Frederick Rayner was born in Corbiere, Jersey, on 17 August 1903, the son of Arthur Edward and Florence Rayner. He joined the Royal Navy as an Engine Room Artificer Apprentice on 9 January 1919. On completion of his five-year Engine Room Artificer Apprenticeship, he served briefly in HMS CASTOR and then joined HMS CALLIOPE from 30 August 1923 to 27 April 1925.

He joined submarines on 28 April 1925 when he was drafted to HMS DOLPHIN ‘for the Submarine Course‘. He served in HMS K2, HMS L16 and HMS K26 followed by HMS L18, HMS OTUS & HMS PROTEUS. Next came HMS PORPOISE and then HMS UNBEATEN (1 October 1940 to 17 February 1941). Fred Rayner was promoted to Warrant Engineer on 1 April 1941.

The date of his appointment to HMS STRATAGEM as the Engineer is not yet established. After commisioning, STRATAGEM was sent to join the submarine flotilla operating from Trincomalee in Sri Lanka. STRATAGEM sailed from Trincomalee on 10 November 1944 for a patrol in the vicinity of Malacca. The submarine was lost on 22 November 1944 in the Malacca Straits after being damaged by depth charges from the Japanese submarine chaser, following detection by aircraft.

Frederick Rayner was lost in the sinking. He was the husband of Florence Catherine Rayner and is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial on Panel 81, Column 1.