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15 October 2014
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Contributed by听
大象传媒 Open Centre, Hull
People in story:听
William Brears
Location of story:听
Yorkshire
Background to story:听
Royal Air Force
Article ID:听
A7795605
Contributed on:听
15 December 2005

Bill Brears

William Brears
22 Sep 1918 to 26 Jan 1986
Sheffield Yorkshire England
My Dad鈥
In August 1939, aged 21 Bill married Elsie Warhurst and in September 1939 he was called into the Army, having been called up early because he was in the Territorial Army.
His best fried from school days, Harry, was killed at his side at Dunkirk.

He wrote from Scarborough about studying to take exams to join the RAF and after passing he became a Navigator and Bomb Aimer and Air Bombing Instructor from June 1941 to 21 November 1945.
Bill had Aircrew training in South Africa from March to October 1942.
On the way home his ship, The Duchess of Atholl, was torpedoed and everyone had to take to the lifeboats.
The German submarine surfaced and everyone was tearing off stripes so that the captain could not tell that he had a ship full of RAF crew.
The captain said that he was on his way home for Christmas and did not kill them.
6 died in the explosion on board.
Bill鈥檚 flight log book records 鈥1st Log Book lost by enemy action October 1942 Duchess of Atholl coming home from SA containing 100 Hours flying in Anson Oxford and Fairey Battle. Position South Atlantic approx 700 miles SW of Freetown West Africa Latt 07 03 S 11 12 W.鈥
This was reported in The Times and in the same article it recorded the sinking of Orcades.
My husband鈥檚 uncle Gorden Ulley was killed when this ship was sunk.
The RAF diagnosed Bill with a lazy eye and exercises did not improve it enough for him to become a pilot, but he did use to fly the plane back home after missions.
When they were waiting for the next mission they played cards and pub games all night, Bridge, Solo and Whist.
He taught his children to play card games and played for the pub team for years afterwards.
No 103 Squadron Elsham Wolds.
His missions included operations to
Dortmund, Duisburg, Bochum, Dusseldorf, Essen, Wuppertal, Gelsenkirchen, Cologne, Turin, Hamburg, Mannheim, Peenemunde, Leverkusen, Berlin, Norenberg, and Munchen Gladbach.
He flew with several pilots
Brogan, Manning Homer, Hewitt, Slade, White, Cole, Rawstorne, Piltinsgrud (Norwegian), Lloyd Nelson, Ellison, Teal, Bowen.
He flew in Whitley, Anson, Halifax, Lancaster and Wellington aircraft.
In July 1943 his logbook says he flew 鈥淲indow demonstration鈥.
This was to drop silver paper to block the radar.

Searching the internet in 2005 we found the man who had heard the sos signal and informed the rescue ship.

We also sent for the medals which Bill had never received.

Newspaper article

AXIS CLAIMS TWO TROOPSHIPS
鈥淪UNK OFF AFRICAN COAST鈥

In a special announcement issued yesterday the German High Command claimed that the Orient liner Orcades and the Canadian Pacific liner Duchess of Atholl had been sunk off the African coast.
The announcement was s follows:-
German submarines have again destroyed rapid and valuable enemy troop transport ships off Capetown the British passenger liner Orcades of 23456 tons has been sunk and between Freetown and Capetown the Canadian liner Duchess of Athol of 20119 tons has been sunk.
The two fast ships equipped for carrying 9000 to 10000 men with arms were employed as troop transporters en route to Egypt and the Middle East.
In the same waters two more ships totalling 17425 tons were sunk.
The enemy has thus again lost 61000 tons of shipping off the South and West African coast.
Although constant heavy autumn storms strongly impeded operations other German U-Boats in attacks lasting several days on fully laden and strongly protected convoys in the North Atlantic on their way to Britain sank 14 ships totalling 82000 tons and damaged two more ships by torpedo hits.
In the last four days the enemy has lost 18 ships totalling 143000 tons between Newfoundland and the Cape of Good Hope
Reuter

Letters home

657449 LAC Brears W
No 6 Sqdn no 13 Course
42 Air School
Port Elizabeth
6/6/42

Dear Mother and Father
I was pleased to receive your telegram today it is wonderful news.
To know that everybody at home is ok is a real tonic.
I received a letter about a fortnight ago dated March 26th
Thanks for everything very much.
Well dear there isn鈥檛 room to put very much on this thing as can see but I just want you to know that I鈥檓 doing fine.
Everything is going along smoothly.
It has rained like hell all day here but we need it.
Well I shall be coming home shortly and will let you know later.
Keep smiling.
Tell Jim I send him all the best.
I hope he doesn鈥檛 get wet fire-watching tonight Friday
Cheerio.
See you soon
Your loving son
Bill xx
L.A.C. Brears W657449
鈥淐鈥 Sqdn 鈥7鈥 Flight
Cavendish Hotel
Eastbourne

