"I burn with valour"

Another piece from the famous Ferrers-Walker collection, a very proud and large shield style wardroom badge from F-Class Destroyer HMS Firedrake. We are in no doubt that this glorious piece was commissioned and cast by the Royal Navy and assume it was hung in a Mess or Wardroom as a commemorative piece paying homage to Her and brave lost souls. 

HMS Firedrake (H79) was an F-class destroyer of the Royal Navy, commissioned in 1935. She served early in WWII escorting convoys and supporting operations in Norwegian waters during 1940. Firedrake later operated in the Atlantic, protecting vital merchant shipping from German U-boats. On 16 December 1942, while escorting Convoy ON-153 in the North Atlantic, she was torpedoed by the German submarine U-211. The explosion broke her in two; the forward section sank immediately, while the stern remained afloat briefly. Despite rescue efforts, many crew were lost. Firedrake’s service reflected the dangers of convoy escort duty.