Merry Christmas 2013 and here s to 2014!

Transcription

1 Russian Arctic Convoy Museum Project e-newsletter ABOVE BOARD Volume 1 Issue 6 December 2013 Charity: No: SCO42286 Merry Christmas 2013 and here s to 2014! From the Chair 2013 has been a very busy year which included a hugely successful Veterans reunion in Gairloch, the Arctic Star medal ceremony in Poolewe, well supported events in Aultbea and the opening of our first Summer Exhibition in the mothballed Inverasdale Primary School. Such was the success of the display, which attracted over 1,000 visitors that we are looking forward to the reopening of a greatly expanded Exhibition in Inverasdale again in Easter It had been the Project s policy in the past to advise potential donors of memorabilia to retain the items, as we did not then have suitable storage facilities. But now with the Exhibition Centre commissioned, RACMP wish to encourage any donations and loans for our display. Working closely with our local accredited Gairloch Heritage Museum we now have in place a recognised means of recording such donations and advice available on preserving all such items. It is vitally important to secure, for the nation, items of significance that support the telling of the story of the Arctic Top photograph taken in Russia during WWII by Veteran Jimmy Baynes as part of a football match between HMS Anguilla and HMS Goodall, Bottom photograph May 2013 local Loch Ewe school children meet the veterans Convoys between Those who may have artefacts or information which they would like to offer, should, in the first instance contact our archivist Mr. Stuart MacKenzie at archivist@racmp.co.uk or Page 1 of 13

2 via the address. Arrangements can them be made to acquire in the appropriate manner such items of memorabilia. The Project, itself, has been divided into three phases. Phase 1 To develop our world-wide funding campaign and secure the School as a permanent Exhibition and Community Centre. Phase 2 To encompass the extension of the School Building and the creation of a WWII Trail around Loch Ewe. Phase 3 To build a Museum in Aultbea which would be a national repository of information and artefacts on/from the Convoys. In August of this year the Project went through organisational changes and a larger, reformed Committee is now forging ahead with plans. In order to manage the greatly increased work load, several Project Teams have been created, including a Youth and Veterans Group to oversee individual aspects of the overall scheme. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my very best wishes to you all for the forthcoming festive season and we hope to see you in Wester Ross during The Founding Fathers In 1998 four veterans; Spud Campbell, Jack Harrison, Jimmy McHugh & Chris B Tye visited Poolewe and had the idea of building a museum on the shores of Loch Ewe to commemorate the Russian Arctic Convoys. From that time onwards, under the leadership of Jack, they worked tirelessly to make their dream a reality. Sadly, two of the veterans (Jimmy & Chris) have since crossed the bar but the Project is now well underway. Chris B. Tye George Milne Chairman, Museum Project Group Leading Writer to the Senior British Naval Officer, Polyarnoe, President of the North Russia Club and Author of The Real Cold War Photograph by Joe & Pete Matthews (May 2013) During winter the Arctic ice barrier moves so far as to leave a navigable stretch of water barely 200 miles between it and North Cape. Convoys were sailing past the Germans doorstep, while at the same time struggling to overcome navigational hazards. Freezing spray from huge waves formed layers of ice on Page 2 of 13

