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H.M.S. Wisteria

I joined Wisteria at Shadwell in 1943, where she was undergoing a refit. No one had any idea where we bound for, however when they started lagging the pipes and the crew were issued with heavy duty warm clothing. we knew it was’nt going to be the Med. One day we moved out of Shadwell docks sailing North but: we did’nt get very far. During the early hours of the morning whilst off the Scottish coast there was an almighty crash and water started pouring into the engine and boiler rooms. We had been rammed by another ship and there was a large hole amidships below the water line. Mats were slung over the side to try to stem the inrush of water. It was no good, the engine room and boiler filled and the ship was so low in the water it was close to sinking. This was avoided by two tugs coming out from Edinburgh and tying up one on each side. In this way we were beached on Burntisland in the Forth. Repairs were eventually completed and we moved out in convoy to the North Atlantic Passing through the Pentland Firth off the North coast of Scotland. in a force 9 gale I experienced the worst weather of my time at sea. Riding up to 30ft waves then coming down like a big dipper, rolling at the same time, a moment at the bottom, when it seemed like it may not come again. The result was that every fixed object became unfixed and the ships furnishings were a shambles. The bad weather continued out into the Atlantic, meals could only be eaten sitting in a corner with both feet pressed against the bulkheads to avoid being catapulted across the messdeck. Several days later we arrived at our destination, the port of Reykjavik in Iceland. It was winter, intensely cold and dark, There is little or no daylight in Iceland for 8 months of the year, then during the summer period it is the opposite with daylight 24 hours a day . Britain had occupied Iceland, against the wishes of the population, as a matter of self preservation , the natives were non too friendly and there was an official policy of non-fraternisation. Wisteria was equipped with asdic apparatus and depth charges for the detection and destruction of German submarines and that was to be our purpose during the next few months. On one patrol off the Greenland coast I saw a sight I will probably never see again, we were trapped for three days in a field of ice floes which stretched as far as the eye could see in all directions. These floes were miniature icebergs quite capable of severely damaging the ship and great care was needed to avoid them. We eventually got clear by sailing into a fiord at the end of which was a small village. We stayed there for a while then made our way back to Reykjavik. These patrols continued for about nine months during which time we had several occasions to unleash the depth charges. I was then taken ill and had a short spell in sick bay ashore. When I came out Wisteria was on patrol, so I was transferred to a drifter ‘ Fairhaven ‘ which was engaged in servicing other ships in the vicinity of the port. One day whilst coming back into harbour Fairhaven ran aground and was damaged . The crew went ashore whilst she was repaired. We were then told the ship had to return to the U.K so in due course we set sail in convey. The repair job in Iceland must not have been a very good job, when were near to the Westman Isles the ship began taking in water. There was only a semi rotary handpump available to bail out. which was totally inadequate and before long it was obvious the ship was going down. One of the convoy ships, a whaler, came along side to take us off.. Along side was not strictly correct. Two ships, both riding up and down and rolling, cannot get too close, or there is a strong possibility of collision, We had to wait until both ships came as close as possible, then jump from one to the other. Luck or whatever, everyone made it. We were dropped off by the whaler at Kirkwall in the Orkney islands, from there to the Scottish mainland, then a two day train journey to Lowestoft, and from there on two weeks survivors leave. On return to Lowestoft, I sat and passed a leading stokers exam, then I sat and passed an exam for Regulating Petty Officer and in that capacity I spent the rest of my service in the Drafting Office at the Nest in Lowestoft. .

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