18/12/41
Dear Sis,
It seems quite a long time since I wrote to you but as the old saying goes, 鈥淏etter Late than Never鈥.
I鈥檓 expecting my laundry back tomorrow or Else----
This is a real dump after the lights of London quite a remarkable contrast from the sublime to the Gor-Blimey! in fact.
The weather鈥檚 ok but it鈥檚 cold if that鈥檚 not Irish.
I hope you got my laundry ok because it seems you didn鈥檛 with me getting that telegram on Monday night.
I replied to that on Wednesday or Tuesday I bet you got a shock when you saw it didn鈥檛 you.
I鈥檝e told my mother I want the money on Saturday so please remind her if she forgets. By the way I鈥檝e started flying here and now getting a real kick out of life.
But I am still training of course until about May or June before I go operational and don鈥檛 tell Elsie before I do or she鈥檒l have another baby and you wouldn鈥檛 want that to happen would you.
I鈥檓 afraid I shan鈥檛 be at the wedding but never mind as pop used to say 鈥渨orse things happen at sea鈥.
I mean after all there is a war on even if we don鈥檛 know it yet.
It seems as the army is once again withdrawing you can bet it won鈥檛 be long before the old TA go into action then watch the sparks fly.
Well I guess you got all the gen: there鈥檚 nothing for me to do now except wish you all the best and the merriest Christmas you ever had.
Well make next Christmas the best when our Harry鈥檚 here with his wife though Boy will that be some booze up oh yes definitely.
Well Goodnight duck鈥檚

A MERRY CHRISTMAS + A HAPPY NEW YEAR to you and Bill and Godon

Your loving Brother
Bill
Xxxx

PS
Don鈥檛 let my mother forget the 拢 S D on Saturday. Wire it by money order to this address

Sig W Brears
857512
71st Fld Regt 282 Bty E Troop
Drill Hall Mill Street
Montrose Angus
Dear Sis
Was mighty pleased to see that whilst you were holding up our anniversary you found time to write to yours truly.
I also liked that two bob touch as I had two lovely pints and ten fags with it.
Your spelling is definitely showing signs of a big improvement.
I suppose you鈥檙e taking lessons or going to the library or something at any rate for the life of me I couldn鈥檛 find a single error so give yourself a pat from me to you with love(nuts).
I can see by Mother鈥檚 letter you had a real good time on Saturday and I hope you all really enjoyed every minute of it.
Harold and I got drunk.
By the way, notice that bit of etiquette (also spelling I hope it鈥檚 right).
Tell Bill and Gordon they are not completely forgotten although I don鈥檛 suppose he鈥檒l want me to send him my best love and kind regards for the future.
To finish in the usual manner I now write.
Well I think that鈥檚 all this time
Your ever loving Brother Bill xxx
From the internet...
John Trevor Liney, Telegraphist
In 1942, John Trevor Liney was stationed at the Wireless Receiving Station on Ascension Island. The Ascension Island Radio Transmitter and Receiver Station was part of the Cable and Wireless HF radio-telecommunications worldwide network. The station operated in conjunction with similar units in Freetown and Accra on the West African Coast.
The main purpose of this station was to receive and relay transatlantic bulletins in code and cypher for the benefit of Allied shipping, both Merchant and Naval. The "traffic" concerned was received and re-transmitted using taped Morse Code.
Trevor had just completed his Signals Training in the UK Being the least experienced person on the station, he was allocated to the 500 KC's distress frequency, which, for the most part, involved just listening. A manual transmitting key was provided.
On October 10, 1942, he was the only telegraphist T. O. (trained officer) on duty on Ascension. Perhaps feeling a little bored, he occasionally changed frequencies, switching to the nearby working marine frequency band, in order to find any signals to help pass the time. He was not on the distress frequency of 500 KC's, when he stumbled upon a fast fading SOS signal. This signal was being sent "off" frequency, so the chances of anyone hearing it were very remote. The signal was fading fast, but Trevor recorded what he hoped were the correct coordinates and reported them to his superiors.
Although aircraft from the US Army based on the Island made an early search, no trace of a ship was found. Trevor began to accept that perhaps his Morse or his hearing had let him down. Then he learned that the HMS Corinthian, using his coordinates, went to that area and found more than 20 lifeboats with 820 survivors from the Duchess of Atholl. The survivors had been in the lifeboats for about 28 hours.
It was later confirmed that there was no time to send a message from the ship's radio. The SOS signal was sent from a portable transmitter in one of the lifeboats, and its battery was almost completely discharged. The ship had been sunk in an extremely remote location, and Trevor was in the only land station where the signal could possibly have been intercepted, other than a nearby ship.

Details of the u boat
Operations information for U-178
08.09.1942 - 10.01.1943
First Sailing - active patrol
U-178 left Kiel under the command of Hans Ibbeken on 8th Sep 1942 and arrived at Bordeaux on 10th Jan 1943 after more than seventeen weeks.
Hans Ibbeken hit seven ships on this patrol.
On 10th Oct 1942 he sank the British 20,119 ton Duchess of Atholl.
On 1st Nov 1942 he sank the British 8,233 ton Mendoza.
On 4th Nov 1942 he sank the Norwegian 2,561 ton Hai Hing.
On 4th Nov 1942 he sank the British 5,244 ton Trekieve.
On 13th Nov 1942 he sank the British 3,764 ton Louise Moller.
On 15th Nov 1942 he damaged the British 6,348 ton Adviser.
On 27th Nov 1942 he sank the American 7,176 ton Jeremiah Wadsworth.

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