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This story appears courtesy of and with thanks to Mike Kemble and Captain Frederick Walker

When the Second Support Group returned to Liverpool with U-202 and two more killings to its credit, Walker learned that his elder son, Timothy, had joined the crew of a British submarine operating in the Mediterranean. The following month, Admiral Karl D枚enitz, commander of the U-boat fleet, threw 150 U-boats against the increasingly busy Atlantic convoy routes. Johnnie Walker again led his striking force into the Bay of Biscay to meet the enemy at his departure points. On July 29, alerted by aircraft, the enemy came in sight on the horizon, three conning towers in line ahead. Walker's inherent love for the dramatic came to the fore. He beckoned to the signalman and ordered, "Hoist the General Chase."
For a moment the signalman was confused. Then he ran up a signal used only twice before in the Royal Navy, once by Sir Francis Drake when he chased the Spanish Armada from the English Channel, and again by Admiral Horatio Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar. Off the leash at last, the five British sloops sallied forward.
On Starling's bridge, Walker waved his cap in the air as though urging her to greater efforts as the guns of the entire group thundered a broadside at the unsuspecting U-boats. In 30 seconds, all three had been hit from a range of four miles, making diving impossible. Ten minutes later it was all over. In August, Johnnie Walker took his ships back to their Liverpool base. He was steering Starling through the tricky lock gates when a signalman reported, "There is someone ashore waving as though he wants to come aboard urgently, sir." It was an officer from Sir Max Horton's staff. He jumped aboard and ran to the bridge where he saluted Walker and said, "I have been ordered to report to you, sir, that your son Sub Lieutenant John Timothy Ryder Walker RNVR, is reported missing as at 10 August 1943 while serving in a Mediterranean submarine." Eileen Walker arrived just after the ship had made fast. The gathering of people with urgent business to discuss with Captain (D) found a solid block of ship's officers between them and their target. He officers and their wives had invited Captain and Eileen Walker to dinner in the wardroom the following evening. These were very special events, much valued as occasions when it was possible to forget for a while the discomforts and lack of social life at sea. The suggestion to postpone the date was rejected by Captain Walker and the dinner party took place as planned. But it was quieter than usual and Captain Walker didn't do his usual dinner party trick standing on his head drinking a beer! The war had never been closer to Staling and her crew as that night.
From that moment, Walker became a quietly savage seeker of revenge against Germans. In a two-week hunting strike, Walker's group sank six U-boats, claimed two more probable and damaged another.
It was a tremendous achievement made all the greater because those were the days when German scientists had equipped their submarines with torpedoes that homed on propellers and followed an attacker no matter how he twisted and turned to evade them; and the snorkel, a breathing device that enabled U-boats to stay under water for prolonged periods. The first of the six kills was U-264, commanded by Kapit盲nleutnant Hartwig Looks, a veteran submariner. Shortly after dawn one morning, Looks sighted the Second Support Group through his periscope. As the sloops passed, he fired a torpedo in the general direction of the nearest - Starling. On the sloop's bridge, Walker spun around at an excited shout from a lookout to see the track of the torpedo approaching his stern, homing on the propellers. There was no time to increase speed or to take violent avoiding action. His mind raced.
Starling was doomed. With eyes fixed on the line of bubbles, he rapped out orders: "Hard aport....Stand by depth charges....Shallow setting....Fire." Suddenly the air was rent by two almost simultaneous shattering roars. The first came from the depth charges and the second, from the torpedo, which had gone off 5 yards from the sloop's quarterdeck. The depth charges had countermined the torpedo a second before it struck. Walker led the sloops in a plaster attack. The pounding barrage was kept up for five minutes before the evidence of success appeared--a huge air bubble that collapsed to spread chunks of wood and human remains over the sea. Once in the approaches to Liverpool, tension sapped away. The men were worn-out but happy.
Captain Walker's Old Boys Association attended their last function on Saturday 10th July 2004 at the Pier Head where they handed over the statue of Captain Johnnie Walker to the safe keeping of Liverpool Council and the people. Following on from this they all attended a service a St Nicholas' Church before moving on to Bootle Town Hall where the Association standard was formerly handed over to the Deputy Lord Mayor of Sefton for keeping in a permanent purpose built case in the Town Hall.

Captain Walker's grandson, Captain Pat Walker CBE, presided over the events and we all had a most enjoyable day. The CWOBA once had their own web site which folded, coincidentally, as my own pages on Captain Walker were begun. Although I have nothing to do with the Royal Navy, and especially of that era, I now look after the only, fully informative site on both Captain Walker and one of his ships, HMS Kite. Which is why I was invited to attend. The stories these people could tell would make your hair curl and yet, at the time, they just got on with it without too much fuss or bother.

Reading something that happened in history is all very well but to hear how life was actually like for these sailors, and the hardships endured, makes for a much more interesting read. I have some on my site but always touting for more info!

Captain Walker's Old Boys Association is now a part of history. Using Liverpool as a base, they scoured the high seas, in little Black Swan class Sloops, hunting for the elusive U boat. Their success in this is now the stuff of legends. Included in their patrols is the story of them catching and sinking 6 U Boats on one single patrol. Their heroism is clearly depicted in the Maritime Museum in Albert Dock and also in Bootle Town Hall, with their battle ensigns and other memorabilia on the walls of the Council Chamber as well as the entrance and hallways.

