大象传媒

CAME THE HOUR
George Birkin has given me his full permission to add his story to my WW2 page.

I joined the Royal Navy in 1941 on receipt of a railway warrant to Ipswich and then HMS Ganges at Shotley where they told me I would be trained as a telegraphist. My training consisted of learning to clean windows with a newspaper, climb an enormous mast on the parade ground, tie numerous knots, row a dinghy in Harwich Harbour and square bashing etc.

My next stop was Highnam Court near Gloucester, a large country estate with imposing mansion and 鈥� glory be, a cricket ground. On leaving home I brought my cricket gear with me, hopefully. We were billeted under canvass in bell tents; Officers and Petty Officers were housed in the mansion. Training now began in earnest with Morse code, coding, ciphers and general wireless procedures. It was a glorious summer with numerous cricket matches. Then the rains came, flooded the area and eventually forced us to abandon the site.

Our next stop was Dunoon, near Ayr in Scotland. This time it was a partially completed Butlins Holiday Camp with chalets and proper beds; the base where we were to complete our training.

That completed and together with nine comrades I travelled to Devonport and HMS Drake, 鈥楾he stone frigate鈥� where we were taught visual signalling with flags and lights. The kitchen was a thieves kitchen for hungry men. G1 mess still lives in my memory. Hammocks were slung from every conceivable point, inside various cubbyholes and even laid on the floor. The atmosphere was one thick 鈥榝ug鈥� from overcrowding. My oppo and I were determined to get away from the place as quickly as possible.

One night we were detailed to fire watch in the Signal鈥檚 Office. While we were there a telephone signal came in requesting two ordinary telegraphists for the signal station on the Falkland Islands. We waited until the Petty Officer came on duty and put our request to him. 鈥淵ou must be mad,鈥� he told us, 鈥渢here鈥檚 nothing there but penguins, rocks and freezing winds.鈥� We explained to him our situation in barracks. 鈥淕o down to the Drafting Office,鈥� he said, 鈥渢hey want volunteers for submarines and MTB鈥檚.鈥�

We weren鈥檛 keen on submarines and didn鈥檛 know what an MTB was but, nevertheless, opted for MTB鈥檚.

Our next stop was then HMS Attack, a shore base at Portland where we were taught the mysteries of Radar, a very new science. We then went on to Fort William on Loch Lynnhe in Scotland for practical training on a motor launch. I was then signed up for MTB 15, commissioning at Teddington on the Thames before sailing down to the Ferry Dock at Dover. There we joined in the war proper, all rather鈥檋airy鈥� and very scary at times 鈥� but we survived.

In March 1944 and with three other MTB鈥檚 we were dispatched to Gosport, the base for HMS Hornet, carried out continuous nightly patrols in the English Channel but often wondered about the strange looking craft that were at anchor in the Solent. Someone said they were landing craft but we had no knowledge of them at all.

At 20.00 hours on the 5th June 1944, we cast off and slipped away as usual. About fifteen minutes later the Navigating Officer called out, 鈥淗ere, Sparks,鈥� and handed me a slip of paper signed by Dwight D. Eisenhower. I forget the exact wording but it was a re-run of Nelson鈥檚 signal to the Fleet on the Eve of Trafalgar. 鈥淭his is the hour, the day, England expects.鈥�
鈥淚s this some kind of Joke?鈥� I asked him.
鈥淐ome up to the bridge,鈥� he said, 鈥淪ee for yourself.鈥�

I did! The sky was black with thousands of aircraft and the sea littered with ships of every description. I rushed from the bridge to the safety of the wireless cabin, and there I stayed. I learned later that we spent the night patrolling off Sword Beach, hearing the sounds of explosions and gunfire, but none of it coming our way. The weeks following were taken up with patrol of the beaches but the German Navy never put in an appearance.

When the bridgeheads of the invasion had become established as 鈥榝ronts鈥� we were paid off and given a fortnight鈥檚 leave before returning to HMS Hornet.

I was then detailed to join a gunboat at Milford Haven and, when asking what a gunboat was supposed to be doing at Milford Haven, was told by a Petty Officer Wren, 鈥淚 might as well tell you as it鈥檚 no secret. It鈥檚 going to be part of the force that Louis Mountbatten is gathering to invade Malaya.鈥�

I was none too pleased to hear that 鈥� but that鈥檚 another story!

THE PAINTING

The painting was done by Lofty Pead DSM, our signalman on the MTB 38 after transfer of the whole crew from MTB 35. He was also the gunner in action and a good one too!
After one of the many active nights on patrol we were going up to our dormitory when I asked him, 鈥淲hat was it like up top?鈥�
He said, 鈥淵ou heard it, didn鈥檛 you?鈥�
鈥淵es,鈥� I replied, 鈥渂ut you saw as well as heard it.鈥�
鈥淚 can鈥檛 describe it,鈥� he told me, 鈥渂ut I鈥檒l paint it for you.鈥�
He went to his locker and took out a piece of paper; a bottle of ink and a child鈥檚 paintbox like the ones we had in our stockings at Christmas.
鈥淕et me a cup of water,鈥� he said, and then set to work.
Using the ink for background, and blotting it he began to paint. It took him about three-quarters of an hour.
A few nights later he copped a 鈥楤lighty鈥� bullet in his leg and I last saw him in Dover Hospital in 1943. We promised to keep in touch 鈥� but like many promises of that nature and that time, it never materialised. I鈥檝e had his framed painting on my wall ever since!

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.