HMS Wren had already been ordered and launched when SS Aguila was sunk with twenty-two members of the Women's Royal Naval Service aboard. WRNS personnel contributed a day's pay to a memorial fund, which supplied £4,000 toward the sloop's construction. The memorial created a continuing personal bond between the service and the ship. WRNS personnel took a close interest in Wren and welcomed her crew in port, with gifts of baked food becoming a memorable part of the relationship. The story brings warship finance together with commemoration and service identity before Wren's combat record begins.
Notable Point · 22:00-25:25
The WRNS memorial connection to HMS Wren
A memorial fund for twenty-two Women's Royal Naval Service personnel lost in SS Aguila created a lasting bond between HMS Wren and the WRNS.