大象传媒

This article, presented here in 8 chapters plus an introduction, is the naval autobiography of Alec Kellaway. Alec served in the Royal Navy from January 1936 to November 1947. His story shows what life was like training for the Navy immediately before the war as well as service in a wide variety of ships during the conflict. The book was written by Alec himself and has previously been published on the HMS Hood Association web site (www.hmshood.com) and in the HMS Cossack Association newsletters.

I was There! Where?
Chapter 2d - H.M.S. Hood

During the 1938 crisis the Hood was at Gibraltar and several foreign warships were present. Among these the German pocket battleship Deutschland, who was on non-intervention patrols. As the crisis reached a peak Deutschland sailed into the Atlantic, followed later by the Hood in what was a cat and mouse shadowing. The crisis died away and the Hood and Deutschland returned to Gib, Hood on tying up on the Mole suffered a serious accident when an after mooring wire parted causing a death of a Royal Marine and a young seaman.

Later after the burial of these two a football match was arranged between the Hood and Deutschland with the proceeds to go to the dependants of the unfortunate two. This illustrates the fellowship of the sea; one day standing by to fight to the death then later in comradeship playing a game for charity.

It is the tradition in the navy that when shipmates die, that their effects not wanted by the relatives are auctioned to the ships company, this auction will always bring in exceptional proceeds as items of uniform will go to the highest bidder who will offer a price far in excess of the articles value, all proceeds go to the nearest relative.

The Deutschland at the start of hostilities was renamed Lutzow, this was on Hitler鈥檚 orders as he did not want a ship bearing the German name lost at sea through enemy action.

One evening before I took over the Captain鈥檚 motorboat an evening duty was in the Stoker PO鈥檚 mess, to assist in setting the evening meal and cleaning up. On finishing the task Bernard the regular messman asked me if I would lend a hand rolling some leaf tobacco. The leaf tobacco purchased from the stores has to be rolled into a shape like a small rugby ball. To achieve this a piece of light canvas is laid out and the leaves of tobacco, minus their stalks, are laid onto the canvas, sprinkled with diluted rum, rolled into the canvas and sown up. Then with a long length of spun yarn suspended between two hooks, the canvas sack is rolled very tightly with turns of spun yarn compressing the sack of tobacco until it is about half its diameter. The spun yarn would remain around the sack until as such times the plug of tobacco was considered ready for use.

Bernard was an expert at rolling tobacco; his services were used by the POs to do this rolling. The POs would each give Bernard some rum to go into the tobacco; Bernard would drink this and put sugary water into the leaves; I must say that I enjoyed some of the rum that night. The stalks had to be returned to the stores as they would be made into snuff.

Bernard had been in the navy many years and was a very colourful character. His many years had spread over the 22 required for pension as he was making up for lost time in detention. He had no good conduct stripes or good conduct medal. His failing was that he liked a good night ashore and invariably broke the rules. The last time while I knew him was when he went ashore, had a good night and returned to the ship with half his beard missing on one side and half his moustache missing on the opposite side. This invoked a punishment because to grow a beard permission must be obtained from the Captain and to shave off a beard the Captain had to give permission, it was actions like this that were with Bernard during his time in the Navy.

These are some of my memories whilst I was in the Med during which time my visiting was very limited. Having spent over 2 years in the Med I visited 11 different places in 7 different countries. In Greece I went to Corfu and Argostoli; in France I visited La Rochelle, Gulf Juan and Marseilles; in Yugoslavia one trip to Split, there were two visits to Tangiers in Morocco, one visit to Oran in Algeria, several visits to Palma an island in the Balearics, plus numerous stays in Gibraltar and Malta. Not very many to the time spent in the Med, the Hood returning to Portsmouth early 1939. I鈥檇 been there, where?

On returning to Portsmouth the Hood paid off the ship鈥檚 company to RNB, though I stayed on because I had a good job. Up until August there was very little activity on the ship by the remaining crew as the ship was in dockyard hands for maintenance and some modifications. The Captain鈥檚 motor boat went into the dockyard for an over haul and until it was returned I spent my working hours helping the artificer in maintaining the other ship鈥檚 boats, this went on for several weeks until the Captain鈥檚 boat was returned then I went back to my special duties.

After coming out of dry dock the Hood was berthed at Farewell jetty and all the ships boats were moored between the ship and jetty along side the quarter deck, the ship was kept away from the jetty by large pontoons The officer of the watch instructed the coxswain of the ships launch 鈥攁 large motor boat that could carry fifty or more persons 鈥� to secure the launch as it was no longer required that day, this was done .The next morning when the coxswain went to the launch it was missing this caused a flap, after a frantic search the launch was found under water on the harbour bottom. When the launch was moored it was high tide and the ships mooring wires were over head, but as the tide ebbed the heavy mooring wires landed on the launch and as the tide ebbed to its lowest the launch was totally submerged completely flooded by the weight of the wires. There was a minor salvage operation needed to recover the launch.

We left Portsmouth for Scottish waters to join up with the Home Fleet, visiting Invergordon and Scapaflow 鈥� everybody was fully expecting the war to start- the Admirals were constantly exercising the Fleet.

On one of these exercises the Hood was going out to do a full 15鈥� gun shoot. It was decided that the main motorboats would stay in Scapa until the ship returned later in the day. This would save using the main derricks, which as I have mentioned before is a very tedious operation. However during the course of the day, War was declared and the Hood with other units of the Fleet were deployed searching for German ships and did not return to Scapa. We in our little boats were alongside the jetty and all we could do, as we did not know the situation was wait until contacted.

