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A member: remembers December 13 1939 — Battle of the River Plate. (Sixty five years ago)

In June 1939 HMS Exeter has nearly finish her commission in the West Indies and South American station, when we found out we were to go from Bermuda to New York to represent the Royal Navy at the World’s Fair. A good time was had by all. The Yanks were very hospitable to us Limeys, but I won’t go into detail

Next stop was Philadelphia and Baltimore where the band of the Royal Marines went up to Washington to play for the Royal family who were visiting the American President. Then Miami and back to Bermuda ready to leave for our home port — Plymouth.

Flying the Paying Off Pennant we entered Plymouth Sound and next day started Foreign Service leave. We had only been home one week when we all had a recall telegram — RETURN AT ONCE TO SHIP. This was August 25, 1939.

We sailed the next day with some of the crew missing, who could not make it in time.

When war was declared on September 3 1939, we had got half way between Freetown and Rio to join up with AJAX. Later while oiling in Rio the German Merchant Ships alongside gave us Three Cheers — but they would not have done so if they had met us at sea.

Search for a Raider

The ship was based in the Falkland Islands and we continually searched for a raider who was sinking our ships. The raider was identified as the Graf Spree, and Commodore Harwood plotted the position of each ship that had been sunk. From this he was able to speculate that she would be at the mouth of the River Plate on Friday December 13 1939 and sure enough he was right.

At dawn she was sighted and engaged. Severely damaged the Graf Spree hurried into Montevideo, chased by AJAX AND ACHILES. My ship the Exeter was also severely damaged from the bridge to the Bow and two turret guns, so slowly we made for Port Stanley.

On the way we buried sixty of the lads who had been killed in action. On the arrival at the Falklands the casualties were taken to the local hospital where several more died and are buried on the island.

Those who were slightly wounded but shook-up stayed with local families while the rest of us repaired the weakened bulkheads ready for the long journey home.

CIVIC RECEPTION
On arrival at Plymouth we were met by Churchill who was then First Lord of the Admiralty and we then marched through Plymouth and took lunch at the Guildhall. The same festivities occurred when we all went to London and the King awarded us medals on Horse Guards Parade.

When we arrived back in Plymouth we again went on leave, ironically it was a fortnight less than what we had been recalled from

It took 13 months to repair the EXETER and modernise the ship. Some of the original crew went back but not me. The ship was eventually sunk by the Japanese in 1942 when a large number of sailors was captured and over 160 died of ill treatment while POWs.

I returned to Japan in 1945 and was able to relieve some of my old messmate from mainland Japan

JUST TOO MUCH FUSS

To me the Battle of the River Plate was a minor incident during the war. A big fuss was made at the time and a lot of publicity given because all other news was of ships being such such as the Royal Oak and Courageous.

Another Worcester boy Ernie Till from Pinkett Street was also on the Exeter. He survived the Japanese torture but sadly died some years ago at a young age.

At the 64th anniversary reunion last year only four veterans attended, there are a few more still around who survived the Battle, but cannot make the journey. The association, run by an old Petty Officer, is now a family Association with interested friend attending reunions, and thanks to them, has become a strong group.

We just have one final thing to say about this incident and that is UP SPIRITS. SPLICE THE MAIN BRACE!

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