大象传媒

STAN FOREMAN鈥橲 WAR YEARS-1939 TO 1945.

They commenced soon after Sunday Divisions and Church Service on board H M S Berwick, County Class Cruiser. The crew were relaxing after the usual weekly inspection by the Captain, waiting for 鈥楻um Up鈥�, when it was announced over the broadcast system by the Prime Minister that war had been declared on Germany.

This of course was 3rd Sept 1939 and the Berwick was patrolling the mouth of the Hudson River, hoping to intercept the German liner Bremen, at that time berthed in New York harbour. Good luck was on her side and she escaped unscathed We did, however, have the pleasure of exchanging greetings with the British liner Queen Mary as she entered the Hudson River en route to New York

H.M.S.Berwick had been, during the previous nine months, Flag-ship of the 8th Cruiser Squadron on the American and West Indies Station. I was a Petty Officer electrical artificer, a member of the Torpedo Division, having joined the ship early in 1938.

During the next few days the Berwick steamed northwards towards Halifax Nova Scotia and arrived in Halifax in time to witness survivors from the Athenia debark from the City Of Flint.

The Athenia was the first marine casualty of the war and the City Of Flint, an American ship, was eventually sunk by a German submarine.

From Sept 1939 Berwick served on Ocean Convoy escort duties, interspersed with the blockade of enemy supply ships attempting to pass through the Denmark Straits en route to German ports.

In Feb 1940 the ship was 鈥榖ack-up鈥� to the destroyer Cossack when she entered the Norwegian fiord to relieve the German ship Altmark of the Allied ships鈥� officers who were being held as prisoners of war. During this episode a malfunction occurred in the control switch of one of the dynamos and while carrying out repairs I received second degree burns. On our return to Scotland I left the ship for hospital treatment, at first on the hospital ship Aba, followed by a stay in the hospital at Kingseat in Fifeshire.

On discharge I went home on sick leave for two weeks and during this time romance began between Diana Odell and myself, which endured, in the early days at long range, for the next thirty-four years.

In April 1940 Berwick participated in the Norwegian Campaign--perhaps that should have been the Norwegian Fiasco, because we re-embarked troops that were landed only a week or two earlier. There was more than a little excitement with the enemy Air Force during this campaign and we never returned to home waters without having expended most of our ammunition.

In May 1940 we transported Royal Marines to Iceland and the island was occupied on the 10th May to prevent the occupation by a German force. A number of German civilians and technicians were made prisoners and transported back to the United Kingdom. Very rough seas were encountered on passage to Iceland and the majority of the Marines cluttered gangways and mess-decks throughout the ship, prostrate with sea-sickness. One unfortunate marine committed suicide.

During the next few months Berwick operated from Scottish bases, twenty-four days on the Northern Patrol, four days in harbour to recuperate. These were stressful days, both mentally and physically. The continuous movement of the ship in rough seas, coupled with thoughts of an enemy torpedo at any moment, meant the whole ship鈥榮 company of almost eight hundred men were completely exhausted by the end of each patrol.




Later in the year we were despatched to the Mediterranean and joined Force H at Gibraltar on 7th Nov.1940. Berwick participated in a number of operations in the Med.during the next few weeks, the first being on the 9th of Nov. Berwick was in company with other ships including the Ark Royal, when we experienced high level bombing and numerous near misses by the Italian Air Force, in the Sicilian Narrows.

On the 11th of Nov. the Berwick was part of the escort for the aircraft carrier Illustrious when she mounted an attack on the port of Taranto with torpedoes and bombs. Three battleships were torpedoed and considerable damage was done to the port installations.

On the 27th Nov. Berwick was involved in the Battle of Cape Spartivento, off Sardinia. A British force consisting of battleships Renown and Ramillies, aircraft carrier Ark Royal, Berwick and three other cruisers plus nine destroyers met an Italian force consisting of two battleships, four heavy cruisers and twelve destroyers. The enemy turned away, made smoke and a long - range battle ensued.

The Italians were too fast for our forces and when we were within thirty miles of Sardinia we gave up the chase. One enemy cruiser was set on fire and two enemy destroyers were damaged. Berwick was the only British casualty, having been hit by 8 in. shells. Repairs to damage were carried out by the ship`s staff.

In Dec.1940 the ship joined Force K off Freetown to join the hunt for the German pocket battleship Admiral Scheer. Our patrols were fruitless until the end of Dec. when we were due to rendezvous with Convoy WS5 from Canada. At dawn on 25th Dec. we joined conflict with the German heavy cruiser Hipper. An exchange of fire continued throughout the fore-noon in poor visibility and hits were registered on opposing ships. Having lost contact we then proceeded to 鈥榣ick鈥� our wounds.
(A separate account of my personal activities on this festive occasion appears elsewhere).

