NAVY NEWS – PALESTINE PATROL, MAY 2008 vii
Journalists
‘encouraged
Crowded ship was
violence’ in
skirmishes
ERNEST Grayston was a leading
‘not a pretty sight’
signalman in HMS Chequers and
HMS Troubridge between March
1946 and July 1947, and witnessed BILL Garner was a boy
see clearly she was full of women,
the apprehension of a number of
seaman serving in cruiser
children, young and old men,
illegal immigrant ships.
packed together – it was not a
Arya, Alma and Anal were
HMS Mauritius at the time
pretty sight,” he said.
three Ernest remembers, as well
of the Palestine Patrol. “We escorted her into Haifa.
as the heavily-listing San Dimitrio, “We had the job of searching
I still wonder what happened to
which was 30 degrees off trim and all the baggage that came
them.”
in great danger of capsizing with
aboard from the immigrant
Geoffrey Hale, as a boy seaman
over 1,000 people on board (see
boats,” recalled Bill.
on the carrier HMS Ocean,
picture below).
“Not a very pleasant job, but
remembers dealing with the crucial
● Bill Atkinson, togged out for
“We received intelligence of all
better than chipping paintwork
signals as the ship witnessed the
boarding operations
the expected ships, the date of
etc.
end of the Mandate.
sailing and routing,” he said.
“We had quite a few births
“As a side boy my duty was on
“The Lancasters of Coastal
on the quarterdeck due to the
the bridge,” said Geoffrey.
Command patrolled out to 200
Hours of
heavily-pregnant women that
“I well remember the clacking
miles, and there was a continuous
came aboard.
of the Gestetner machine and the
patrol, by vessels, along the coast.
“All the men and women were
acrid smell it gave off.
“We were only allowed to board
sprayed with DDT or the like to
“Once a pile of signals was
boredom
the vessels when they entered the
get rid of lice etc.
gathered it was my job to dash
three-mile limit. That left little
“They were then trans-shipped
around the ship delivering these to
time and room to board them.
to another ship bound for Cyprus
heads of departments, and I had
“Even so, the paratroopers
on patrol
and placed in a transit camp.”
to know every officer, every cabin
would be lined up on the beach,
Bill remembers one immigrant
and every desk minutely.
so they had no chance.”
BILL Atkinson’s recollection
boat holding not far off 1,000
“In Bighi Bay, Malta, to enable
Ernest continued: “We rarely
is that “we seemed to spend
people in poor conditions.
us to ease away from St Angelo,
had trouble with the immigrants,
hours of boredom and minutes
Half the passengers were
the captain used all the engines
except when American Jewish
of ‘excitement’ tracking and
above deck and half below, and
from the lined-up aircraft to ease
newspapermen were on board,
intercepting these unfortunate
“they were rotated when needed
us out from the breakwater.
who encouraged violence and
immigrants on their way to
– lavatorially,” according to Bill.
“I wondered what the
hoped we would retaliate.
Palestine.”
Also serving in Mauritius was
Commander (Air) thought of all
“HMS Chivalrous – I cannot
Bill was a radio operator in
Leslie Wilcox, who had been a
the wear and tear on his precious
remember the date – encountered
HMS Volage in 1946, and after
bosun’s mate in the cruiser for
engines!”
severe violence when trying to
the Corfu Incident (in which
less than a month when she sailed
On the cat-and-mouse
board a vessel.
Volage was seriously damaged by
from Piraeus to join the Patrol.
manoeuvres, Geoffrey said: “The
“It was very hard for Capt
a mine off Albania) he transferred
He had already been equipped
confrontations at sea between
Ruck-Keene not to order force.” ‘liberty ships’ crowded with
to HMS Verulam.
with a cricket box for protection,
the
There was also a need for refugees and skippered by the
“Prior to the Corfu Incident I
but fortunately it was not needed
vigilance against sabotage. Americans was very hazardous,
remember another close call for
when the overloaded Pan York and
“When at anchor at night especially if there was a swell.
Volage when the tanker Empire
Pan Crescent were boarded and
there was the danger of frogmen “The boarding party, fraught
Cross exploded in flames when
escorted to Cyprus.
attaching limpet mines to the with danger, would find themselves
anchored close by in Haifa Bay,”
Leslie went back home in the
hull,” he said.
manoeuvred on the bows of the
said Bill.
troopship MV Georgic, leaving
“Motor boats kept circling,
other ship after the bump alongside,
“I had never left my hammock
Malta on May 8 1948.
dropping explosive charges. This
and all kinds of missiles were
so quickly during my three years’
“She was the last such ship out
had a disruptive effect on sleep.
thrown by the incensed Jews, and
service on destroyers.
of Egypt and Palestine, carrying,
“Mind you, in 1946, the jellyfish
quite a few casualties were caused.
“Occasional trips ashore in
amongst others, members of the
were breeding in Haifa Bay, and
“They were determined to get
Haifa and those tasty ‘late-night
Palestine Police following their
that would hamper any frogman.
ashore, and we were determined
melons’ at the waterside will not
disbandment, most of whom
“One time we had to urgently
not to let them.”
be forgotten!”
had received death threats,” he
take on fuel at the fuelling jetty
recalled.