3 ships decks so thick that smaller vessels were in danger of capsizing. Red-eyed lookouts peered through sleet-laden darkness fearing they might crash into the ship ahead or the ship at rear collide with their stern. As the convoys moved slowly on their voyage each ship would be fighting against the storms ploughing through great seas, climbing foaming crests, sliding into troughs with 35 on the roll indicators. In temperatures as low as 40 below freezing where crews dare not place a hand on bare metal for fear of leaving skin behind. Eyelashes froze together, nostril hairs became little needles, a touch on the nose would bring streaming blood. The Arctic climate cultivated fear of what would happen if ships were torpedoed and had to take to the rafts, even worse how quickly death would come if it meant trying to swim for it. In the harsh desolate waste of the sea framed by the ice masses, the pitiless cold, the savagery of the sea, the loneliness and presence of an enemy would undermine the will to survive. Such were the conditions facing and endured by these merchantmen and escorts on the Road to Hell of Russian Convoys. It is difficult for anyone who has never experienced the intense cold of the Polar Regions to comprehend fully what superhuman endurance was called for from the ship s companies of warship and merchantmen so engaged. The escort vessels patrolling ceaselessly round the convoys shook and shivered as they climbed to the crest of each foaming, mountainous wave, hesitated, then plunged to wallow for a moment in the trough. The process being repeated with exhausting monotony. Guns, ammunition, torpedoes and depth charges became coated with ice and frozen spray so it was one long struggle to keep them free of ice and ready for use in an all too likely emergency. To touch bare metal without a glove was to invite painful ice burns. As the long hours of the watch dragged on. The faces of officers and lookouts peering over the edges of exposed bridges were whipped by driving snow and sleet until icicles formed on eyebrows, noses and beards. (Prologue to The Real Cold War ) Gun layer James Jimmy McHugh Jimmy McHugh was unlucky enough to have been sunk twice during Convoy trips. His favourite ship HMS Achates a Class A destroyer, was sunk by the Hipper on New Years Eve 1942 during the Battle of the Barents Sea with the loss of 114 lives. 80 men survived. He went on to fight the Scharnhorst during the Battle of the North Cape on Boxing Day Scharnhorst was lured into a trap and Allied ships fired a total of 2,195 shells at her during the engagement. Some 55 torpedoes were also launched at her and 11 are believed to have found their target. Page 3 of 13

4 This explains why she sank so quickly with massive loss of life. A huge internal explosion, probably in an ammunition magazine below a forward gun turret, had blown off her bow. The Commander of Scharnhorst just had time to broadcast to his crew that I shake you all by the hand for the last time. Jimmy assisted in the rescue of the 36 survivors of Scharnhorst from a crew of just under 2000 men. After WWII Jimmy befriended the survivors and would visit them in Germany. He also included the Scharnhorst on a memorial wall at the sea cadet headquarters, HMS Starling, in Liverpool. (Please see the end of this newsletter for an amazing photograph which contains the signatures of those survivors). It was Jimmy s belief that all the young men aboard Scharnhorst had no more desire to be at sea fighting battles than his own countrymen. They were obliged to fight for their country just as he was. U.S. Merchant Navy Spud Campbell Spud was a radio operator aboard the liberty ship SS Henry Bacon which carried a crew of 41 merchant seamen and 26 naval gunners. Whilst returning to Scotland from Russia in Convoy RA64 carrying Norwegian refugees back to safety, she earned her place in the heroes hall of fame. The Convoy came under heavy attack by Germans who sank both HMS Lark and Bluebell. Only one man survived the latter. As if the presence of the enemy was not enough, the convoy was to be hit with the worst storm in the area during the war, still remembered as The Great Gale. Henry Bacon suffered severe damage to her steering gear and rudder causing her to be separated from the rest of the Convoy. A squadron of 23 German JU88 torpedo bombers found the all but helpless ship whilst searching for the main Convoy. The gunners aboard Bacon waited until the Germans came into range and then opened up with everything they had. The only lull came when the guns were being reloaded or the red hot barrels changed. Throughout the battle Spud Campbell, Chief Radio Officer transmitted SOS messages. When the action was broken off, the Germans went home less 9 aircraft and crews. They had hit Henry Bacon with all they had including severe strafing of the ship from stem to stern with machine gun fire and the torpedoes had found their mark. With the ship sinking, Captain Carini gave the order to Abandon Ship with the explicit order no crewman will enter the boats until all the Norwegians are safely put into the boats first. There was only one lifeboat and 12 man life rafts, so it was clear that there was not going to be enough room for everyone. What followed was one of the finest chapters in the annals of wartime heroism. Captain Carini made no effort to leave the ship and was last seen on the bridge waving goodbye. Page 4 of 13

