大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by Nadine from the People's War Team on behalf of John Bartholomew and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

My name is John Bartholomew and I was born in Partick, a district of Glasgow, in December 1920. In 1935 I got a job as an office boy in a newspaper office, and I retired in 1985 having been with the company for over 50 years. It was whilst in employment with that company that I was influenced to join the Naval Reserve.

In 1938/39 conscription was starting and rather than being drafted into the mines or just any service, I opted for the Navy as you always had your galley and your bed with you (hammock).

Being in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, I was called up on Monday 28th August 1939 for service in the Royal Navy. On Saturday 2nd of September, I was posted to HMS Fervent, a base set up at Ramsgate for contraband control in the Channel. When there was no need for us all, a number of us returned to Barracks. After a time, I was sent to Dover to join HMS Boreas, a destroyer on The Dover Patrol in the English Channel.

My position on board was Gun Layer on Y Gun, which is positioned on the quarter deck (a position that saved my life).
We had several skirmishes with the Germans but the worst was on 26th July 1940 which ended with our service on Boreas.

The report on the front page of the Daily Mirror on 27th July 1940 was that the two Destroyers were damaged and on the Boreas there were casualties. (The other destroyer being HMS Brazen). That was putting it very mildly...half the crew were killed and all our guns were knocked out of action, except Y Gun but we were of little use as we had no engines, no steering, no power and we had to wait like a cork for a tug coming out of Dover. As the Boreas was so badly damaged the crew were eventually returned to the Barracks.

After assisting to kill many fellow men, my conscience got the better of me (at that time we did not know what was going on in Germany) and so I requested, and was granted permission to transfer to the medical branch. After training I was sent first to HMS Nimrod, the Naval Base in Campbeltown and it was there I met my future wife. In October 1942 I was drafted to HMS Vega, an old First World War Destroyer that was just being recomissioned and I was lucky as our base was Rosyth on the Forth - our duties being North Sea convoy escort.

Being an old Destroyer, we had to have a boiler clean every four or five weeks, which took five days. Each time we went in for attention, half the crew were allowed leave.

During one of the boiler cleans, the half crew going on leave were ready to jump ashore as a lot of them came from London and the South, and travel often took 12 hours between Edinburgh and London, that is if you were lucky enough to get on the first train. Very fortunately for them, we must be the only ship in the world which hit the Forth Bridge. All leave was immediately cancelled as the repairs were quite substantial. As there was no room at Rosyth, we had to be taken to Hull. We were all granted 14 days leave.

When my 14 days were up, I caught the 11am bus at Campbeltown and arrived at Bellochanty 10 miles on. The post office lassie ran out and shouted my name. My wife had received a telegram extending my leave by another 14 days. Very fortunately for me, the identical thing happened another fortnight later and I had to get off the bus and wait for my wife to come and collect me.

That was 6 weeks leave I was granted. Very lucky for the crew, but unfortunate for the skipper and the Navy having the Destroyer out of action.

Needless to say, each time I was called by the post office lass, I got a barracking from the other passengers as most of them were service men and women, and it must have been the same time on each occasion that the telegram was sent.

Up until early May 1945, we continued North Sea convoy escorting, had a number of skirmishes, mainly with E Boats, which used to tie up to the buoys so that they would not be discovered, made a quick dash into convoy, fire torpedoes, and away again.

When we were in harbour we occasionally saw a young Greek Prince, whom I think was serving on HMS Wosley. They were doing the same job as us, but not hitting the Forth Bridge! Our final task on board the Vega was to sail to Norway, carrying what supplies we could. We were one of the first ships to arrive in Oslo, before the surrender was signed. The Sunday Graphic of 6th May 1945 headline was "Norway may be freed without a fight".

When we arrived we were ready for anything, and instead of fighting, the Germans opened the prisoner of war gates and released thousands of Russians. We did what we could but being a small destroyer, with a crew of 118, it was difficult to do much. When more ships arrived, we were sent on a mission to sail up all the fjords and show the flag. That was a wonderful cruise which money could not buy.

We sailed to many small villages, which had'nt seen a friendly face for years. I recall one village at the head of a fjord, when we arrived at midnight,we walked up the main road to the village hall and the sun was very bright. And the village had put on a dance for us. At the dance the band played 'hands, knees and boompsy daisy'. They had heard the music on the wireless, but never seen the dance - you can imagine the scene when they saw what to do!

On return to Oslo, the Russians, still in their prison clothes, with a very large choir, put on a concert for all the allies.
I was eventually demobbed on 25th January 1946 (Robbie Burns Day), after six and a half years of Naval Service.

Long after the war, I received a scroll from the Crown Prince Olaf on behalf of the people of Norway with thanks for services rendered. Two or three years later I received a medal from Russia also for services rendered.

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