大象传媒

Having enlisted in the RAF in May 1940 (Age 18)and having gone through all the required training at RAF Cardington, and later on at RAF Stations Kidlington, Bicester and Upper Heyford (76 Squadron)I received notice in March 1941 that I was to be posted to the Middle East.
In early April 1941 I embarked at Liverpool in RMS Highland Chieftain ( a pre-war Royal Mail Lines ship which had been on the Argentine meat trade and had refrigerated holds, and was converted to a troopship at the outbreak of war)
After leaving Liverpool, Highland Chieftain sailed to the Clyde and joined a large convoy of ships of all types which was destined for the Middle East, via the Cape.
The convoy initially sailed up toward Iceland and well out into the Atlantic, as a U-boat avoiding measure, before turning east toward Africa.
Some two weeks or so after leaving the Clyde the convoy was quite close to the West African coast, near Freetown, when, at about 3am there was an almighty crash which was at first thought to be a torpedo but turned out to be a collision with a much larger troopship the Dominion Monarch. This was caused by one of the two ships making an error with the pre-determined zig-zag course designed to confuse U-boats (never did find out which of the ships was at fault)
As Highland Chieftain was a much smaller ship it suffered a great deal of damage to the bows, whereas the Dominion Monarch was relatively unscathed and was able to continue with the convoy which rapidly disappeared into the night before any U-boats appeared on the scene, leaving us wallowing, with all lights on to enable the Captain to assess the damage.
We would have been a sitting duck target, but fortunately no U-boats were in the area, and when dawn came we were able to make very slow progress, although very much down by the bows, and by late afternoon limped into Freetown.
It took some 3 to 4 weeks for temporary repairs to be carried out to the bows, using timber and concrete. Nobody was allowed ashore, and as daytime temperatures in Freetown are around 110f it can be imagined what conditions were like in the holds where we lived, ate and slept.
Eventually Highland Chieftain limped down to Capetown, and after some problems with finding another ship to take us up to Egypt, we were loaded on to the Blue Train and taken across South African where were were put on board a nearly new, very large,passenger liner Nieuw Amsterdam and arrived in Port Suez about a week later.
On arrival in Egypt I was sent immediately to join 14, Squadron at Burg-el-Arab (near Alamein) in the Western Desert.
During the remainder of 1941, and in 1942, 1943 and 1944 I remained with 14, Squadron throughout the desert cmpaigns, into Algeria and Tunisia, Sardinia and Corsica.
However, that is another story in itself,and my reason for writing the story about the Highland Chieftain collision is to try to ascertain whether any of the several thousand personnel (RAF and Army) on the two ships involved are still alive and are able to recall the occurence ?
Ron Dawson

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