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My Father Ernie Stanley was a CPO GI during the second world war he was mentioned in despatches and awarded a Distinguished Service Medal, he was a very modest man and did not talk about many of his times at sea but here are a few of his reminisces I managed to get from him before he passed away.

My mother has also added some of her memories from the war at home both in Plymouth then in Hersham Surrey

The War at Sea:
1939 - 1940 Onboard HMS Imperial one winters day with a full gale blowing, a Flotilla of I boats set off from the Firth of Forth for an Offensive patrol to the German Bight and Heligoland, big seas were coming over us with water everywhere. Then one huge wave hit us and ripped out A Gun. Forward messdeck was immediately flooded, we had to ease down to about five knots. The leader signalled 鈥渕ake your own way home, goodbye and the best of luck.鈥�
We needed it, for we were only within twenty miles of the German coast. Anyhow we did have some luck for it started to snow which hid us from the aircraft and ships, we got to the English coast where we were escorted to Hull.
One interesting point when we got there, two Deserters were being held at the local Police station. The were given ninety days in detention. I was detailed off to escort them with two AB鈥檚 to Pompey鈥檚 detention centre. While we were at the train station an old lady came and started hitting me with her umbrella, shouting 鈥渢ake the handcuffs off the poor sailors. The civil Police took her away and the sailors were duly delivered to the Glass house at Portsmouth.

1940 My Father hasn鈥檛 written about the last days onboard HMS Imperial but on October 11th in the Med she was badly damaged by a deep laid mine laid off Malta, she was towed into refit. After refitting Imperial was bombed on the 28th of May 1941 by German aircraft and sunk the next day by gunfire from HMS Hotspur. Here鈥檚 what my Mother has to say:

When Ernie鈥檚 ship Imperial went down most men were saved but they lost everything except the clothes they were wearing. He had a short leave after that but was then sent to pick up his new ship Wheatland. That is where he earned his Distinguished service Medal and mentions in dispatches. I was so proud to go to Buckingham Palace and see him collect his medal from King George VI. He was a very brave man.

1941 October Joined HMS Wheatland in Build. She was a Hunt class destroyer.

1942 Russian Convoys

In September we left Scapa flow with other destroyers, moderate seas and closed up to 3rd degree of readiness, asdic radar and close range weapons(Oerlikons). Our course was approximately North West. The further North we went the colder it became. We arrived at Seydisford in Iceland and awoke to snow and seagulls walking on the Ice. We sailed the next morning again to the North West, the spray coming inboard froze. Eventually we saw a huge convoy and joined with them, forty Merchant ships, Destroyers, Carriers and Cruisers. When we had taken up our position astern of an Aircraft Carrier we were told what we already had guessed, we were going to Murmansk Russia.
Gradually it got colder, we could see pack ice away to port. Coming up to Jan Mayer Island in a moderate gale with rough seas we were sighted by German aircraft, it kept out of range and continued to track our position. We go to first degree of readiness as aircraft are sighted low on the water. Torpedo bombers, making runs for the Merchant ships, some were blown up and others damaged. From then on we are constantly attacked day and night.

About a third of the convoy had been lost and so had the escort. The Germans lost a lot of aircraft and some submarines. When we reached Bear Island things began to ease up.
Aircraft Carriers Avenger and Scylla were short of ammunition were detached with the Wheatland and two other Destroyers to make their way back to Scapa. Gales were very bad which prevented Submarines operating. Once we had passed Jan Mayer Island attacks became sporadic and eventually we arrived back at Scapa.

This was the first of the big convoys I had been on and I didn鈥檛 want anymore, but I had another four to go. What with the bitter cold, long hours of being closed up, no warm food - Corned beef sandwiches and cocoa, messdecks flooded. Oh it was a grand life! Roll on my pension or twelve was heard from the crew. We didn鈥檛 even have time to be seasick!

Another convoy that was moderately easy, an Oil Tanker with Wheatland and another Destroyer escorting her right up to the Ice barrier. There we stayed.

ICE BARRIER

Tanker

Asdic Patrol

In the far distance we heard the sound of gunfire. Then, one by one, Destroyers arrived to refuel. We remained there for about a Fortnight and then returned to Scapa with the Tanker.

After the last convoy Top Brass came aboard saying how well we had done, blah, blah and when opportunity arose we would be sent South for leave.
After refuelling, storing and boiler cleaning at Scapa Flow we sailed South, leave! It was in everybody鈥檚 thoughts. Down through the Minches, past the Clyde right on to Devonport we thought - no. Port Talbot for fuel. When we cleared the Bristol Channel we sailed south all right. A convoy of Troop Transports awaited our pleasure and we sailed all the way South to the invasion of north Africa.

