NAVY NEWS, MAY 2008 29
Valiant memories
Busman’s
holiday at
IN JANUARY you carried a
letter from Torpedoman D
● HMS Valiant in Malta in 1926
Bott recounting HMS Valiant
coming to grief in a float-
the movies
ing dock in Trincomalee in
1944.
ON EASTER day, in the comfort of my home, I watched In Which We
The dock had been towed into
Serve on TV. The previous time I had seen it was in January 1943 – 65
harbour in three sections and, over
years earlier, in very different circumstances.
two or three weeks, assembled
I was serving in the Hunt-class destroyer HMS Middleton, based at
to form an expensive and useful
Scapa and much engaged in Arctic convoys. During one of our brief
facility.
spells in harbour we heard there was a film, title unknown, being shown
I was an observer with 733
in our nearby depot ship, HMS Tyne.
Squadron, a Fleet Requirements
Although the weather was atrocious a party of us braved the rough sea
Unit, and our flight path enabled
and rain and went over in our ship’s motor-boat. To our disappointment,
us to observe the events your cor-
indeed shock, we found it was, of all films, In Which We Serve!
respondent describes.
However, although much of the story is harrowing, we, as sailors,
On the morning after the
found plenty to amuse us and eagerly sought technical errors.
calamity I was instructed to take
There were in fact very few. The film actually provides a very good
a photograph but there was noth-
historical record of the Js and Ks, including a fleeting shot of HMS
ing above water except a couple of
Kashmir (F12) at full steam ahead.
derricks at odd angles.
It was certainly a memorable occasion and on return to Middleton
I have always thought the ship
our shipmates found it hilarious that we had braved a stormy trip just
involved was Warspite but, if your
to watch... ourselves!
correspondent was aboard, he
– Mike Alston, Association Secretary, HMS Middleton (L74)
should know!
Association, Maidenhead, Berks
I have been out of touch with
the RN since those WW2 days
but now receive Navy News cour-
tesy of a granddaughter, Sarah
Rushton, now serving in HMS
Bulwark – which ship I was privi-
leged to visit when she was along-
side in Liverpool recently.
– John Driver,
Laneshawbridge, Colne,
Lancashire
over to the dock to go below to the as she almost capsized. with HMIS Kedah.
...I WAS based on shore in
pumping space to open up the sea- The meat stores were holed Alongside the Kedah was a ship
Trincomalee in 1944 and we had
cocks, the idea being to correct the and a working party was sent named Matiana, accommodated in
a workshop on the jetty overlook-
list and enable Valiant to slide out. down to clear the rotten sides of which were a right motley crowd,
ing where the fl oating dock was
When the sea-cocks were finally beef. Despite wearing gas masks who I’m sure had a marine escort
moored.
opened the order came to get out the work was most unpleasant each; these were the people who
We understood that this dock
and we made a hurried exit to the and there were several near-fatal had come with a prefabricated
had been built in southern
upper deck. accidents. The meat was dumped floating dock in sections and who
India and was brand new. Two
As we headed for the remain- outside the harbour where even assembled it.
smaller ships had been in the dock
ing section still afloat the crane the sharks swam off! When it was completed, several
before Valiant. We could see that
mentioned by D Bott missed us I attended the Court of Inquiry smaller vessels were tested in it:
there was trouble with lifting the
by inches. under Rear Admiral ‘Hookie’ tugs, submarines and destroyers,
● Any familiar faces among these Naval Nurses?
Valiant.
We were ordered to abandon
Walker and our skipper, Capt
and also I think a cruiser.
Our camp was situated about
the dock and swam ashore and
O’Donnell, also attended.
About August I was on my way
one mile from our workshop,
were assisted over the rocks by
All witnesses were warned not
home to the UK aboard the troop-
although we could not see the
some squaddies from a local army
to talk about the event. There were
ship Strathaird. As a PO victualled Old girls’ network
floating dock from our camp the
camp.
rumours that Japanese frogmen
in the RM Sergeants’ Mess, who
noise kept us awake all night.
A cutter took us onboard HMS
were to blame, but these were later
were from HMS Valiant, I heard THE girls of ‘B’ Class, State Enrolled Pupil Nurses, QARNNS, who
The next morning the dock had
Adamant and the following morn-
discounted.
from them of Valiant’s disaster. started their training at RN Hospital Stonehouse, in Plymouth in Octo-
disappeared with the top of the
ing we were taken back to Valiant.
