大象传媒

Captain Joseph David Honywill R.N - A brief summary of his career 1941-1946

6th January 1941 - Joined Britannia Royal Naval College as a cadet. First day in uniform was mistaken for a bus conductor at Newton Abbot bus station! Intensive course covering seamanship, navigation, engineering, training ashore and on the River Dart and classroom work. Passing out exams July 1941.

August 1941 - promoted to Midshipman, Joined HMS Sheffield at Gourock. First operational task was to proceed to Gibralter to refuel and then to provide surface escort to Malta Convoy laden with vital supplies. Entered Grand Harbour Valetta, refuelled and returned to Scapa Flow to rejoin the Home Fleet.
Carried out regular patrols between the Farow Islands and Iceland and provided surface escort on convoys to North Russia as required.
Spent Christmas 1941 alongside a Russian oil tanker in Murmansk. Temperatures sank as low as minus 19 deg centrigrade.

January 1942 - Encountered German cruiser (believed to be Hipper) and a destroyer off the North Cape. We hit the destroyer, which was left on fire, but the cruiser retreated at high speed. I have never heard any reports as to the final outcome of this rare surface action.

February 1942 - Sheffield hit a floating mine off the east coast of Iceland. This damaged the port quarter and the propeller shaft. The ship limped to Seidisfjordur. I was transferred to HMS Icarus to continue practical sea training and gain further experience, this included Home Fleet escort work and surface and anti-submarine escort to a Malta convoy in March. The ship was attacked by JU88 Stuka dive bombers and Italian torpedo dropping aircraft. Several ships were torpedoed. On arrival in Malta we were refuelled and returned to Scapa Flow via Gibralter for further refueling.

May 1942 - rejoined Sheffield in River Tyne, after completion of repairs we rejoined the Home Fleet at Scapa Flow for a short work-up and resumption of Home Fleet patrols of the Northern Approaches. This included embarking a small Norwegian Army Unit that landed in Spitzbergen as a small garrison and intelligence unit.

November 1942 - Sheffield proceeded to Belfast Lough and embarked 700 United States Army Rangers - all very hush-hush. After a short stay we proceeded to sea and joined up with a large convoy which was transporting the joint UK/US Force bound to North Africa to capture the French Colonies of Oran, Algiers, and Tunisia.

Early November 1942 - After 24-hour refuelling stop at Gibralter we proceeded to a position off Algiers where the US Rangers were transferred to two Royal Navy minesweepers for the assault and subsequent capture of Algiers harbour. Sheffield stood off to provide bombardment support but was not called for.
The next few weeks were spent patrolling the North Algerian and Tunisian coast. We then returned to the UK and the Home Fleet.

March 1943 - Left HMS Sheffield and was appointed to HMS Excellent at Portsmouth for the sub-Lieutenant's specialist courses.

October 1943 - appointed as a Sub-Lieutenant to HMS Ulysses, a new Emergency Fleet Destroyer building at Cammel Laird's Birkenhead.
Commisioned December 1943, this was followed by trials and passage to Scapa Flow; this was interrupted by defects to Asdic resulting in Christmas in Belfast.
Joined the 7th Destroyer Squadron at Scapa Flow with an intensive work-up programme that included shore bombardment exercises on Scottish shore ranges under the direction of Army Artillery Control Officers. This was our first indication of the preparations for the anticipated invasion and D-Day.
Field Marshall Montgomery came and addressed the assembled ships' companies and gave us a broad brief of what operations lay ahead.

March 1944 - Escort duties with a convey to North Russia. Held regatta with other escorts in Murmansk Harbour.

May 1944 - Ulysses ordered south to Solent waters, anchored off Lymington - no shore leave.

June 1944 - We eventually sailed on the evening of 5th June and took station in the continuous stream of ships and landing craft bound for Normandy. Our task was to provide shore bombardment as required off areas Juno and Gold; anchored off Arromanche and Porte en Bessin. Nights were spent patrolling against possible E-Boat attacks between landing areas and Cap Gris Nez.
Once the beach heads were secure we were diverted to patrol the Channel Islands. We intercepted a German tug making a dash from Jersey to St Malo; after a short exchange of fire our boarding party went aboard and took the tug to Weymouth.

August 20th 1944 - My 21st Birthday, spent in Cherbourg Harbour; and General de Gaulle landed here on his return to France.

This was the end of Ulysses' involvement in operation Overlord and we were ordered to proceed to London's East India Docks to prepare to join the Far East Fleet.

September 1944 - Re-appointed for watch keeping and divisional officer duties to HMS Venerable, Light Fleet Aircraft Carrier building once again at Cammel Laird's, Birkenhead.
Promoted to Lieutenant.

January 1945 - sailed for the Clyde including acceptance trials en-route. The ships' squadrons embarked after a few weeks initial flying trials (813 Barracudas and 1832 Corsairs)

March 1945 - proceed to Malta for extensive weeks of flying and general operational exercises.
We were made Flagship of the 11th Aircraft Squadron

8th May 1945 - VE-Day spent in Malta. Quite a party!
Thence on to Suez and the far east arriving in Sydney in late July 1945. At this point more modifications were required to the ship.
Spent VJ night in Sydney and were then ordered with all despatch to Hong Kong.
Disembarked squadrons to RAF Kai Tak.

31st August - berthed alongside Holts Wharf, Kowloon. Our task was to provide policing and security for the eastern half of Kowloon City. We assisted in rounding up Japenese forces, evicting them from the barracks they occupied and escorting them on a long march to their own prison camps.

October 1945 - Informed by the Captain of Venerable that I am to return to the UK for flying training, my preferred specialisation.
I joined HMS Arun as watch keeper for the return home. The 6-week passage was enjoyable and relaxed, we sailed via Suez and I was home for Christmas leave.

This completes my resume of the war years.

January 1946 - commenced Flying Training as a pilot, a career I pursued until 1971, but that is another story.

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