davidclensy.com

During the Second World War, HMS King Alfred in Hove, Sussex, became the nerve centre for training officers of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR). In this blog, I’ve pulled together some intriguing facts that reveal the importance of this unique establishment.

HMS King Alfred plays a key role in my new book – For Those in Peril – which is published on August 1, 2025. Our hero in the story, Romulus Hutchinson is a young sub-lieutenant in the RNVR, getting to grips with life on a Royal Navy destroyer in the first months of the Second World War. He faces action everywhere from the Norwegian Campaign to the evacuation of Dunkirk. But first, he has to get through the gruelling training at HMS King Alfred – where he comes up against one particularly sadistic training officer.

Here are some key things to understand about this unique facility:

HMS King Alfred began life as a leisure centre

Before the war, the building was a newly built municipal leisure centre. With the outbreak of hostilities in 1939, it was swiftly converted into a naval training base by the Admiralty. The 480-car underground car park was converted into several different ‘parts of the ship’. The officers’ mess, trainee accommodation and a ship handling simulator were established over the next few months. The main swimming pool became the instructional hall, with the addition of a removable floor. The second largest room, a 4,000ft² space intended as a restaurant and dance hall on the west side of the building, became the wardroom.

Thousands of officers were trained there

Between 1939 and 1946, HMS King Alfred trained more than 22,500 RNVR officers. These men came from civilian life and were rapidly prepared for command roles in the Royal Navy.

In early 1940 additional sites were requisitioned. Mowden School in Hove had been evacuated to Oxendon Hall, Market Harborough, Northamptonshire, by 1940 and the site was requisitioned as ‘King Alfred II’. Lancing College, evacuated to Ludlow in Shropshire in the summer of 1940, was also requisitioned. With the addition of Lancing College, the various elements of the training establishment became identified by a location letter instead of the usual suffix ‘II’ or ‘III’; the main headquarters site in Hove was referred to as both King Alfred  and King Alfred (H), Lancing as ‘King Alfred (L), and Mowden as King Alfred (M).

Training was intense

The course lasted just ten weeks and was split across the three sites. Trainees were immersed in seamanship, navigation, naval law, and leadership, with little time to adjust from civilian to military life.

The officer cadets passed through each of the three King Alfred training sites in turn; beginning with a two-week initial training and evaluation period at Mowden School then on to six weeks at Lancing College where advanced subjects were taught, including communications, seamanship and navigation skills. The final stage of training was at King Alfred (H) where the course was to be completed.

Upon completion, they were commissioned as Temporary Acting Probationary Sub-Lieutenants and sent to the Royal Naval College, Greenwich for further instruction.

It was considered the home of the “Wavy Navy”. The RNVR earned the nickname “Wavy Navy” due to the wavy stripes on their officers’ uniforms. HMS King Alfred was the main training ground for these officers, many of whom served with distinction. Read more about the “Wavy Navy” here.

Lasting Impact on the war effort

Graduates of HMS King Alfred served in every major naval theatre, from the Atlantic to the Far East. Their training helped ensure the Royal Navy could meet the demands of a global conflict.

It was run with military precision. Captain John Pelly, the commanding officer, enforced a strict regime. Marching, inspections, and rigorous classroom sessions were all part of daily life, designed to instil discipline and confidence.

My naval adventure novel For Those In Peril – the opening of a five-book series – is out on August 1^st in both paperback and Kindle format. It tells the story of Romulus Hutchinson (Rom), a young RNVR officer, as he makes his way in the service, and his twin brother Remus Hutchinson (Remmie) who has joined the Merchant Navy. Read more about how the new novel came about.