[1] John Brown Shipbuilding & Engineering Company Ltd laid down her keel at their Clydebank yard on 12 February 1940, as Admiralty Job Number J1569.

After a successful Warship Week national savings campaign in February 1942, Avon Vale was adopted by the civil community of Trowbridge, Wiltshire.

[1] Avon Vale began her career on convoy duty in the North Western Approaches with the Irish sea force.

[2] In July, Avon Vale was deployed for escort duties in a Malta convoy GM1, which consisted a passage through the Western Mediterranean as part of Operation Substance.

On 23 July the convoy found itself under close air attacks from Sardinian airfields, during which Manchester and Fearless were damaged and withdrawn from the operation.

[2] Avon Vale was then nominated for service in the eastern Mediterranean, taking passage through Cape of Good Hope and the Indian Ocean, joining the flotilla at Alexandria in November.

On 27 November Avon Vale was deployed with the sloop HMAS Parramatta as escorts for the merchantman SS Hanne taking supplies of munitions to Tobruk.

In February, the destroyer was deployed with Southwold, Beaufort, Dulverton, Hurworth, Eridge and Heythrop of the flotilla in convoy defence duties in the eastern Mediterranean.

On 22 March the convoy sustained dive bombing attacks, the whole movement done under threat of surface action with Italian heavy units including the battleship Littorio and three cruisers.

Avon Vale then passed to Gibraltar to escort military convoys before the Operation Torch, the allied landings in North Africa.

The destroyer was then released for convoy escort duties, a role which was carried out all through December in support of military operations in North Africa.

In May, upon completing the trials, and achieving worked-up service, the destroyer was nominated for convoy escort duties during the allied landings in Normandy.

On 6 June Avon Vale was deployed at Portsmouth as part of Force L. The destroyer sailed from Solent with the escort of the Follow-up Convoy L1 from Nore.

In September she was deployed with the flotilla in the Eastern Mediterranean, taking part in a number of operations to occupy several islands after the surrender of Italy.

In January 1945 Avon Vale joined the 16th Destroyer Flotilla, based at Harwich, pending her refit prior to service in the Indies.