大象传媒

When war was declared in 1939, I was 17 years old. To help the war effort I joined the Local Defence Volunteers (L.V.D.) in Park Street Barracks, Bootle. We manned roadblocks in Bootle, Litherland, Seaforth and Netherton, from nightime until early hours of the morning, watching for lights showing from houses, cars etc. We had to stop any cars or wagons after midnight, find out the reason for travelling late, and sometimes search the cars. Also when bombs hit roads, for example, Stanley Road, near Sun Hall, we had to divert anything moving and also the public who sometimes were enquiring about relatives who lived or worked in the area. During the May Blitz was a very bad time, but the people were excellent in helping and looking after neighbours who鈥檚 houses had been bombed.
In July 1941 I joined the Royal Navy as a stoker 11. After my Engineering Training Examination, I was drafted to H.M.S. Drake, in Devonport, my Home Base. From there we went to join H.M.S. Furious in Philadelphia, U.S.A. We steamed Furious back to U.K. and then took part in convoys to Malta.
During those convoys we had to sail between Sicily and Panterilia Italian islands, which we called 鈥淏omb Alley鈥� and here our convoys were bombed by planes and torpedoed by fast launches. We lost many thousands of Merchant Navy personnel. German and Italians planes sank many Royal Navy and Merchant Navy ships with their valuable cargoes destined to enable Malta to survive the constant bombing of the island day after day. Furious was loaded with planes for the defence of Malta. We would fly them off, when we were close enough. By this time I had become Stoker 1 and now Leading Stoker.
In 1942 a special convoy called 鈥淧edestal鈥� was formed, consisting of 15 Merchant ships and one Tanker, Ohio, and protected by Aircraft Carriers and Warships. Furious had 38 Spitfires to fly off when we were close enough to Malta. Whilst we were at action stations flying off these Spitfires, the Aircraft Carrier, Eagle, on our Port side, was hit by four torpedoes from a U-boat and sank in 9 minutes.
Destroyers in the area picked up 900 men. Ohio, loaded with 100 Octane Aviation Spirit for the Spitfires that we flew off, was on our Starboard side. The tanker was set on fire when the convoy was heavily bombarded, and the crew 鈥淎bandoned Ship鈥�. Next morning the crew returned and put out the fires and kept Ohio sailing through attack after attack, although she was now listing badly and her steering was gone, so that it seemed all was lost. The two Destroyers lashed themselves to the Ohio, one port side and one starboard side, supporting her and using their anti-aircraft guns to protect her. Soon some Spitfires flew out from Malta and the Ohio was guided into Valetta Harbour, to a welcome from all the Maltese people on vantage points overlooking the harbour. The cheers could be heard in Italy. The fuel was quickly unloaded into storage tanks and enabled Spitfires to fly off and attack enemy armies in Libya, changing the face of the war. Furious got the name 鈥淟ucky Ship鈥� and did two more trips to Malta carrying another 58 Spitfires. The Maltese people now know 鈥淧edestal鈥� date as 鈥淪anta Marija, Our Lady鈥檚 Birthday鈥� because that convoy saved them from surrender.

NORTH AFRICAN OPERATION 鈥淭ORCH鈥�

Furious was actively involved in the North African landings, flying in our Seafires, which eventually brought about the capitulation of Oran. We docked in Mer-El-Mebia and went into Oran. Our Commander had a terrible accident being crushed between a catamaran and the side of the carrier. We got him on board the ship but he died the next day and we buried him at sea with a full Naval burial. We stayed in the area forcing the Italian fleet to stay in harbour. Later we rejoined the Home Fleet and for some months in 1943, we protected the convoys to North Russia. In July, to deter the enemy ships from leaving port, a German was deliberately allowed to report the manoeuvres of our fleet off Norway, before planes from Furious shot it down. Furious later had a refit in Liverpool.
In 1944 German Battleship Tirpitz, was in Kaa Fiord in Norway, and threatened the North Russian convoys. She had been damaged by midget submarines attack but by July was again ready for sea. The carriers Furious and Victorious attacked sending in Barracuda bombers with 1600lb bombs, putting Tirpitz out of action for 4 months. In August 1944 I was paid off Furious, but had to stay on board whilst the first leave party had leave. I got married on November 4th of that year, following which I passed my Engineer Petty Officer course. I was drafted to the cruiser Jamaica that had just finished refit in Portsmouth. The sea trials off Spithead were interrupted to take King George and Queen Elizabeth to recently liberated Jersey on 6th June 1945.
We then took on fuel etc. at Devonport and sailed, teaming up at Malta with the cruiser Glasgow, proceeding to Colombo, and on to Trincomalee. On 4th November 1945 we sailed to Rangoon returning to Colombo. Then on to Addu Atoll in the Pacific Ocean which had been the East Indies Fleet鈥檚 secret base during the war. From here we took evacuees to Colombo and returned to Trincomalee. Then we sailed to the Dutch East Indies and a rendezvous with other warships fighting a war against the Japanese and Indonesians, making landings in Semerang and Sourabaya.
We sailed back to Trincomalee and I left the Jamaica and went to Mayina camp in Colombo, awaiting a passage home for demobilisation. After one month the cruiser Berwick arrived and the crew was put on ashore and I was part of a new crew to steam the ship back to Devonport. I was demobbed at Beaude Camp in June 1946 and returned home safely.
I was one of the lucky ones who survived; I lost many of My Mates who had trained with Me and who had been posted to various ships that were lost in the convoys.

Joseph F. Lloyd
Royal Naval Association and George Cross Island Association

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