Damage received from the encounter with the Hipper, meant a brief stay in Gibraltar for temporary repairs, before returning to Portsmouth for major repairs in early 1941. The ship was in the dockyard undergoing repairs during the massive air raids on the city.

On completion of repairs to the ship, we left Portsmouth and proceeded towards a Scottish base with the intention of renewing operations in Northern areas. The weather in the Irish Sea was very bad and in a thick fog Berwick was in collision with an unidentified ship, sustaining considerable damage to the port side, including a 4 in. gun turret. Repairs, carried out in Glasgow docks, were completed in June 1941.

Petty Officer Cook 鈥楯ack鈥� Frost was the only fatality during this incident, a sad loss. 鈥楯ack鈥� had been a popular member of the ship鈥榮 company, having been the organiser of our 鈥楽ods Operas鈥� and other entertainments during the time spent on the West Indies Station prior to the outbreak of war.

The following few months were spent on the Northern Patrol, twenty four days of rough weather in freezing temperatures in the Denmark Straits, four days in Rosyth to thaw out. A number of mercantile blockade-runners were intercepted during these patrols, one of which, on sinking, left the surrounding sea littered with oranges and grapefruit. We did not stop to reap the harvest; submarines liked sitting targets.

In Sept. 1941 I left the Berwick to return to Portsmouth for a 鈥楻efresher` course, after serving as a member of her ship鈥榮 company for over three years. H.M.S.Vernon, the Torpedo and Electrical training establishment in Portsmouth, had been badly damaged during the March air raids and I was drafted on to Roedean, the school for girls near Brighton. The school had been taken over by the Navy as a temporary replacement for 鈥榁ernon鈥�. Here there was a much quieter environment.

On completion of the `Refresher` course I passed the examination for Chief Electrical Artificer
and was immediately appointed as Instructor on navigational gyro-compasses. I now hoped for a period of comparative relaxation.

Christmas leave arrived, the first I had spent at home with my family for three years. During this period marriage was arranged and in Jan. 1942 Diana Odell became Mrs Foreman. Four days later I received a telegram, delivered by a policeman, 鈥淩eport back to R.N.B. Portsmouth immediately鈥�. Within a week I was aboard H.M.S. Cleopatra, bound for the Mediterranean. My period of relaxation had been rather brief.

H.M.S. Cleopatra was a Dido Class Light Cruiser, armed with five 5.25in. gun-turrets, plus lighter anti-aircraft and close range weapons, on route to join the Eastern Mediterranean Fleet. The ship was carrying ammunition and stores to Malta and a large number of reinforcements for various ships and other services in that war zone. I was one of that number and was not to enjoy a pleasure cruise. A brief stop at Gibraltar, on towards Malta and two days of repeated attacks by high-level and dive-bombers.

The accompanying destroyer was badly damaged before receiving air-cover from Malta and in Cleopatra鈥榮 endeavour to protect the destroyer she was hit by two bombs. Both ships eventually reached Malta and stores and ammunition were unloaded. The majority of personnel carried by the ship as reinforcements were dispersed to their various services, but I and other naval ratings were catered for aboard Cleopatra, awaiting our various ships.

During the next few weeks Cleopatra was in dry-dock undergoing repairs and acting as an anti-aircraft battery against the continuous air attacks launched by the enemy on Malta. This was when the island was awarded the George Cross.

H.M.S.Dido was the ship to which I was destined and it was with considerable relief that I joined her and left behind the endless sound of aircraft, bombs and gunfire experienced in Malta during Jan. and Feb. 鈥�42.

My job aboard Dido was the maintenance of navigational equipment, but I soon found there was a considerable amount of repair work needed. In May of 1941 the ship had been damaged by a bomb during the evacuation of troops from Crete and had major repairs carried out in South Africa and America, rejoining the Mediterranean Fleet in January 1942.

Unfortunately, some of the damage to navigational equipment had been ignored during the repair periods in dock and very soon after joining the ship the Navigating Officer (Navvy), who was also the First Lieutenant, made me aware that there were problems with the pitometer log, which measured speed through the water and distance on the plotting-table. The plotting-table is the apparatus for pinpointing a ship鈥榮 position at any time on the relevant chart.

Both gyro-compasses were also faulty. There was a slight directional error on No.1 and occasionally, during rapid manoeuvres, the gyro would 鈥榯opple鈥� (lose it鈥榮 fixed direction in space) and cause consternation on the bridge. No.2. `wandered` a few degrees about true north and only acted as the alternative gyro.

Added to the list of problems for the 鈥楴avvy鈥�, was the depth-recorder. The bomb blast during the Crete action had damaged the control unit and subsequently, nobody had managed to get a 鈥榩eep鈥� out of the set. Consequently, when routine duties permitted, I spent hours endeavouring to rectify the faults with varying success.

