大象传媒

MY LIFE MY WAR

By
Bernard Hallas

Chapter 7a - I meet my future Wife

It was on one of those leaves that I first met Ruth; she was small, about five feet three inches, or less, but she had the most beautiful smile, (A smile that lasted for the next Sixty one years). It was her eyes that did it. They never faltered, they were full of honesty, trust and if I dare say it at such an early period, full of love. She took me by the hand and wherever I travelled in later years and even after I came home for good, our hands remained clasped, until that awful day, sixty-one years later when I kissed her goodbye for the last time.

There are moments even now, when I can feel the warmth of that very small hand, and weep as I remember the absolute trust that she always had in me. But I digress and I am sorry. It was August 1939 when I first met Ruth, and after a few short days I was convinced that here was a young lady that I had to see more of. I have to admit that on my part, there were moments when I felt that I could in no way take her home to the more than squalid area where I lived.

I had no need to worry, when it finally came to decision time, she held me and gazing at me with those wonderful eyes, she said 鈥淪top worrying, I knew where you lived, before we went out for the first time and I鈥檇 seen your parents. It鈥檚 not them I am going out with, it鈥檚 you and nothing else matters.鈥� I knew then that once again I had made a decision that would affect me for the rest of my life.

We only had a few short days together before my leave was to finish and it was a very tearful goodbye as we parted on the platform of the railway station. We had each made our promises, to remember and of course to write as often as we could. What we could not foresee was that fate was not on our side.

On my arrival back in barracks I was immediately posted on draft to the Battleship HMS Warspite, Flagship of Admiral Andrew Cunningham, somewhere in the Middle East. The Fleet, normally on a peacetime footing was to be brought up to a full wartime complement as soon as possible, It was obvious that the drafting office had done their researching well and my qualifications in gunnery had made me a prime suspect when it came to choosing the different types required for the duties on board ships of the fleet.

There had been no time for letter writing, General Assembly had sounded off and more than 400 Marines of all ranks formed up on parade. A quick but efficient inspection to ensure that all and sundry had their full embarkation kit including their individual weapons, and we were off. It was a short march to the dockyard train, which set off almost immediately on full steam ahead for the port of Newhaven.

Alongside the dock one of the latest Cruisers had made fast and was ready to embark within minutes. Teams of Sailors helped the Marines with all their baggage and equipment and it was rumoured that we would set sail within the hour. By now we knew that our next port of call was to be Dieppe, which at thirty plus knots per hour took no time at all. Everything was going at a fast pace. At Dieppe we were ordered to entrain on a French express and a quickly mobilised French navy carried out the transfer of our kit and equipment.

By midnight we were more than half way to our destination and paused for a short time to enjoy a hurried meal, courtesy of the French Government. We already knew that our final destination in France was to be the port of Marseilles on the Mediterranean coast.

When we arrived, there was no slowing down of the system, everything had been planned in advance. HMS Suffolk a Cruiser lay alongside and in record time, swallowed up the whole of the 鈥淒raft鈥� and once again, it was 鈥淐ast off fora鈥檇, Cast off aft鈥� and we were off once more.

A short stop at the island of Malta to unload a small contingent, and we were off again on the final lap to our destination, the Fleet anchorage in Alexandria harbour. I have to say that I was impressed. About the same size as my last two ships, this one was totally different. With a streamlined modernistic superstructure, painted in the Mediterranean light grey, and flying the flag of the Admiral of the Fleet, she was beautiful. This was 鈥淲arspite鈥�. It was now the third day of September and as I climbed wearily up the Port quarter deck ladder, the order was given to keep quiet and over the tannoy, came those immortal words from the Executive Officer 鈥淎s from now, we are at war with Germany鈥�.

There was an uncanny silence; it seemed that all the ships in the harbour were mulling over this historic announcement, and probably every individual was saying to himself, 鈥淣ow what?鈥� And then it was as if your ears were suddenly unblocked and once again the busy harbour came back to life. It was of course obvious that the Fleet would put to sea as soon as we had replenished ship and within minutes it was all happening.

The tannoy was blaring out its orders 鈥淎ll hands prepare to provision ship. All hands prepare to ammunition ship, Clear Port side for barges to come alongside鈥� etc. etc. It was to be a very busy time ahead of us and we had not as yet been fed and watered. As we made our way down to the Royal Marine barracks, our last glimpse was of the huge lighters coming alongside loaded to their plimsoll lines with supplies, which were just as quickly hoisted inboard and dispersed to their various destinations between decks. At each deck there were checkers booking items down as they slid down the improvised chutes and being taken off the moving line as the came to their appropriate store.

I cannot say for sure that certain stores were not 鈥楧iverted鈥� and hidden away in some corner to be retrieved much later. Standing off, were the ammunition lighters, they too were fully loaded with every type of shell that would be required in the future.

