Leonard Bentley
HMS President
Another postcard published anonymously, this time it dates from the early 1920s and shows the view looking east from Victoria Embankment which includes Blackfriars Bridge and HMS President. Originally named HMS Saxifrage, she was built in 1918 as a Flower class anti submarine 'Q' ship and later renamed HMS President when she was permanently moored here in 1922 as the Royal Naval Reserve drill ship. As a matter of interest CID vehicles used for patrols in the Metropolitan Police District were also called 'Q' boats after the ships of the Royal Navy which used dazzle camouflage during WW1. HMS President remained a Royal Navy ship until 1988 when it was sold into private hands. During 2016 she will be moved to Chatham for refurbishment during the construction of the new Thames Tideway Tunnel, which will run 16 miles from Acton to Beckton intercepting foul water that runs into the river at times of heavy rainfall. One of the access tunnels will enter from Temple Avenue, next to where the ship has been moored since 1922. Various plans exist for her return in 2018 for her centenary, but it is not currently known where she will finally be berthed.
HMS President
Another postcard published anonymously, this time it dates from the early 1920s and shows the view looking east from Victoria Embankment which includes Blackfriars Bridge and HMS President. Originally named HMS Saxifrage, she was built in 1918 as a Flower class anti submarine 'Q' ship and later renamed HMS President when she was permanently moored here in 1922 as the Royal Naval Reserve drill ship. As a matter of interest CID vehicles used for patrols in the Metropolitan Police District were also called 'Q' boats after the ships of the Royal Navy which used dazzle camouflage during WW1. HMS President remained a Royal Navy ship until 1988 when it was sold into private hands. During 2016 she will be moved to Chatham for refurbishment during the construction of the new Thames Tideway Tunnel, which will run 16 miles from Acton to Beckton intercepting foul water that runs into the river at times of heavy rainfall. One of the access tunnels will enter from Temple Avenue, next to where the ship has been moored since 1922. Various plans exist for her return in 2018 for her centenary, but it is not currently known where she will finally be berthed.