During the next few months of 1942 the Dido, along with the rest of the Eastern Mediterranean Fleet, was based at Alexandria in Egypt. The overriding concern of the navy at this time was the replenishment of supplies to Malta. The island had become untenable as a base for surface ships, and was on the point of collapse, starved of food, fuel and ammunition.

On the 22nd of March a convoy of four vessels left Alexandria carrying essential supplies for Malta. Dido was part of the covering force of warships. Within hours of leaving Alexandria, German high level and Italian torpedo bombers were attacking the convoy. The attacks, twenty eight in all, continued throughout the day. No hits were registered on the ships of the convoy but a number of attacking aircraft were destroyed by anti-aircraft fire.

Units of the Italian Fleet had been reported earlier in the day and late afternoon they were sighted. Then began the action known as the Second Battle of Sirte. The Italian force consisted of one battleship with 15in. guns, two 8in. gun cruisers and one 6in. gun cruiser with eight destroyers against four light cruisers and eleven destroyers. The odds were not comforting.

Rear Admiral Vian commanded the British force and he led his ships into the attack while laying banks of smoke to obscure the merchant vessels. Using the smoke screen the British ships played 鈥榗at and mouse鈥� with the Italians who were sending 15in.and 8in. shells in our direction. Dido, along with the other cruisers, was attempting to` tickle` the enemy with our 5.25in. shells and torpedoes.

As darkness approached the enemy decided they had lost interest in the game and turned for home. Due to the action the convoy had been delayed but continued on towards Malta with a reduced covering force. Dido, along with the rest of the British ships, very short on ammunition, returned to Alexandria.

The convoy was unable to reach Malta until the following morning when dive-bombers sank one merchant vessel and disabled another before they could reach harbour. The two remaining merchant ships entered Grand Harbour, only to be sunk before all the stores could be unloaded.

In June 1942 another attempt was made to relieve Malta and convoys were despatched from both ends of the Mediterranean.

Eleven ships loaded with stores sailed from the east on the 12th. June with a large escort of cruisers and destroyers, including Dido.

On the first day the convoy was under heavy attack from the air, one merchant ship was damaged and put into Tobruk. The next day two merchant ships were sunk by aircraft and two destroyers were sunk and a cruiser damaged by `E` boats.

Meanwhile, an Italian force of two battleships, four cruisers and twelve destroyers were on the way to intercept our convoy. This force neared our vicinity on the 15th. June but came under attack by aircraft from Malta and Egypt and decided that retreat was the better option.

During the following attacks by aircraft, ammunition was expended at such a rate that Admiral Vian abandoned the attempt to get the convoy through to Malta and we returned to Alexandria.

On the return journey to Alexandria two destroyers and one cruiser were sunk and one cruiser damaged. Dido arrived safe, and more or less sound, although the crew were completely `shattered`, having been closed up for three days without a break, sleeping when possible and living on corned beef sandwiches.

In August, the threat by Rommel and his army on Egypt, and Alexandria in particular, caused the Eastern Mediterranean Fleet and shore-based staff to abandon Alexandria as the main base.

Soon after leaving the harbour a depot- ship was hit by a torpedo fired from a submarine. I witnessed the sad event from the upper deck of Dido and as the depot-ship `turned-turtle` I was able to see many of the crew and passengers, including W,R.N.S. swarming onto the hull. The ship soon sank, leaving many to their fate. One destroyer was left to rescue survivors, the rest of the Fleet proceeded to other bases.

Dido sailed eastwards, eventually anchoring in the waterway between Port Said and Port Fuad. From this position we were to operate for the next few days.

The depot ship had been carrying stores, and virtually all the torpedoes to supply the needs of the Eastern Mediterranean ships and during the following week Dido left our anchorage to patrol the Alexandria area, hoping to find torpedoes floating in their crates. Whether we had any success I cannot remember, but I do remember one incident very clearly that occurred during this exercise.

The daily patrols and duties involved had been so repetitive and tiring that everyone looked forward to the evenings, when we returned to the anchorage in the Port Said waterway.

Our current anchorage in the Port Said waterway was not considered a safe one as saboteurs were known to operate in the area and limpet mines were a continuous threat whilst the ship was at anchor.

To combat this threat the hull of the ship was scraped by a chain dragged from stem to stern. Seamen of the duty watch, under the supervision of the duty officer, would carry out this procedure, commencing soon after anchoring and repeating the action at intervals whilst at anchor.

On anchoring after a patrol the crew would be stood down from `steaming stations`, and I would report the state of the navigational aids to the `Navvy`, one of the last operations was to withdraw the pito-tube, which protruded about three feet through the hull of the ship while we were at sea. The pito-tube being part of the pitometer-log which recorded the speed through the water.

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