At this moment in time we were not involved, but it did not take more than an hour to complete our routine for joining the existing detachment, we were directed to our various stowage places, discarded our kit, unpacked and changed into overalls. A hasty meal was prepared (the ship鈥檚 company had already eaten), after which it was, fall in on the upper deck and join in the fun. All main hatches had been opened and all derricks rigged to receive the incoming supplies.

Experienced as they were, the ship鈥檚 company made short work of what, to the inexperienced onlooker, seemed a mammoth task. Fifteen inch shells, each weighing a mere 2,240 lbs, were manhandled, not with contempt but with a vicious efficiency that resulted in a never ending stream, down through the four main hatches, into the shell rooms of the four separate turrets and when each had received it鈥檚 quota, the drill was switched to load up the magazines with cordite.

Meanwhile, other parties were loading all the anti aircraft shells and small arms weaponry. It was a smooth operation and carried on through the night watches. On completion, the executive officer thanked the ship鈥檚 company for a job 鈥淲ell Done,鈥� and explained that as we were now on a war footing with Germany, there would be no shore leave and we would be preparing for sea immediately.

All boats were hoisted inboard, all booms and ladders were recovered and secured, cable parties took their various stations, the mail including the ship鈥檚 company鈥檚 frantically written letters were transferred into the fleet mail boat and before the anchor was safely stored in the cable locker, we slowly made our way out of the harbour. We were proceeded by the cruiser squadron who took up station on the Port and Starboard quarters, followed by the destroyers who provided a protective screen around the capital ships and so, for the first time we went forth to war.

As we were at that moment in a reasonably safe area, we were only operating 鈥淐ruising Stations鈥�. This meant that we only had one of the four watches closed up. As we approached a more vulnerable area, we would be ordered to close up at 鈥淒efence Stations鈥� and two watches, half of the ship鈥檚 company would close up at their prescribed stations.

This was far more exhausting and meant that you were working four hours on watch and four hours off. The difficulty was that on your four hours off, it would take you almost half an hour to settle down and get off to sleep and you would be called to go on watch again 15 minutes before your next stint. This. left you three hours 15 minutes of sleep time. During those three hours fifteen minutes you could be awakened by an alarm for any one or more reasons, most of them false. Carrying on like this for an extended period of time was of course the cause of the stated exhaustion.

Only when it was apparent that there was a chance of contact with an enemy force would the bugler sound the stirring call to 鈥淎ction Stations 鈥漚nd more than one thousand four hundred men would race to their main action stations. If you have ever seen an ant colony rushing around the passage ways of their constructed nest, then it may give you some idea of what it was like as the crew answered the call to arms. All over the ship, guns were being traversed and elevated and depressed to ensure that they were still in working order and that there are no obstructions.

This then was the normal procedure. The only variation to this was the drill at dawn. Every morning, half an hour before the sun came up, the whole ship鈥檚 company again went to action stations and remained there until the lookouts reported 鈥淎ll Clear鈥� (we had not yet been fitted with radar). The bridge would then give the order to 鈥淪tand down鈥�; the watches not required would then revert to their normal duties.

The cooks had to prepare one thousand four hundred breakfasts and others to wash, shave, stow hammocks and clean ship. Only then would we be free to sit down and eat breakfast, provided by the two 鈥淒uty Cooks鈥� on each mess, a duty that changed daily. The same two men would then clean the mess area ready for the daily inspection.

Food was wholesome and varied, herrings in tomato sauce, fried or boiled eggs, kedgeree and of course the usual home made white bread, fresh from the ship鈥檚 bakery. A four man team of bakers was capable of turning out one thousand loaves per night, a luxury that we maintained for the remainder of the war, only made possible by provisioning ship at each port of call around the world.

After breakfast, those of the ship鈥檚 company who were not closed up at the gunnery positions would be employed at the normal daily routine, cleaning all parts of the ship and the gun drills, which were always necessary; not only to keep you on your toes but to ensure that all machinery and all working parts were in tip top condition. It has to be emphasised that we were a happy ship, the excellent attitude of the ship鈥檚 company was due in no small measure to the cooperation of the officers and the men they commanded.

The ship herself was second to none in the Royal Navy, and we were all extremely proud to be members of her ship鈥檚 company, and within our pride was a confidence that we were the equal of anything that we might have to engage in action, and that confidence showed in the various bloody battles that came to be her lot in the next six years of war, all around the world from North of the Arctic Circle to the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean and all points in between. But in my praise I am going too far ahead. We have only just received our first commitment to take an active part in our fight for survival. From the Admiralty, came the signal, 鈥淗MS Warspite will proceed with all haste to Halifax Nova Scotia鈥�.

PR-BR

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