Claud Townsend was born on 3 May 1902. He joined the Royal Navy as a Cadet on 15 January 1916. He was promoted to Midshipman on 15 September 1919 and appointed to the battleship HMS BENBOW on the same date and then to the battleship HMS CENTURION on 3 July 1920. He was promoted to Acting Sub Lieutenant on 12 April 1922 and appointed to HMS PRESIDENT ‘for his Lieutenant’s Courses’ at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich. He then served in the destroyer HMS VECTIS from 4 October 1923.

Promoted to Lieutenant on 15 September 1924 Claud Townsend qualified as Pilot from No. 3 Naval Pilot’s Course conducted at No. 1 Flying Training School, RAF Netheravon, from 27 April 1925 and then at the RAF Base at Leuchars in Fife from 16 November 1925 until 15 March 1926. In June 1927 he was serving in the aircraft carrier HMS FURIOUS as a Pilot ‘and for flying Duties’ with No. 443A Flight to which he had been appointed on 6 April 1926. No. 443A Flight originally flew Fairey IIID aircraft but later, in May 1927, was re-equipped with Fairey IIIF aircraft.

On 6 December 1927 he was removed from flying duties and returned to General Service as it had been assessed that ’he was at serious risk of an accident when landing owing to his short stature’ although he was also assessed as a being a good pilot! He served in the cruiser HMS CAMBRIAN from 15 December 1927 to 1 February 1928. He then qualified as an Observer from No. 14 Naval Observer’s Course at Portsmouth from 16 April 1928 and at the School of Naval Cooperation at RAF Lee on Solent from 18 July 1928 to 12 December 1928.

Claud Townsend was appointed to HMS ARGUS from 1 January 1929, HMS FURIOUS on 1 May 1930, HMS COURAGEOUS ‘for Observer Duties’ in July 1930 and HMS VICTORY ‘for Observer Duties at Lee on the Solent’ on 8 August 1930. He is reported (by Sturtivant and Cronin) to have been in an accident in a Parnall Peto. He was appointed to HMS DOLPHIN ‘for Submarine M2’ as the Observer for the Parnall Peto aircraft on 3 November 1930.

HMS M2 was lost with all hands in an accident in West Bay near Portland. It is believed that the submarine had surfaced to fly off its Parnell Peto seaplane when it was accidentally flooded through the open aircraft hangar door and submarine access hatch. Claud Richard Townsend of Trinafour, Furze Platt, Maidenhead, Berkshire, was unmarried and he left his effects  to Charles George Bastable – a Merchant.