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On the day De Gaulle appealed to his countrymen to resist the German Occupation the 157th Heavy Anti Aircraft Battery finally sailed from France for Gibralter and safety.
18/6/40
0400 Ships Captain received orders to move at day break. Troops roused and as much loading of stores etc. as possible was carried out. There were no gangways and all hand loading had to be carried out up the ship's ladder.
0600 The armed tramp "ALMA DAWSON" left harbour with 53rd HAA Regt. and attached troops aboard. Four Bofors guns were mounted on deck. Two starboard side forward and two port side aft. Fourteen Bren guns were mounted. Four on the Fo'castle, three on the Bridge deck four on boat deckamidships and three on the Poop. The "PEMCREEP" sailed with the "ALMA DAWSON" and kept with her. Our destination was GIBRALTER. We had no escort. Sanitary arrangements on ship practically NIL. We made our own. Captain, Ships Officers and crew extremely helpful and obliging.
AT SEA
0830 Passed BARCELONA. Spanish patrol vessel very interested in us and tracked us across the bay. No incidents.
0900 Journey continued. C.O. and Battery Commanders conference to determine Standing Orders, Emergency Action etc.
2300 News bulletin issued to troops.
These letters were published 70 years to the day from when they were first written during the Phoney War (1939) and the Battle of France (1940). They were sent by my Great Uncle, mainly to his father, and provide a fascinating insight into the day to day life of a British soldier in the opening phase of World War II. I have also included information about the AASF and the Battle of France to put my Great Uncle's service in context.
We were still trapped in France, but the Army organised transport to take us further South to Marseilles where chaos ensued. How could we escape from France? Firstly we had urgent work to do. We had successfully transported our guns to Marseilles and had no means of getting the 3" anti-aircraft guns away, so we dumped the guns breach blocks into the sea. Also there were about 100 brand new Bedford Army trucks awaiting delivery on the quayside, and I took part in a massive destruction of the vehicles. What we actually did in the urgency of the moment was to lift the bonnets and smash the engine cylinders with pick axes. We learnt later that the Germans recovered the breach blocks from the sea and repaired the Bedfords. There was only one ship in Marseille harbour, a coaler named SS "Alma Dawson". Our Commanding Officer approached the Captain to persuade him to take to sea with two or three hundred British soldiers aboard. But he refused. However, our CO put a loaded revolver to the head of the ship's captain - or else! Several hundred of British soldiers climbed aboard amongst the filthy coal dust. We were ordered to lay down on the filthy deck so that we were below the gun wale. This was so that as we crept along the Spanish coast within the three mile limit to avoid an imminent attack from a host of awaiting Italian submarines outside the 3 mile limit. A Spanish gun boat came out towards our ship and the Captain shouted through a loud hailer to our Captain in English, "Get out of Spanish territorial waters or you will be interned”. Of course he did not know about us troops all laying flat on deck below the gunwale, so the Spanish gun boat could not see us. I am sure if he had known we would have been interned! So out of the three mile limit we make our course. Now into dangerous submarine infested waters. At this stage I was put on a Lewis gun in the poop deck and my left eye was damaged whilst operating the damn thing. What is described as a "blow-back" occurred - thank God it wasn't a bullet! I can't remember hitting any submarine! The holiday islands of today the Balearic Islands and surrounding waters were very much enemy territory. However, we arrived safely on British soil at Gibraltar.
ReplyDeleteWe were stationed at Europa point in reasonably comfortable barracks. Actually we relieved the gunmen on the big guns on top of the Rock as those regular soldiers had no leave for two years. The only near action there was was when the big guns were trained on the Italian ship Rex as she passed through the straits of Gibraltar. She supposedly carrying English folk who had lived in Italy. I believe Somerset Maughan was one of these. We made friends with the monkeys, they lived on 'iron rations' (plain chocolate). As we were now on British soil, as soon as I could I made a phone call to my parents in England to report my safety. My Dad answered the call and was gobsmacked when he heard my voice but so relieved. He was one of those very brave souls who as an Infantry man at the Battle of the Somme went ‘over the top' many times in World War I. In one single day 10,000 men were killed, what carnage! Dad was gassed, wounded and eventually a Prisoner of War working in a coalmine in appalling conditions three miles under the sea off Belgium. When he heard my voice from Gibraltar years later he said, "Thank God you are safe son, after Dunkirk the War Office have noted you as a missing person." Naturally he was delighted I was safe but he said also that his worst fear was that I had been captured by the Germans, although he would not have relished my demise I feel certain!
ReplyDeleteA story from Gibraltar is rather unique. During some local leave with a friend of mine Gunner Blake and myself, on a nice warm sunny day in May 1940 were walking along the quayside where the big battleships came in. At the quayside was the huge first Ark Royal aircraft carrier, she looked as big as St Paul's cathedral, ginormous, and at that moment hundreds of sailors were coming ashore, rushing down the gang planks. All of a sudden my friend darted away from me and made a dash for a particular sailer, and without any further ado belted the living daylights out of this guy. The 'red caps' (military police) were soon on the scene. Gunner Blake told me he had been looking for this guy for over two years as this sailor had got a little too familiar with his wife! Fortunately Blake was not arrested. I assured the Red Caps that was not the usual way my friend carried on, completely out of character, so all was well again. We went to a cafe for refreshment, lemonade or something a different colour, and some lively dancing girls.
Now back in "Blighty" we were awarded with a new anti-aircraft gun, just off the secret list, the marvellous 3-7" mobile AA gun. As my memory tries to get things in the right order now, 62 years after the event, will endeavour to write in the correct sequence of the gunsites I operated from in 1940. I do remember the first position was on beautiful playing fields behind the Chinbrook Public House at Grovepark, SE London. We had good facilities here in the very nice sports pavilion, so much better than tents in the cold and mud. Eight guns were deployed here and much action. We accounted for 3 German aircraft destroyed whilst here. An incident remaining in my memory is that when I went for a walk whilst on local leave, a messerschmitt 109 dived down on a target some way ahead of us. We always were wearing tin hats on or off duty at this Battle of Britain era. Anyway as we approached the target area we saw a bus shelter had received a direct hit. Lots of folk were gathering around, and it was known that 2 people, a man and a woman, had been waiting in the shelter when the bomb hit. There were absolutely no remains of the persons killed, no remnant of clothing, all gone into thin air except you would never guess, a bent penny! This is how people were living in 1940 and for 5 years after. The following generations have no comprehension of the terrifying conditions that folk endured in those days, that is not their fault at all, but it would be comforting to know they are told, to help them in life to tackle real problems that may lie ahead for them.
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