We spent the night on the boats and next morning went to the huts belonging to a salvage company. The salvage company was recovering ships of the German Grand Fleet scuttled by the Germans at Scapa on surrender after World War 1. We were told of the declaration of War, were given a good breakfast, a signal was sent to HMS Ironduke, a World War 1 British battleship, doing accommodation work for the Fleet as she was obsolete and not considered suitable for combat. The Ironduke sent a message to our boats to go to her for orders. The order was given that we would be accommodated aboard while the Hood was away. Ironduke would use us as required, - I at this time was acting as coxswain for the boat, the PO and Leading Seamen were on the Hood for gunnery duties. As the evening closed the Commissioned gunner told us that buoys had been laid near the shore; we were to moor there, we must pull the mooring wire from the buoy through the bullring on the bow of the boat to the deck cleat. The bullring is a metal fitting on the very front of the boat. We thus went to our mooring, moored up, one of the Ironduke boats taking us back to the ship.

The next morning we were returned to the boats for commencing our duties. On arrival at our boat we found the stern high in the air and the bow under the water, this happened because the mooring buoy did not have enough wire to allow for the rise or fall in the tide. The cleat had partially broken from the boat; we had to wait until the tide had receded until we could release the boat. On return to the Ironduke we were given the job of taking the pilot and navigator of the Fleet Air Arm Walrus flying boat to and from their plane. This was a very simple task.

There was quite a problem for us Hood鈥檚 boats crew in that we had no materials for washing and only the clothes we wore, this matter was raised on the Ironduke and although we were loaned bedding no one wanted to help us out with toiletries. In the end we were given a loan of money repayable from our pay to purchase toiletries 鈥� not very friendly people.
After three days the Hood returned and we were all glad to get aboard. The next day after our return the ship was painted and looked very smart. A captain from another ship signalled 鈥業 hope your gunnery is as good as your paint鈥� 鈥� friendly banter between captains. The Fleet was suddenly sent to sea as it was reported that German warships had been sighted. A very impressive array of ship鈥檚 sail consisting of two battle cruisers, a battle ship, one aircraft carrier, several cruisers and numerous destroyers looking for the German ships that were not there. The Fleet had been sailing some time when an air alarm was given. A solitary German plane came over the fleet, dropped a few bombs and flew away. Without any of the massive amount of aircraft guns finding the target. The Hood had one bomb land alongside that lifted all the tiles in the Stoker鈥檚 bathroom. Perhaps the paint was better than the gunnery.

The Hood in the short time since the war started was doing a lot of sea time and was under manned of Stokers. I had to help out with watch keeping; because I was required on the motor boat on arrival in harbour my watch keeping was on the plumber blocks and I could get away from there with no difficulty. This duty was carried out in four compartments aft the engine rooms, the four engine shafts passing through to the propellers. In each compartment were large bearing supporting the engine shafts, each being supplied by lubricant from the after engine room. It was my duty to visit each compartment to check the oil flow and bearing temperatures. Quite a simple exercise, the only arduous duty to open and close the water tight doors and to ascend the ladders approximately four times an hour; before a door could be opened permission had to be obtained from the bridge and the bridge informed when the doors were opened and closed. About two days before I left the Hood I had been doing this duty and we called into Greenock before going to Scapaflow. I was told that I would be going to RNB for my POs course and would leave from Scapa.

On the Thursday on arrival at Scapa I came off watch and thought that I would spend the day getting my kit clean. When the regulating Chief Stoker told me that the Admiral had said his staff were to be excused all duties for 24 hours this meant that Jake Scott, the Admiral鈥檚 Leading Stoker had to be relieved. As my boat was not wanted I would take over the Admiral鈥檚 barge, this I did not like at Jake was never required for duties when the ship was at sea and I had just come off watch, but no argument put up by me prevailed. Fortunately I was only required for one small trip before the barge was hoisted in. I left the Hood on the Friday for the long journey to Portsmouth.

To go back to my early engine room watch keeping days one watch I was employed in the after engine room looking after the steering engine and oil pump servicing the plumber blocks, when I noticed a massive depletion in the oil tank for the plumber blocks, an inspection was made in the plumber block compartments 鈥攆our in number 鈥� and it was found that one of the vent taps had been left open and oil had been pumping into the bilges.

Further investigation found that with the quantity of oil lost, it would have taken several hours for the oil to be discharged through the vent, this meant that the stokers on watch over the plumber blocks had not visited the compartments as required, as the war had not started there was no need for the bridge to be informed of the opening or closing of the doors, therefore there was no record kept at that time The two stokers involved were put on charge for neglect of duty and hazarding the ship, they were given prison sentences.
The journey from Scapa began with a ferry trip to Thurso on the Scottish mainland, by train to Edinburgh, then to Kings Cross London, by tube to Waterloo and on to Portsmouth, carrying all the time my kit bag and hammock. On arrival at Waterloo I realised that I would not get to Portsmouth very early in that evening so I decided to go home to Eastleigh, arriving there in the evening. I put my bag and hammock in the left luggage office and went home until Monday, arriving in Portsmouth about 7.30am. The naval patrol gave me transport to RNB and thus ended my first ship adventure. I fully enjoyed my time spent on the Hood and though I did no boiler room work I did learn enough about engineering to carry me through the training establishment to eventually qualifying as Stoker PO.

Alec's Story continues in Chapter 3 'Portsmouth Barracks'.

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