Narcissus was taken into war service in January 1915, had her name changed to Narcissus II, and was armed with two 12-pounders.
She served until February 1919 with the Auxiliary Patrol, and was based at Gibraltar until the end of the war. She had several engagements with the enemy, all submarines.
She was requisitioned again in September 1939 and renamed Grive. Initially she served as a training vessel for the Fleet Air Arm and was later used for evacuating troops from Dunkirk.
Under the command of Captain the Hon L J O Lambert, DSO, RN she helped rescue hundreds of troops before being destroyed by either a mine or a bomb with the loss of six officers and nineteen ratings. Lambert was one of those killed and was awarded a posthumous Mention in Dispatches. One of his officers, Sub Lieutenant J K B Miles, RNVR was awarded the DSC.
After the war she was sold to ‘Embricos Brothers’ and registered in Athens, but in 1927 she was bought by C Oswald Liddell and brought to Southampton to be refitted as what we would now call a superyacht by Camper and Nicholson
Narcissus was requisitioned by the Navy for a second time in late 1939 and renamed HMS GRIVE. She was commanded by Temporary Lieutenant C E West RNR and had just 4 officers (one of whom was an engineer), plus 39 crew. She was armed with two 12-pounders (the weight of the shell) and carried depth charges. Initially used as a Fleet Air Arm target ship, in 1940 she was despatched from Dover to assist with the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Forces at Dunkirk. Specifically, she was directed to evacuate troops from Malo beach.
Two trips were made on 31 May, the ship being very low on ammunition on the second trip. At about 9am on 31 May off Dunkirk harbour HMS HAVANT was attacked by Stuka dive bombers and hit by two bombs in her engine room, whilst a third bomb hit the water a short distance ahead of HAVANT and exploded as the destroyer passed over it. The destroyer was eventually brought to a stop, the minesweeper HMS SALTASH and HMS GRIVE coming alongside to transfer all the troops despite the continued bombing. Within an hour, HMS HAVANT’s ship’s company were transferred to the coaster Aegir prior to the destroyer settling, rolling over and sinking. During the afternoon of 31 May, whilst departing Dunkirk, it is reported that GRIVE’s aft 12 pounder shot down a German aircraft.
At least 1,300 troops were rescued by HMS GRIVE in the three trips. However, on 31 May at about 19.10 hours, whilst moored at the quayside with destroyers VENOMOUS, WHITEHALL & WINCHELSEA, an air attack commenced with about 60 German planes. HMS GRIVE attempted to leave port but collided with HMS WHITEHALL which was also underway. Shortly afterwards, in the early morning of 1 June whilst exiting the harbour, HMS GRIVE actuated a magnetic mine which exploded under her keel and she was lost with all hands.
Acting Sub Lieutenant Hamish Brown Maclaurin Marr Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve was among those killed, his body committed to the deep. He was aged 20. He is commemorated at the Chatham Naval Memorial, on panel number 40 – 2, and in Liverpool Naval Memorial Panel 13 Column 2. The wreck of HMS GRIVE remains in situ off Dunkirk, near buoy DW27.
His nephew is Andrew Marr, the broadcaster and writer.