5 Chief Engineer Donald Haviland ordered a young crew member into his place in the lifeboat saying Here, you take my place, you are young and it does not matter so much if I get back. He was last seen with Bosun Lammon aboard the sinking ship calmly standing side by side as though heading out on just another voyage. All but three of the ship s officers and many of the crew were lost that day. Spud was ordered into the lifeboat with the Norwegians and emergency transmitter where he managed to rig an antenna despite the heavy seas and transmit an SOS. His actions saved all the survivors as the rescuing destroyers were able to home in on the signal. The SS Henry Bacon was the last allied merchant vessel of the war to be sunk in action. Spud currently resides in Alabama. Jack Harrison endured on the smaller escort vessels such as corvettes. Meals were taken between watches of 4 hours on, 4 hours off, and were most often served cold. The interior of the ship was constantly cold and water ran down the walls and soaked the floors. The engine room was a popular place to dry your clothing using the hot pipes. These pipes were extended to give relief to those on watch on the bridge and gun platforms His shipmate Edward Collins wrote that Every morning before sunrise and again before dusk, all hands "stood to". This means that they manned their battle stations whether on watch or not. Eyeballs would swell from lack of sleep and the crew stank from want of a bath. Dettol in water was the ideal stand up bath when you could manage it and this also helped to conserve fresh water supplies. Jack was instrumental in the creation of the RACM Project and is still actively involved in all aspects from the design of the proposed building, to the interior layout from his home in Derbyshire. The Committee wish to express their enormous gratitude to him for all the work he has carried out over the past fifteen years. Radio Operator aboard the Dido class light cruiser HMS Diadem Jack took part in 10 return Russian Convoys. He was also involved in the last naval engagement of the World War II, a clash with German Z class destroyers. Jack recalls that life aboard Diadem during the Convoys was extremely unpleasant but was far better than that Page 5 of 13

6 Stories From The Arctic Convoys No Bed of Roses The following excerpt is an illustration of life for those posted ashore in North Russia and is taken from a report sent to the Admiralty in September 1943 from the Senior British Naval Officer, North Russia regarding the difficulty in obtaining reliefs from the U.K. Passports were required, even in wartime and these took considerable time to obtain. Hence a twelve month station often ran into eighteen months: Included in the party which recently left here for UK by destroyer are three Officers (two from HMS ****) and three ratings from Polyarnoe. The two Officers from HMS ***** have gone haywire and the other Officer from Murmansk is heavily depressed and gaga. A Petty Officer has gone mad and might do anything given the opportunity. A Canteen Assistant who passes the time by cutting girls names on his forearm with a razor blade. Also going home are eighteen Merchant Navy seamen suffering from chronic stomach troubles, or mad. This includes one who imagines he is a bear. Yes.. we are carrying on successfully, but I hope you can do everything possible to remedy this situation. Our life is no bed of roses but theirs in the merchant ships must be ten times worse. Excerpt from The Real Cold War by Chris B Tye The Ensign and the Plank When you ve pulled a man from the freezing sea, All black with ship s oil fuel You ve cleaned him off, seen his wounds And wondered what to do You see the whiteness of his ribs, Where steam has skinned him too The guilt you feel when you look at him, Feeling glad it wasn t you And all you have to ease the pain Is aspirin and God You fear to look him in the eye, For the question you know will be there The answer you know is certain death, And there s nothing more you can do You light him a fag and give him your tot, As he looks for the rest of his crew. When you lay him down on the iron deck Knowing that s his lot Briefly wondering if you did right By giving him your tot. For the rest of the watch, with a sail maker s palm With needle and the thread You sew him in his canvas shroud, With the rest of last night s dead A dummy shell between their feet Makes certain that they ll sink You sit and sew till the morning glow Amid the mess and stink. By dawn s grey light you carry them aft To the ensign and the plank The hands off watch gather around All bleary-eyed and dank Then the skipper with Bible, says the Sailor s Prayer Our Father, which art in Heaven (we hope you re really there) Page 6 of 13

7 One by one, the dead are gone, slid from the greasy plank The hands go forward, feeling chilled Thinking of those that were slain With the certain knowledge, in a while we ll do it all again. Each one, being still alive, gives a silent prayer of thanks, Wondering, with a cold dark fear, Will I be next on the plank? Stan Kirby Ping Bosun, HMS Asphodel Women on the Convoys PQ-17 is one of the more famous convoy missions owing to the terrible losses that resulted from the decision to scatter the ships, which was taken on the false belief that the Tirpitz intended to engage the allied vessels. What is less well known is the female presence aboard Soviet tankers that took part in this ill-fated mission. Female crews were not unusual on Soviet vessels, much to the wonderment of the allied sailors. There were women present aboard the Donbass and a majority female crew aboard Azerbaijan when the ships came under enemy fire (there are even sources indicating that the Captain and the Chief Officer of the Azerbaijan were married to members of their crew). result of the bombardment the vessel caught fire and sustained heavy damages. In the immediate panic, lifeboats were lowered and some of crew members abandoned the ship, which was soon engulfed in smoke. The remaining crew tackled the fires while the heavy gun, manned by women, continued to fire at the enemy. Upon the realisation that the ship was not sinking, the lifeboats were reputedly ordered by mega phone to return to help extinguish the flames and further encouraged to make haste when the women began shooting at them. The lifeboats were hoisted back aboard and at last the flames were quelled. Other crew members that had been thrown into the sea were picked up by rescue boat Zaafaran. Given the dire outlook for the tanker the remaining fleet had been ordered to leave the Azerbaijan, which had fallen out of station along with the Navarino and the William Hooper (which were both sunk in the attack). One can imagine the allies amazement when the tanker was seen limping behind, eventually catching up and returning to its station. The Azerbaijan arrived safely at Archangel on 24 th July. The women of the Azerbaijan particularly distinguished themselves with their response to enemy attack, which came on the 4 th July 1942, in which they managed to save the tanker that was thought doomed by onlookers. The Azerbaijan was transporting linseed oil to the port at Archangel. When the attack came, the tanker was targeted by dive-bombers and torpedo planes. As a (The photo shows Azerbaijan in the background behind the destroyer HMS Icarus) Page 7 of 13