After crossing the Bay of Biscay without any alerts by air or Subs, we kept fairly close in to Portugal, then set course to Casablanca. As soon as dusk came we altered course back up the African coast at high speed and slipped through the Straits of Gibraltar under the cover of darkness. Onboard we had a crowd of American soldiers, or at least we thought they were. In actual fact they were British, but as we were landing them on a beach in Algiers the French still hadn鈥檛 forgiven us for sinking their fleet at Oran.
The soldiers went ashore and only met occasional resistance, soon the transports in the harbour began unloading troops and stores.
We were mostly involved in shooting up the coast road as allied forces were pushing back the enemy. Our assault ships were used, holding ports until the Army arrived. Bougie, Philipeville and Bone were all taken by Destroyers with only slight resistance.
The 8th Army and 1st Army eventually had the German Army between them in the Cape Box area where they eventually surrendered.

In this section my fathers memories tend to be very modest and leave out some of the obviously frightening and brave moments during this dark time, but with the help of my Mothers perspective the war at home:

1939 September 3rd. War was declared, we all had to be issued with gas masks, we had to take them with us whenever we went out. The adult ones were carried over our shoulders in a bag, Anne鈥檚 was like a Mickey mouse face and had to be carried everywhere in a bag, Kits (she was a baby then) was like an enormous tent and had to be fixed on her pram, we had to take all that out every time we went shopping. You can imagine what it was like every time, getting ready to go shopping, or worse still when the air raid warnings went and we had to run for the shelters which were over a hundred yards away. They would go two or three times a day and during the night. while Ernie was away in the Med the air raids started getting very intense. I decided I would rather be at home with my parents.
I went to the Barracks to get my travel warrant, in time to hear the sirens again, a plane swooped out of the sun and dropped its bombs on the Barracks. I had left the two girls with a neighbour so they were all right, while I rushed into a shop as the warnings sounded. As soon as the all clear was sounded I went into the pay office in time to see some sailors being brought along on stretchers. I was truly very upset over that.

Eventually we got back to Hersham, where the air raids seemed to have followed me. I was still living with my parents until I could find a house. We had a lot of alarms and once we were all asleep downstairs dotted about the rooms, as it didn鈥檛 seem safe upstairs. There was an awful noise and I heard an Air Raid Warden shout to someone that,
鈥� 261 got that one!鈥�
That was our number, then my dad came into the room with a roof slate in his hand, his face was ashen, he said it was at the back door off of our roof.
The Warden came knocking and told us all to get out quickly as there was an unexploded shell next door. It had fallen between the houses, which were semi鈥檚.
We all trooped round to Granny Stanley鈥檚, who lived a couple of roads away. After a lot of confusion and explaining, we had to spend the rest of the night there on chairs or on the floor.
Next morning my mum went to our place to get stuff for breakfast and for a change of clothing as the menfolk, my dad and brother had to go to work. The Military would not let her in, they hadn鈥檛 removed the shell. So, as Kit was a small baby I had to go out and buy her a complete change of clothes before I could get her washed and changed. When we were eventually allowed back home, the place seemed as if it was full of soot, the fireplaces had all had the soot blown down the chimneys, gosh what a mess.

1941 There were lots of very frightening things going on, with the air raids and the worry over Ernie being in the thick of it all. When the Battle of Britain was taking place the planes were overhead all day and the excitement was unbelievable. We had no TV but kept the radio going and every so often we would hear that another German plane had been shot down (cheers all round).

I got an enormous Iron table indoor air raid shelter so didn鈥檛 have to run for shelter, we slept under it, it was as big as a double bed and I put a Mattress down for the two girls and myself. It was all very frightening believe me.

When the girls were older they went to school. I had to get them on my bike, one on the saddle, one on the back in a carrier and I stood on the peddles. All this to get them there before the warnings sounded again as by now the 鈥� Buzz Bombs鈥� or 鈥淒oodle Bugs鈥� (V 1 Rockets) had started. Lots of times I managed to get them to school, then had to drop into a ditch on the way home as the darned things were on the way. They used to give out a loud drone and when it stopped the bomb dropped like a stone.
One time I had just gone to my front door to get the paper when I heard this awful drone, then it cut out. Luckily the girls were at home at the time, so I shouted at them to get under the shelter fast, but it had dropped before they or I could do anything. Poor little Kit went into hysterics, but Anne was calm as always. After the all clear I went into the Kitchen to get some milk that I had left in a saucepan ready for the girls. It was full of black stuff. When I went upstairs for something I discovered the back bedroom ceiling was down. When I tried to open the backdoor it was jammed shut, the front door however was wide open and wouldn鈥檛 close. I hope those days never come back.

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