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The following story by Terence Robertson is out of copyright and appears courtesy of and with thanks to Mike Kemble, and Captain Frederic John Walker.

Shortly after midnight, both ships received signals from the First Sea Lord and C-in-C, Western Approaches, saying 鈥淲ell Done鈥�. Vetch鈥檚 signal set the pattern for celebrating all Walker鈥檚 future successes. From then on, it became customary for all ships under his command to 鈥渟plice the mainbrace鈥� after ever confirmed kill. Two days later they sighted a merchant ship鈥檚 Carley raft bobbing forlornly out to starboard. Walker took Stork close. and it seemed to be empty; certainly no one was getting excited about the approach of a warship. Suddenly, a look-out shouted: 鈥淭here鈥檚 a dog still alive, Sir.鈥� Sure enough, when they came alongside there was a small. grey-brown mongrel of obscure parentage huddled in a corner of the raft, too wet and weak to raise more than a whimper. A few minutes later he was aboard Stork being warmed. fed and cared for as no waif drifting about the Atlantic had ever been cared for before, indeed it is unlikely that a puppy has ever been found in such circumstances. In no time he was called 鈥淏uster鈥� and, when capable of sounding off a few healthy yaps, trotted off to inspect the ship. He found it a 鈥渓ikely craft鈥� and showed his democratic spirit by making a daily visit to both wardroom and mess decks. After several trips, the thunder of roaring depth charges left him as unmoved as the crack of the guns. He adopted an action station on the bridge, despite the almost vertical ladders he had to climb unaided. Normally, he would sit around waiting to be carried up or down, but the moment the alarm bells rang he took the ladders in his stride under his own steam. Nothing further interfered with the peaceful passage of the convoy which arrived at Gibraltar intact on the 24th. The sinking of U-252 had all the ingredients of a classic Walker attack. With a minimum of signalling, the Group was split into two units, the hunting team and the continuing escort with the convoy. During the action, the value of drill emerged as an essential to success. The depth-charge crews, the asdic team, the guns crews and signalmen played split-second and vital roles. A hitch anywhere and a determined, clever and slippery opponent might have escaped to sink more ships on another day. Throughout the attack the signalling of orders and reports between Vetch and Stork were kept down to a total of eight messages, embracing twenty-five words.
The final chapter in the U-boat鈥檚 life was told by Walker who, as usual, played down his own share. 鈥淰etch acted with exemplary initiative and dash,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淗e saved the convoy from attack, and his bulldog tenacity in clinging on to the U-boat was mainly responsible for bringing her to a very fitting end. To him must be given the larger slice of credit. No doubt she received a blow from Stork just where the chicken got the axe, but it was Vetch鈥檚 final pattern which doubtless reduced all buoyant remains of U-boat and crew to the disgusting mess of junk, matchwood and butcher鈥檚 exhibits which were later found.鈥� Among the awards was the first Bar to Johnnie Walker鈥檚 D.S.O. Two more voyages across the Bay of Biscay passed without more than irritating skirmishes with the enemy which kept the Group in a constant state of readiness. They returned to Gibraltar in May and, on June 9 sailed again to rendezvous with the HG 84 for the trip home. Wear, tear and enemy action had reduced the 36th Escort Group to Stork, Marigold, Convolvulus and Gardenia; Vetch stayed in Gibraltar for repairs. The Group鈥檚 career had been short, eventful and successful. Whenever the enemy had approached in number they had been counter-attacked until forced to retire while the Group sailed home with trophies and prisoners. In between they had their full share of patient, monotonous slogging waiting for an enemy who rarely appeared but might easily launch surprise attacks at the most unlikely times. This had taken its toll of the Group鈥檚 strength and they needed action to restore morale. The four ships of the decimated 36th Escort Group took over convoy HG 84 off Gibraltar on June 9th. It consisted of twenty merchantmen, with Commodore H. T. Hudson, RNR sailing in the SS Pelavo, leading ship of the centre column. In the port outer column was a CAM ship,鈥� Empire Morn, ( These were known as Catapult Aircraft Merchantmen.) while astern of the convoy was the SS Copeland, the rescue ship responsible for picking up survivors should any of the convoy be sunk. She was equipped with up-to-date medical instruments and her decks were laid out like a hospital ward. Survivors could look forward to every comfort in Copeland, providing she herself did not get torpedoed.
Walker stationed his escorts about the convoy in accordance with his usual practice, although four ships could hardly be called a screen. By day, he patrolled ahead of the convoy with Marigold on starboard beam, Gardenia to port and Convolvulus astern. At night he changed places with Convolvulus, taking Stork to the stern, the position from which a shadower might be intercepted. To the convoy, the sight of a lone sloop with three ponderous corvettes in attendance could not have presented too comforting a sight or provided an uplift for men about to cross the most dangerous strip of water in the entire Atlantic battlefield鈥攖he Bay of Biscay. At the convoy conference held on the Rock before sailing, the briefing officer had been subjected to some grim sarcasm when he told the Merchant Navy captains the size of their escort. Walker headed northwards to a rendezvous with three more ships due to join the convoy from Lisbon. These arrived on the 12th and the convoy settled down on a northerly course, certain now of attack, for the newcomers had been shadowed to the main convoy by a Focke-Wulf. Already their position, with probable course and speed, would be plotted on the charts of every U-boat within hearing distance of the aircraft鈥檚 signals. Walker nearly ordered the Empire Morn鈥檚 fighter up to shoot down the intruder, but this was a trick that could only be pulled once and he decided to save it for another and possibly more urgent occasion. In any event, the weather might not have been calm enough to ensure the safe recovery of the pilot. The sea was running fairly rough in a high wind and the swell was long enough to start several of the convoy swinging dangerously close to each other. During the 13th enemy aircraft were never far away, appearing at intervals in gaps between the low-lying, fast-moving cloud which provided excellent cover for their patrols. Next day, the Focke-Wulfs kept up their shadowing activities in relays until Walker decided that they might be more cautious and less eager if one or more could be destroyed. He ordered Empire Morn to fly off her Hurricane to shoot down the one Focke-Wulf in sight and to patrol until fuel ran out and the pilot was forced to ditch. The fighter was catapulted into the air shortly after noon and soared off to engage the enemy. Unfortunately, the pilot managed to get only two quick bursts at the shadower before he found a cloud and vanished into its cover. An hour later he pancaked neatly alongside a ship in the starboard column and was picked up as the plane broke in the sea.

Continued.....
'This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by 大象传媒 Radio Merseyside鈥檚 People鈥檚 War team on behalf of the author and has been added to the site with his / her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.'

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