Joseph Charles Sydney BELL

Senior Commissioned Electrical J107309 Officer Joseph Charles Sydney BELL. Royal Navy, HMS Cheviot. Born 29th November 1907 at Devonport, Devon died 27th January 1953 aged 45.

At rest in Plot M grave 18 Kalkara Naval Cemetery, Malta

Credit, Dix Noonan Webb
Joseph Charles Sydney Bell was born in Devonport on 29 November 1907. He enlisted into the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class on 29 May 1924 and was advanced to Boy 1st Class in January 1925. He was promoted to Ordinary Seaman in November 1925 when serving on the battleship H.M.S. Valiant and Able Seaman in March 1927 when serving on the submarine depot ship H.M.S. Maidstone. Serving on the light cruiser H.M.S. Delhi, October 1934-March 1937, he was promoted to Leading Seaman in May 1935; Acting Petty Officer in January 1936 and confirmed in that rank in January 1937. During this time, the ship was deployed off Spain at the time of the Spanish Civil War and was once straddled by aerial bombs and on another by gunfire from the Nationalist cruiser Canarias. The ship was later deployed off the coast of Palestine in support of military operations there and Bell was awarded the Naval General Service Medal with clasp for that campaign (medal not included in lot). Bell then served on the aircraft carrier H.M.S. Hermes, July 1938-January 1942, being awarded the L.S. & G.C. Medal in November 1940 and being promoted to Chief Petty Officer in March 1941. In February 1942 he was advanced to the warrant rank of Acting Gunner and was later confirmed in that rank, serving mainly at or on Defiance, Eaglet and Richmond. He was appointed Gunner to the destroyer H.M.S. Comet in May 1945 and in September 1946 was granted the rank of Acting Commissioned Gunner and later Acting Commissioned Electrical Officer on the ship. In 1949 he attained the rank of Senior Commissioned Electrical Officer.