8 How to Dress for an Arctic Convoy As the weather has turned decidedly colder, jumpers, coats, hats and scarves that have languished at the back of the cupboard throughout the summer months have now been resurrected. With forecasters predicting possibly one of the harshest winters since 1947 and the potential for months of snow, you may find the following 6 step guide to dressing appropriately for a Russian Arctic Convoy most useful. This wonderful sketch was drawn by David Moore whilst serving as navigating officer on HMS Harrier between 1940 & John joined the Merchant Navy and first went to sea aged 16. During the war he served on nine Atlantic convoys, helping to bring pork from Canada in banana boats and steel and timber from New York safely home to Britain. He also served in the Pacific alongside the Americans up to VJ Day in August At the end of the war I was part of a very memorable convoy, he says. Because the ship I was serving on was a refrigerated ship we were sent down with two other ships to South Africa. Each ship carried a cargo of oranges from South Africa set for the UK. My ship went to Glasgow. We brought the first commercial cargo of oranges after the war. One orange was allocated to every child younger than 14 for Christmas 1945 Peter Harrison, a member of the RACMP Committee recalls queuing for two hours to receive his orange in Tutbury, Derbyshire. John says As far as I was concerned the worst of the war was over by the time I first went to sea in February 1944, but I saw a ship sink and lost friends on other ships in other places. Christmas 1945 In the war former merchant seaman John Burgess, 83, from Taunton served as a radio operator aboard Atlantic Convoys to and from Loch Ewe. It s very important for veterans to remember our time in the war and the men that were lost, John says. I don t want to be looked upon as being unique in any way there were lots of young lads like me who went to war without making a fuss and did their part. I ve never had any regrets about the choices I made back then and the things I witnessed. A copy of John s Service Record showing the Convoys he took part in, will be on display at Inverasdale School next year. Page 8 of 13

9 Highlights of 2013 in Pictures Presentation of the Arctic Star in May The Arctic Star & Bomber Command Veterans across the world are still receiving their medals and we hope many more will continue to do so.. James McGuire The Veterans and their friends & families all had a wonderful time at Loch Ewe in May this year. Thanks go to everyone who helped during May week and project manager Jacky Brookes (who left the project in August 2013). My father was a Merchant Seaman during the war and was recently awarded the Arctic Star Medal in July this year just in time for his 92nd birthday on the 25th July. He was born in Falkirk in 1921, and was in the Merchant Navy for 16 years as a Bosun and served in the Atlantic Convoys which sailed from Loch Ewe to Russia carrying supplies and ammunition on the Empire Bond (PQ14) in February He has been happily married to my mother Isabella for 62 years and has 2 sons, 2 daughters, 3 grandsons, 2 granddaughters, 1 great-grandson and 1 great- granddaughter who love to visit them. Elizabeth Parker (daughter of James McGuire) Photos by Stuart Brighton (son of veteran Bob) & Anna C McKessock (daughter of veteran Stanley) Details of how to apply for medals are on our website see Category Information or use the go/search which is on the top and bottom right hand side of every page. Page 9 of 13

