´óÏó´«Ã½

This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Paula Fairweather from Crawley Library and has been added on behalf of John Rose with his permission and he fully understands the site’s terms and conditions

I left school in 1939 when I was 17 years of age. War broke out within a few weeks and I soon joined the Civil Defence as an Air Raid Warden. This meant being on duty at the post for two evenings a week. I think about five lots of bombs were dropped in our area whilst I was a warden; houses were damaged but there were no serious casualties, I’m glad to say.

I was called up for my medical in 1941 and requested to join the Royal Navy. Having been accepted early in 1942 I joined HMS Glendower, previously a Butlins Holiday Camp at Pwllheli in North Wales. Before that I had been not much further than Brighton.

In Glendower sailors were mostly trained to become gunners to serve in Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships (D.E.M.S). Fortunately as I was fairly well educated I was chosen to be trained as a Radio and Radar Mechanic, a new branch in the navy dealing, at that time, with the very secretive radar.

Whilst awaiting a training course, I was sent to Chatham Barracks where, as I could play the tenor saxophone, I joined the Seaman’s Band. It was an interesting experience, playing and marching at the same time. During my time with the band we did a march through London and played the National Anthem and other marches before King George VI when he inspected Chatham Barracks. One of the advantages was that we could have leave every night instead of every other night, although we had to be back fairly early for morning parade and colours.

Finally I was allocated to a course lasting nearly twelve months, starting at Manchester University where we were in private digs, and then to the Isle of Man, finally passing out at HMS Mercury a training establishment near Petersfield.

From Portsmouth Barracks, strangely enough I was sent back to D.E.M.S. and reported to the Liver Buildings in Liverpool where I was kitted up with both tropical and arctic gear and an extra special life jacket. It was never certain where a convoy might be sent.

I finally landed up at Cardiff Docks where the Empire Gale was waiting. It was a merchant ship known as a C.A.M. (Catapult Armed Merchant) ship, with a Hurricane plane on board, which could be shot off by a rocket propelled trolley along a runway about the length of a cricket pitch. The ship sailed at the leading outside edge of the convoy and if the convoy were attacked by air, its plane would be shot off to be guided by radar. The pilot of course could not land back on the ship but, if near enough would make for the nearest friendly land, or otherwise be forced to ditch in the sea with the hope of being picked up.

Besides the Merchant Seamen we had the RN Radar Crew and Army Gunners and in order to come within the command of the Merchant Navy Captain we all signed articles for 6d a day (2.5p)

We finally arrived safely at the North African Port of Algiers, where the cargo was unloaded. It was surprising the amount that could be carried. After that we set off for a Spanish North African Port where we changed into civvy clothes and the ship was loaded with iron ore; not a very nice cargo as it is a dead weight and if holed the ship would sink very quickly.

On the way back to the UK the convoy was attacked by air and our Hurricane was launched successfully and I believe the RAF pilot landed safely in Gibraltar. We finally reached Tyne Docks near South Shields where by this time the Navy had several small aircraft carriers and no longer needed the CAM ships. So I was sent back into general service at Portsmouth from where I was soon drafted to a Hunt Class Destroyer HMS Bramham being refitted at docks near Newcastle. The Bramham was quite a famous ship; she had taken part in the Malta Convoy ‘Operation Pedestal’ and had assisted the oil tanker Ohio into harbour at Malta, thus saving the precious cargo greatly needed for the defence of Malta.

On reaching the ship I was surprised to see the Greek Ensign flying and found that she had been handed over to the Greek Navy with Greek Officers and crew, and had been renamed H.H.M.S Themistocles. I would be part of the RN liaison Party consisting of an officer, two signalmen, two wireless operators, two coders and myself to maintain the radar and radio.

Compared with today Radar was very primitive, being turned by hand. If anything went wrong no replacements were available, it was just a case of finding the faults and if necessary using a soldering iron to replace the faulty component. Our conditions on board were very cramped and for the rest of the war, except for a few changes in personnel, we ate and slept side by side, preparing our own food and doing our own washing and ironing, generally without much news of the UK.

The Greeks were a very mixed bunch; very clever university types and others, perhaps sponge fishermen from the Greek Islands. The Greek Paymaster was one of the Greek shipping millionaires and its Captain at the end of the war later became Commander in Chief of the Navy only to lose his job when their King was dethroned.

Themistocles was, I think, both a happy and very lucky ship and we survived the rest of the war without hurt. After working up at Scapa we finally sailed escorting a convoy to Alexandria which became our home port. I still remember the very rough passage through the Bay of Biscay with the ship pitching and rolling every few minutes as she altered course on the outside edge of the convoy. Then passing through what seemed to be the Gates of Heaven when entering the Med., then sunny and calm through the Straits of Gibraltar. Not that the Med. was always so calm.

Soon after reaching Alexandria Themistocles was involved in the ill-fated, and I think ill-conceived Dodecanese Campaign when many Royal Navy ships were lost. However we arrived safely back at Alexandria and spent the rest of the war on convoy duty; the Anzio landings in Italy and the South of France Invasion and for the Greeks, the Liberation of Athens following which Piraeus became our home port.

What should have been a happy time was spoilt by political troubles in Greece. There was street fighting in Athens and trouble on some of the Greek Navy ships. Fortunately the crew of the Themistocles decided to remain loyal to their government and V.J. day came with us exercising somewhere off Crete. Not long after I received my draft back to the UK. I remember feeling sad about leaving Greece and my Greek shipmates and cannot honestly say that I was longing to return to England although I did, of course want to see my family. My years with the Greeks had left me with a great fondness for Greece and the people and since then I have spent many happy holidays there.

Because of my experiences I was accepted to join the ‘Brotherhood of Veterans of the Greek Campaigns 1940-45’, mostly made up of Army Veterans who were sent from North Africa to help to defend Greece from the Italians and later the Germans in 1941. They were finally outnumbered and were finally evacuated with great losses by the Navy from Kalamata. A reunion is held there each year also at the National Arboretum where the Brotherhood has planted an open-air chapel.

My remaining time in the Navy was spent at the Port Radar Office in Portsmouth Dockyard working on naval ships within the Dockyard. Whilst there I lived in private digs, near Portsmouth Football Club which I supported. Looking back over my time in the Navy, I was lucky; although there were times of danger, I survived and during this time managed to be my own boss I finally ended up as Chief Petty Officer.

© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.