bears a citation that it was
presented by the British
Navy to Henlopen Post.
Post 5 Adjutant William S.
Bean, Jr., who has served on several WWI lend-lease
destroyers had received
word from Vice Admiral Porter that his attache Commander
- W. Barlow will make the presentation to the local American Legion at 8 PM.
The HMS Lewes had a
notable record during WWII and when sold for scrap the
compass and other relics
were saved to present to the local namesake community in
the United States.
In 1950 the late Benjamin
Albertson of Lewes, a former post 5 commander,
had made arrangements for
receiving the compass for his post, however, Albertson
died April 1951 and the
presentation ceremony was delayed until now when it was
received by Post 5
Commander Archie Daniels.
Other relics of the HM
Lewes were presented to the town of Lewes in 1950,
which included the Ship
Seal, log, and a volume of the history of the destroyer that
are now in the Zwannedael
Museum.
Abstract of Monday,
February 2, 1953, Salisbury Daily Times newspaper item of
Salisbury, Maryland, by
Harrison Howeth., December 2017.
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