Several hundred of the crew
Whilst we were alongside ber 1972, are planning their fi rst reunion in Plymouth this October.
cranes just visible above water-
If anyone deserved a medal that
were sent to shore bases, others
Matiana in Kedah, the buzz was I have spent several fascinating months tracing and finding my col-
level.
night it was the crane driver who
to ships. HMS Valiant took part
that all the docks assemblers had leagues and most of us had not spoken to, or met the others, in 30 years
The Valiant was out by the har-
remained at his post until the
in several bombardments, Salony
been dissident people who had or more.
bour entrance, her bows very low
end.
and Surelaya included, but never
been conscripted for the job. So far I have found 18 out of 21 possible (three left the course early
in the water. We often wondered
Many weeks of hard work fol-
went into the Pacific.
Makes you think, doesn’t it? and are not sought) and I would like help in finding the final three who
what became of her.
lowed, gun barrels, ammunition
– David Wicking, Chatteris,
Like S/M Bett I have never I believe may still live in the Plymouth area.
– S/M Basil Woodward,
and anything heavy was removed
Cambs
heard anything at all about that They are (maiden names) Jacqueline Henderson, fourth from right,
former CERA, Rustington,
and pumping went on day and event which occurred almost 64 back row, Sophie Ahmed, second from right, front row, and Margaret
Littlehampton, West Sussex
night. Also, diving parties worked ...I WAS serving in RN MTB 278 years ago, although I have been ‘Maggie’ Mooney, second from right, middle row.
continuously. with the 16th Flotilla in Trinco in wondering about it for such a Could they, or anyone knowing the ‘missing’ girls ask them to contact
...I WAS a pom-pom crew mem- I was told that one tear on 1944, and as we were Indian Navy long time. me by phone, 01482 781690, or email?
ber when the disaster happened. Valiant’s hull measured 27ft where we were not in the main harbour, – J M McLean, Haslemere, – Penny Rawson (nee Bendall), late Assistant Head Naval Nurse,
I was in the working party sent the concrete blocks ripped through but up in Cod Bay, or China Bay, Surrey QARNNS, email penny@sudcotes.karoo.co.uk Hull
Flowers
of the
Mersey
AS A minor addition to your ad-
mirable piece An Immortal Deed
(April), there were two sister ships
taken up from trade as passage
ferry boats on the Mersey – Iris
and Daffodil.
I’m not sure whether they were
mustered as HMS but it was HM
himself – ie, King George V – who
personally ordained that they
be dubbed HMS Royal Iris and
Royal Daffodil.● A Jack Kettle cartoon from pre-World War 2
This became a tradition, and
Jack’s jokes
I hope one that the ferry fleet
carries on. It’s a small point, and
perhaps a frivolous one, and yet
it was a priceless gesture, and I
would very much like to know if it
on the boil
is maintained.
– Capt A B Sainsbury (Retd)
London
IN PURSUIT of my hobby of collecting pre-WW2 RN comic and
● HMS Warspite in her later life in 1942
patriotic postcards, I have come across cards by a person who
Olympic
signs himself Jack Kettle.
He is what I would call the between-wars Tugg and the
humour in the cards can still be appreciated today. I wonder if guardship
any readers have any knowledge of who this person was?
Warspite won the day
The ones I have are on photographic paper, not card, and
WOULD their Lordships consider
have not been posted, so I wonder if they were produced on
IT IS always a joy to read Navy News. But why oh fierce encounter which involved almost 20 warships designating HMS Portland as the
board ships as souvenirs?
why do the media always concentrate on the darker firing at point-blank range in the narrow confined of guardship for the 2012 Olympic
– Roger Newman, (RN 1959-82)
side of naval history? Ofotfjord, destroyed the entire German force and left Sailing events at Portland?
I couldn’t find any mention of Jack Kettle in early copies of Navy
Yes, despite the gallantry of Warburton Lee VC them as blazing wrecks in the Norwegian waters, and I’m sure the people of
News, but then we were not founded until 1954. Perhaps some of
and the catastrophic defeat of his flotilla which takes then retired to return to the Middle East to take up Weymouth and Portland would
our readers can help? See page 45 for a review of Jack ‘n’Royal,
pride of place in most of today’s media, this tragic her duties as Cunningham’s flagship. welcome their own ship back for
a book of cartoons from the 60s and 70s by Southsea artist Derek
loss was more than compensated a few days later I know, because I was there. this prestigious occasion.
Crowter. – Ed
when HMS Warspite and her attendant destroyers – Bernard Hallas, RM, aged 90 – Terry Why (former CPOWtr)
took up the cudgels and in less than three hours, in a (the oldest PRO in the RNA), York Portland, Dorset
029-031_NN_may08.indd 1 21/4/08 10:34:04
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