Their numbers dwindle yearly, and now they feel it is the right time to "hang up the flag" and gracefully recede into the sunset of their lives. The gratitude of the people of Liverpool, the United Kingdom and thousands of surviving sailors all over the world is their reward.
In this mood the sloops arrived off Liverpool to be met by a destroyer flying the flag of Sir Max Horton. A brief exchange of signals revealed that also aboard was the First Lord of the Admiralty, the then Right Honorable A.V. Alexander, later to become Viscount Alexander of Hillsborough. The destroyer's crew waved and cheered the proud line of sloops into the harbour as they maintained station as rigidly as guardsmen, with ensigns flying stiffly in the breeze. Walter was promoted to Captain, and a galaxy of medals (six in all) fell into his possession. He looked forward to rest, his future assured. It was not to be, however. Scientists wanted an experienced seaman to take them on a hunt for enemy aircraft armed with guided-missile bombs, nicknamed "Chase-Me-Charles." So after only three days in Liverpool, Walker led his ships back to the Bay of Biscay, to patrol well inshore under the enemy guns to entice rocket-firing aircraft into the air. In one day, the sloops were subjected to 12 Chase-Me-Charles attacks, a hair-raising experience because the scientists, experimenting with a device for breaking the radio contact between the aircraft and the missile, were upset at the thought of shooting anything down. On the third day, two missiles were fired at Wild Goose within seconds of each other and, after wobbling on a proper course straight for the sloop, suddenly fell into the sea.
A Close Shave!
One scientist thought this significant and asked Walker what electrical machinery was running then that would not have been running during earlier attacks. Investigation revealed that one of Starling's officers had been shaving at the time, using an electric shaver. Excited, the scientist begged Walker to sail even closer to the French coast to coax a further series of attacks. Walker did so, and the Luftwaffe sent up a squadron armed with orthodox bombs and guided rockets. As the planes came in low and launched their rockets, four electric shavers--all the group could muster--were switched on. Every rocket swerved off course and crashed into the sea. Another version states that the scientists ran electric razors over microphones in an attempt, successfully, to thwart the radio signals from the parent aircraft. (The Fighting Captain - Alan Burn). Some incidents also occurred with Spanish trawlers, which were trying to mask U-boat movements in the Bay of Biscay. These were sunk and their crews taken off. Many of these Spanish sailors begged to be allowed to stay onboard and become "Hostilities Only" British sailors. But Walker later repatriated them via another Spanish trawler. One Spanish Captain was asked how he felt about his trawler being sunk, he shrugged his shoulders and muttered that it belonged to Franco.
The activities of the Group were as high as ever but had no sightings of U Boats. The ships were to come to the aid of down aircrews in the Bay of Biscay, but on occasion, they would be too late. There were 9 crew in a Liberator and Liberator P/224 was shot down attacking a U Boat. 2 were killed as they pressed home their attack on the surfaced U Boat. Of the 7 in the dinghy, two died having been refused water by a U Boat that came alongside and spoke to them. After 8 days, the five survivors were brought on board Wild Goose in a very bad state. 2 more died on board after making their reports. Bitterness crept into the attitude of the ships companies.
At sea nobody wore a semblance of uniform. But it was custom to enter harbour in style with the ships line ahead, hands on deck in their No 1's, guns trained fore and aft with their crested caps in place, ensigns flying and "A Hunting we will go" the groups signature tune, blaring from the ships speakers. Captain was in full uniform standing just behind the binnacle as we entered Plymouth. As the ships approached the lighthouse a small coaster came into view, plodding clear of the ships and to port of the main channel. "We could see the men on the bridge watching us, why not? We were a fine sight" One of these men was waving at Starling and one of the officers picked up his binoculars and took a look. "ENOS! No it can't be" exclaimed the Officer. "Captain Sir, what do you think of that fine ship? That's my father waving". "What's he doing there, Alan", replied Captain Walker. "He goes to sea sometimes to deliver these little ships. He told me in his last letter that he would be bringing this one down from Glasgow about now".
Captain Walker called to his Yeoman "Signal - Disregard My Movement, Ask Petty Officer Gardner to bring up a bottle of gin, Number One. I'm going alongside to pass over that bottle. Port 15". Starling pulled gracefully out of her position at the head of the line. Leading Seaman Smith appeared below the bridge, alongside B gun, with his heaving line. He was a big heavy man and no one could throw a line like he could. The bottle went across, the other ships steaming past on their original course, dozens of binoculars watching every move. The Yeoman leaned over the bridge, waving hands to his opposite numbers on passing bridges, keeping all informed. Inside 2 minutes the story has passed through every crewman right down to the engine rooms. "Get me back in station Pilot. We must be there before we get to the Melampus buoy, or I shall be in trouble".
There was a half smile on Walker's face. It was quite clear that this bit of fun had made his day. "Now Pilot could do a bit of quick ship handling to drop Starling back into place, ahead of the line, without leaving the channel or running aground!"

Continued.....
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