That's why I failed my detectives course at the academy (
)!
TailUK seems to be spot-on with the stretched canvas, in its own right a decent non-skid material. Now that my eyes have been "trained", it also appears that the rear of the 4.7" B mounting has a canvas stretched over it, and the deck surrounding the mounting (within the zareba) has white-bordered canvas over the steel plating, too.
Although the images no doubt are from the same original, the file photo I have (not from the book) is somewhat different in that the steel decks are "greyer", the overall hue and tone is not as red-shifted as that posted here, and the wooden planking of the compass platform/open bridge is more "natural" looking---not nearly as pink-hued as that, above. Despite the observations contributed, the vessel seen is definitely NOT an A-I class destroyer but this in itself, does not really help with its precise dating.
Q: Does anyone have (or can access) a book titled "The Battle of the East Coast" by JP Foynes?
The book is unavailable here from US dealers, but from a discussion years ago about this very photograph, I seem to recall that the book contains information about the Nore Command V&Ws and particularly, mentions the use of roundels during early WW2 operations in the North Sea. I have had the book on my watchlist for some time now, but have only been able to find it from UK dealers.
Thanks for posting these interesting and revealing comments, gentlemen!
--Dan