The Admiralty signalled all foreign stations on 4 november requesting all sloops return as there was a need for anti submarine and anti aircraft escorts, Londonderry and Auckland from south Atlantic, Fowey, Deptford and Aberdeen from Med whilst from China Wellington, Leith, Sandwich were to sail immediately, Bideford, Folkestone, Lowesfoft and Scarborough on completion of refits whilst Falmouth was to remain, get armed and ammunitioned with her war paint on ready to fight her own very succesful fight for the next 5 years.
By mid 1940 and a refit including re arming with 2 x twin 4"Grimsby would return east with her new pendant U.16 and be heavily involved in numerous escort duties in the Med, east of Suez and Indian ocean as would many other sloops through to may 1941 frequently operating with Auckland and Flamingo.
Let's look at the fates of the year '31 E class destroyers.
1940. E leader Exmouth was sunk 21 january with her entire complement of 189 which included the flotilla staff, a very rare occurrence except in submarines. Esk was mined whilst mine laying 31 august again with many men lost, 127, both in the North sea, Home waters.
The 1st RN destroyer sunk in the Med was Escort which sank 3 days after being torpedoed, 11 july '40, Eclipse was mined 24 october '43 again in the Med whilst in the Far East under Japanese guns the pair built together were pretty well sunk together, Electra 27 feb '42, 2 days later Encounter went down with Exeter all off Java.
The trio Echo, Express under foreign flags with Escapade all survived the conflict so 2/3 sunk in action.
Leith also made it through the conflict enduring a bizarre post war history.
May 1941 Grimsby still in the med escorted convoy AN30 from Haifa to Port Said then to Alexandria on the 10th and the start of the battle for Crete in which she was not directly involved but operated along the north Africa coast in support of the army's western desert operations including further work with Flamingo.
24 may. Hood sunk. 0600. Signal from flag officer 1st cruiser squadron in Norfolk, with Suffolk. 3 survivors later picked up by Electra.
25 may. 0300. Grimsby sailed Alexandria with ss Helka to Tobruk, the Admiralty did not want Helka loitering in port, she was carrying 600 tons of benzine spirit when at 1600 40 miles north east of Tobruk the pair were attacked twice by JU 87's, the 2nd attack by aircraft of 1/STG1 would prove decisive, their being no fighter protection available. Helka once hit broke in two whilst Grimsby had 1 near miss but 2 direct hits by D.A. fused 100 kg bombs whilst at full speed, both exploded in the engine room stopping both engines, rapid flooding ensued, she listed to port and started sinking.
Photo clearly shows Grimsby going down with evidence she did have 4" mounted with aft part of Helka to the right, taken from the trawler Southern Maid which accompanied the pair on this relief mission to Tobruk. Grimsby suffered 11 dead, Helka 1.
Auckland was sunk 1 month later 24 june doing a similar run in almost the same location.
Should you see any photos of a single funnel warship with 4" guns showing pendant L.16 it is not Grimsby, but the Hunt type III class destroyer Stevenstone.
Grimsby was awarded 3 battle honours, Greece, Crete, Libya, all in 1941.
May 1941 was the most catastrophic month during WWII for RN personnel killed or missing in action.