Rodney Sherry was born in Dorchester, Dorset on 21 August 1899, the son of William and Julia Sherry. He joined the Royal Navy as a Boy Artificer on 31 January 1918. After service in surface ships, including the battleship HMS BARHAM, the cruiser HMS ANTRIM, destroyers HMS WISHART and HMS AMAZON, he joined submarines as an Engine Room Artificer Second Class at HMS DOLPHIN on 23 November 1928.

He served in HMS L22 from 11 December 1929 to 9 April 1930 and was promoted to Acting Warrant Engineer on 1 July 1930. He was appointed to the battleship HMS NELSON on 17 September 1930. On 26 September 1932, he was appointed to HMS VERNON for the Stokes Bay Experimental Station, and he was then appointed to HMS DOLPHIN ‘for the Submarine Course‘ on 8 May 1933. He was sent to the Mediterranean on 28th March 1934 to join HMS DOUGLAS ‘for Submarines‘ and, on 15 July 1936, for HMS SALMON as the Engineer.

After his return home from the Mediterranean, he was appointed to HMS TARPON as Engineer Officer on 10 August 1938. TARPON left Portsmouth on 5 April 1940 to conduct a patrol off Norway. On 10 April 1940 TARPON encountered a ship which turned out to be the German ‘Q-ship’ SCHIFF 40, West of Jutland. HMS TARPON attacked the German vessel with two torpedoes, but both missed. It is assumed that TARPON was sunk with all hands in a counter attack by SCHIFF 40.

Rodney Sherry was the husband of Gwendoline Sherry (née Evans). They had been married in Dorchester in 1922. Rodney Sherry is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial on Panel No. 37 Column No. 2.