Let us start with John Martin Collett owner of the Chemical works ( Collett’s, later Associated British Maltsers ABM) along the Bristol Road and was Sheriff of Gloucester in the 1930’s.. His son was Anthony Foster Collett and was Ist. Lieutenant aboard submarine H33. It was Anthony who arranged for H33 and Submarine H49 to Come to Gloucester on a goodwill visit in March 1937. There are a series of photographs of both submarines transiting the Canal. Some of these are copies of copies of newspaper photos so the quality is poor.
HMS H33 was a British H class submarine built by Cammell Laird, Birkenhead. Commissioned on 17 May 1919. So was eighteen years old when she came to Gloucester. During Warship Week March 1942 H33 was adopted by East Dean Rural District Council. HMS H33 was scrapped at Troon on 19 May 1944
HMS H49 was a British H-class submarine built by William Beardmore and Company, Dalmuir. Commissioned on 25th October 1919. The submarine saw active service in the Second World War but was sunk off the Dutch Coast by German patrol vessels on 18 October 1940.
Now as a totally different event in October 1957 a miget submarine HMS Shrimp made a voyage up the canal and River Severn as far as Upton on Severn