10 Inverasdale School Exhibition Visitors to the RACMP Exhibition at Inverasdale School Exhibition which opened in July. The exhibition space will be doubled next year. the Headquarters of the Russian Convoys leaving Loch Ewe during WWII. It had been planned to present the banner during the Veterans visit to Loch Ewe for the presentation of their Arctic Star medal. These plans, however, changed following the sad loss of our great friend and supporter Jock Dempster (former Chairman of the Russian Arctic Convoy Club Scotland). Jock is hugely missed and the Exhibition room at Inverasdale School now bears his name. The Incendiary Bomb Presentation of Incendiary Bomb donated by veteran David Craig and presented to RACMP Archivist Stuart MacKenzie and Chairman George Milne by Robert Miller, Maggie Dempster and Rob Gibson MSP The Cruel Sea (Actress Virginia McKenna) Presentation of Russian Convoy Club Scotland Banner On the 10 th November (Remembrance Sunday) Veteran, David Craig (former Vice-Chairman of the Russian Convoy Club Scotland) presented their banner to Pool House in Poolewe which had been A personal message and signed photo were received from actress Virginia McKenna who sent the following statement: I am very sorry I am unable to be with you on this very special, if poignant day. Page 10 of 13

11 You will be presented, I understand with the Club Standard of the Scottish Branch of the Russian Convoy Club, which played a very important part in the Remembrance Sunday march to the Cenotaph. This will be a memorable addition to the donation by the Russian Convoy Club and North Russia Club, of a ship s bell from an Arctic Convoy destroyer. Such unique reminders of those distant but, to Veterans, never forgotten days will arouse, I am sure, deep-seated personal emotions. Although it was only a part in a film, I always felt very privileged to wear a WRNS uniform in The Cruel Sea. The film itself was, I believe, a realistic and powerful account of the challenges facing those courageous naval men in times of war on the high seas. I send you my gratitude and admiration and never forget those who sacrificed their lives. RACMP News.. New logo & addresses 2014 Events Spring Autumn / The Exhibition With more space we hope to have more items on view. 5 th - 10th May / May Week During the week there will be guest speakers, events for children, WHW/American Liberty ships and an American-themed dance on the last evening. More details about the exhibition and May week will be posted on our website and included in our next newsletter. Sergey Krutikov The Committee of the RACMP would also like to extend their thanks and appreciation to Sergey Krutikov, Consul General of the Russian Federation in Edinburgh who has been not just a supporter of the Project, but a good friend to all those involved. He will be very much missed when he returns to Moscow in early January 2014 and we wish him every success in his future ventures. We are now using for our addresses and the website, however we still retain So, don t worry, the postie won t get lost! Peter Harrison (RACMP) and Sergey Krutikov in Edinburgh 2013 Page 11 of 13

12 Jock Dempster with Sergey in 2011 Francis Russell Donald Matheson & Mhairi Harrison-Moir holding up the ensign from HMS Myngs which was donated to the Project earlier this year. Donald is the youngest member of the Committee and he & Mhairi help out on the retail side, merrily posting books and mugs. The Committee would also like to thank Francis Russell (pictured above) for all his hard work during his time as Chairman and for his continuing assistance with the Project. Christmas Greetings from The Committee & Project Team More team member information will be on our website soon. Contact Us Photo (centre) Mary Rogers (development) RACMP c/o Pool House, Poolewe, Achnasheen, Wester Ross, IV22 2LD, Scotland, UK Website Photo from left to right; Francis Whittington, Elizabeth Miles (Secretary), Peter Harrison, George Milne (Chairman), Bruce Hudson (Vice-Chairman), Stuart MacKenzie (Archivist) Newsletter by Elizabeth Miles (Secretary) & Anna C McKessock (Webmaster) If you would like to contribute to future newsletters (or find any errors or omissions) or would like to receive a large print version please let us know by contacting webmaster@racmp.co.uk Page 12 of 13

13 The Scharnhorst Survivors "The official photographer on HMS Duke of York had the survivors sign this paper as a memento. Also included on the bottom left, Sir Bruce Fraser, Commander in Chief Home Fleet and bottom right, Robert (Nutty) Burnett, Vice Admiral 10 th Cruiser Squadron" The Scharnhorst sank on 26 December 1943, 70 years ago this Boxing Day. At this time of year we would like to remember all the men & women who fought during WWII. They will always be remembered. Photo of the Scharnhorst by A Klein Deutsches Bundesarchiv (German Federal Archive) 1939 Page 13 of 13