Mr J Stringer tells of a shipmate
whilst a bomb disposal team were
The reality of the plight of the
from HMS Charity who was hit
trying to disarm a 500lb bomb.
illegal immigrants was brought
over the head by a bottle of whisky
Kindness
“There was a collective sigh of
home to Mr W Cox, who was
during a boarding – fortunately he
relief when we disengaged from
aboard HMS Virago and spotted was wearing a helmet.
the fuelling jetty – I think that
an old ship full of people, which “He came back on board
left lasting
was when we had to intercept the
● Two illegal Jewish immigrants from a blockade-runner ship
next day stinking of it,” said Mr
Alma off Beirut.”
intercepted by cruiser HMS Mauritius
Picture supplied by Bill Garner
he reported to the captain.
“As we got closer to her I could Stringer.
impression
FOR some immigrants, their
contact with the British military
was not a cause for anger.
Mr J Smith was a seaman on
board the cruiser HMS Newcastle,
and some years after the Patrol
had ended he spotted an appeal
in the Daily Express from a woman
who, as a seven-year-old girl, had
travelled on one of the illegal
immigrant ships with her family
to Palestine.
The family had been interned
in one of the transit camps in
Cyprus, but the woman had been
so struck by the kindness shown
to her by British soldiers that she
wished to trace any of them.
With no names or regiments to
work on, Mr Smith set out to find
some answers, and discovered that
● The heavily-listing San Dimitrio is towed towards Haifa in October 1946. The tow was quickly abandoned as too dangerous and the old lake steamer limped into port under
her own steam. Standing by is Algerine-class minesweeper HMS Providence Picture supplied by Ernest Grayston
the unit was probably the Duke of
Cornwall’s Light Infantry.
Beware terrorists – and clumsy matelots
After seven years Mr Smith
managed to track down one of
the soldiers, and not only did
that man establish contact with
Miriam, the woman in question,
JIM Spray had been looking forward to a Peacock, Talybont and Skipjack, we formed “It was not an easy task – high-pressure September 1947, had a greater impact on
but also travelled to Israel to meet
trip to Japan in HMS Whitesand Bay when a diamond around the Anal and escorted hoses were used to make way for the lads that particular destroyer.
her again.
the Admiralty directed the frigate to the her into Haifa. to board.” “The ex-landing craft Despite was
A similar story is recounted by
Palestine Patrol. “For the next week we patrolled up and Mr R Davies served in HMS Talybont carrying approximately 500 illegal
another former Newcastle sailor
In March 1947 the Bay-class warship was down the Palestine coastline between Port during the Palestine Patrol, and said there immigrants,” said William.
Ken Chatters.
in Hong Kong, but her next destination was Said, Jaffa, Haifa and Famagusta. were plenty of happy memories as well as “Boarding was carried out by HM ships
At a reunion, Ken met a woman
to be Malta, in company with Bigbury Bay. “We then had some time in Beirut, after more serious moments. Chequers and Talybont, and during this who, as a baby, had been brought
The frigates reached Valletta on April which we returned to Haifa and continued “We weren’t allowed to dock in Haifa operation Despite rammed the stern of on board the cruiser from one of
22. our patrol.” as the Stern Gang was active and frogmen Chequers, causing some minor damage the immigrant ships.
“After working up in Malta for the next Whitesand Bay’s involvement ended were present,” he recalled. requiring attention in Haifa dockyard. The woman had travelled from
three weeks, we were dispatched to Palermo when she returned to Malta for a period ‘The drill was to throw a 2lb charge over “While we were there the Haifa police America to attend the Newcastle
in Italy to shadow one fast illegal immigrant in dry dock. the side. station was blown up.” get-together.
ship. Bill Murrell was serving in minesweeper “One rating threw the charge,
“She was the old coal-burner by the HMS Welfare in February 1947, patrolling but it hit the guard rail on the
name of SS Anal; she was, by the way, the waters between Jaffa and Haifa. fo’c’sle and came towards us
skippered by a woman. “My duties were that of Ch/Quartermaster like a tin can.
“On arrival at Palermo we entered – I must admit, quite a change from “It exploded outside the
harbour just as she was leaving – and she minesweeping,” said Bill. skipper’s cabin – not a very
cheekily dipped her ensign as we passed. “At approximately 0200 a small ship was happy skipper…”
“We turned and followed her at a distance sighted to seaward of our station. William Vine was in the thick
of 5,000 yards (see Jim Spray’s picture right). “We closed to investigate to find she was of things while serving as a
“After three days we were relieved by a steamer, heavily laden with human cargo signalman in HMS Chequers.
HMS Talybont, and we returned to Malta. of at least 600. She had been steaming for The highest-profile incident
“Then, on May 23, we left Malta to catch several days to avoid capture. was that of the President
up with Talybont and Anal. “Once she was inside the three-mile limit Warfield, but an interception
“On May 30, in company with HMS our boarding party then boarded her. a couple of months later, in ● Clandestine immigrant ship SS Anal
006-007_Palestine_may.indd 2 21/4/08 12:33:07
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