大象传媒

I was a volunteer for the Royal Navy, at the age of 17陆 years I was called up on the 22nd March 1943. I was to attend training at H.M.S. Collingwood at Fareham. After 10 weeks seamanship training I was sent to the Isle of Man for radar training. So I became a fully trained radar operator. My next move was to the U.S.A.. They were constructing ships for the British Navy, these were frigates specially designed as submarine chasers. The name of my ship was H.M.S. Grindall (K477). On leaving the U.S.A. we went to Newfoundland, from there we picked up our convoy which we were to escort across the Atlantic to England, that was in the month of December when the Atlantic is at its worst.
On reaching England we were sent to East India docks for a refit and in February 1944 went to sea. We were made into a group of six frigates, which hunted U Boats, with the name of E.G.5. Also we would reinforce the escorts of convoys.
In May and June we were in the middle of the Atlantic weather reporting for D. Day, we were at sea for one whole month. Our bread had all been used after a fortnight, so we had very hard biscuits until we arrived back into port.
In July 1944 we were to escort a convoy of 99 ships. Being a radar operator I was the eyes of the ship. I could see it all. Of the 99 we lost 2. The Merchant Navy were the real heroes. I saw them floating in the sea all covered with oil. But we could not stop to pick them up.
Our next job was to escort a large troopship convoy to the Mediterranean. We were able to see them safely to their destination.
Our next venture was to the Arctic Circle. We were to escort two aircraft carriers to bomb the German battleship that was in a Norwegian fiord. The senior ship H.M.S. Bickerton she was torpedoed and she went down. The carriers were H.M.S. Nabob and H.M.S. Trumpeter. H.M.S. Nabob was torpedoed but she didn鈥檛 sink. She was towed back successfully to Scotland.
Being at sea has many dangers not always submarines. The Americans built 78 frigates for the British Navy, 18 were lost at sea by torpedoes and many lives were lost. I finished my navy times at the training ship H.M.S. Ganges. It was July 1946.
After the war was over we had a reunion with a German U Boat (U.532). We had many happy times in Germany and in our country. It is strange to have an enemy one time and a friend the next. In those days we were so young and for us it was an adventure, but for my many friends it was their life.
H.M.S. Grindall was responsible for the sinking of U.285 which went down with all hands in April 1945.

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