HMS Haydon Gun Tompion

Beautiful tompion from one this Sicily Invasion hero’s 4” main armaments.

Originally fitted to protect the muzzle of a naval gun from water, dirt and debris, tompions were often retained as commemorative display pieces following a ship’s service. This example retains much of its original painted finish with an attractive aged patina.

HMS Haydon (L75) was a Type III Hunt-class escort destroyer built by Vickers-Armstrongs at Wallsend and commissioned in October 1942. Named after the Haydon Hunt in Northumberland, she spent the Second World War escorting Atlantic convoys before joining Allied operations in the Mediterranean. Haydon took part in the invasions of Sicily (1943), Salerno (1943), the Aegean campaign, and the landings in Southern France (1944), later returning to North Sea convoy duties. Damaged by fire in 1947, she was withdrawn from service and eventually scrapped in 1958.