1 Sep, 1939
On the outbreak of the Second World War HMS Bulldog (Lt.Cdr. J.S.M. Richardson, RN) was serving in the Mediterranean as aircraft guard ship for the aircraft carrier HMS Glorious (Capt. G. D'Oyly-Hughes DSO, DSC, RN).

21 Feb, 1940
HMS Bulldog received orders to return to Dover to join the 19th DF.

18 Mar, 1940
HMS Bulldog received orders to remain in the Mediterranean with HMS Glorious.

9 May, 1940
During the night of 9/10 May, the destroyer was searching in the Skagerrak for German minelayers with other destroyers from Scapa Flow. During an attack by German MTBs at another Task Force with the same task, HMS Kelly was badly damaged by a torpedo and towed to Newcastle by HMS Bulldog.

24 Aug, 1940
While at Portsmouth HMS Bulldog was damaged during a German air raid. Bulldog's Commanding Officer Lt.Cdr. John Patrick Wisden, RN was wounded, he died 5 days later.

First Officer F.J.G. Hewitt, RN took over command until relieved by Lt.Cdr. E.N.V. Currey, DSC, RN on 3 January 1941.

13 Sep, 1940
During the night of 13/14 September 1940 the destroyers HMS Highlander (Cdr. W.A. Dallmeyer, RN), HMS Harvester (Lt.Cdr. M. Thornton, RN), HMS Bulldog (Lt.Cdr. F.J.G. Hewitt, RN) and HMS Beagle (Lt.Cdr. R.H. Wright, RN) bombard Cherbourg in a sweep through the Seine Bay.

, 1941
During the summer of 1941 Dr. Edward Lee performed trials with Britain's first infrared spectrometer for infrared recognition aboard HMS Bulldog.

Dr. Lee built the detection system which proved crucial to the identification of enemy aircraft in the Second World War.

At the outbreak of war, Dr. Lee joined the Admiralty Research Laboratory in Teddington, working initially on radar; then, using the research from his work on the spectrometer, he worked on developing the type F infrared rays recognition system to help allied pilots distinguish enemy aircraft from their own planes at night. The system employed the transmission of intermittent infrared light beams from lamps attached to aircrafts' tailfins. The beams were invisible to the naked eye, but could be detected by fellow pilots via a special receiver.

9 May, 1941
HMS Bulldog was responsible for the capture of U-110, her Sub Lt David Balme finding the Enigma code machine ciphers and code books. U-110 was taken on tow and Bulldog kept her afloat for 17 hours then let the towline slip. The intention was to tow U-110 into Iceland but Admiralty realised this would have been a massive error of judgement. In the event, allegedly, U-110 resolved the matter herself by sinking.

9 May, 1941
The German submarine U-110 was captured on 9 May 1941 in the North Atlantic south of Iceland by the British destroyers HMS Bulldog (Lt.Cdr. A.J.B. Cresswell, RN) and HMS Broadway (Lt.Cdr. T. Taylor, RN) and the British corvette HMS Aubretia (Lt.Cdr. V.F. Smith, RNR). The U-boat was allowed to sink the day after to preserve the secret capture.

26 Jun, 1944
The German submarine U-719 was sunk in the North Atlantic north-west of Ireland, in position 55º33'N, 11º02'E, by depth charges from the British destroyer HMS Bulldog. (see map)

9 May, 1945
The surrender of the Channel Islands was signed on board her.