Departing Halifax on 22 December, "Leamington" returned to the British Isles and reverted to Royal Navy control. After a period of service based at Rosyth, Scotland, "Leamington" was placed in reserve at the Tyne. However, on 16 June 1944, the British loaned the ship to the Russians, who renamed her Zhguchi (rus. Жгучий, "Fiery"). She served under the Russian flag through 1949 and was returned to Great Britain in 1950, when she starred in the Trevor Howard film "Gift Horse" as the fictional "HMS "Ballantrae"", (ex- "USS "Whittier"") which depicted the St Nazaire Raid. She was subsequently sold to John Cashmore Ltd and broken up for scrap at Newport, Wales on 26 July 1951.