HMS BERMUDA - A Seaman's War
Alan Broughton, a seaman torpedo-man in the ship through Arctic Convoys and Pacific liberation operations describes his life 'BERMUDA' from 1942 to 1946.
Alan Broughton, a seaman torpedo-man in the ship through Arctic Convoys and Pacific liberation operations describes his life 'BERMUDA' from 1942 to 1946.
HMS BERMUDA at Hong Kong in 1945/6 when part of the British Pacific Fleet
AB Torpedoman Alan Broughton (extreme left) with his torpedo party led by Petty Officer Short (centre front)
'Aboard the ship my first recollection of any kind of greeting was that of being kicked in the leg accompanied by a shout of "On yer feet!". It didn't take long to find warships are not designed to take passengers.'
That was after Alan got there. Here he explains how that came about. 'My future on the Bermuda had already been determined by the hand of fate, as was epitomised by the fortuitous toss of a coin while on shore leave from the training establishment 'Defiance'. I went ashore with an 'oppo' and as a suggestion of 'what to do' I plumped for the Cinema, as opposed to his choice of the Paramount Dance Hall in Union Street Plymouth. We tossed a coin. I won.
While we sat in the cinema the Dance Hall received a direct hit from a bomb and a large number of people including seamen, were killed'.
Completing his training as a Torpedoman he 'left Plymouth's North Road Railway Station late on Tuesday unaware of the fact that by Saturday I would be in Iceland.' He first went to Scapa Flow and the DUNLUCE CASTLE - a depot ship providing temporary accommodation for the fleet - from where he joined BERMUDA as she prepared to sail. The trip to Iceland's Hvalfjord and back 'gave me my sea-legs.' he says. 'No sooner back at Scapa Flow and we were off to sea again on the pretence of an exercise with other ships to confuse the enemy. It may not be widely known that a spy was indeed captured on the northerly coast of Scotland.'
'For me, in the Torpedo Branch, it was a case of closing-up by the torpedo tubes, sharing the watch with our own unit working from the 'parting shop'; for the uninitiated our work-room. The snag was the discomfort of getting our heads down on a usually wet deck. Although the cill did its job of keeping surface water out a rough sea could catch you unawares when leaving or entering.'
On Convoy Distant Cover patrols 'our exit from Iceland took the same north-easterly course to Nord Cap and through the Barents Straits with Bear Island to port and into the Barents Sea. We entered the Kola Inlet and moored at the little port of Polyarnoe from where the merchant ships sailed upriver to Murmansk.
'Of Iceland Alan well remembers spending a few hours ashore on one occasion walking up an icicle-overhung road around the edge of a mountain when '…giving thought to retracing my steps I heard the sound of a heavy vehicle which, when it came into view, was the biggest I had ever seen. Its driver was a couple of feet above my head level when it stopped alongside me and in a southern American drawl he called down "Hi Limey! I'm going down all the way". I climbed the eight feet in and thanked him. Without speaking he continued slowly lurching and scraping down the mountain. I deemed it better not to look but when I did I wondered if it would have been safer to walk down! At each slip and skid the driver cursed "Jesus Christ Almighty Grandma". Until this episode I had no knowledge of there being an American base on Iceland. Blaming his Grandma was a little over the top I thought.'
One of the jobs Alan had was with the paravane party which streamed and recovered gear from the bows of the ship designed to cut the wires of sub-surface-moored mines. Often a dangerous business it was made worse by the need for speedy action in order to minimise the time the ship was at reduced speed and therefore a torpedo/bomb target. The risk of being washed overboard was ever present. 'I was still holding the hauling in line.. as we prepared to enter the Kola Inlet and within seconds I was staring into a wall of water curling over the bows. I was engulfed by it and swept through the guardrails …. a dark shape passed over me in the same moment which, tragically, was the Commander' [See 1943 page on his loss]. Alan continues 'I on the other hand, still with my hands grasping the line, was pulled in by a couple of seamen who had somehow stayed on their feet. "Get below" called an officer for which I was thankful as I still felt disorientated.'
'Those winter convoys appear to one now [2010] as simply leaving Scapa, ploughing through rough seas, icing up, battered and frozen one's breath clinging white against one's balaclava, snatching sleep on any dry area of deck, the whole interspersed with calls to action stations. Clothing was not removed at any time except for one's needs and even the power of the sea occasionally reversing what was intended. How mind and body can conform is a mystery but conform they did. On return to Scapa Flow we were always greeted by a sea-lion who we christened Sammy. Strange how such things made life more tolerable.'
Alan was also positive in his comments on Russian concert parties in the Kola Inlet. 'I was surprised to learn the Kola Inlet was a dead duck for most matelots. Perhaps we were lucky. In fact on one particular convoy the unloaded cargo went directly into battle for Stalingrad; the resulting celebrations extending to a concert in an outbuilding given for the ship's company's enjoyment, Cossack style.'
That was after Alan got there. Here he explains how that came about. 'My future on the Bermuda had already been determined by the hand of fate, as was epitomised by the fortuitous toss of a coin while on shore leave from the training establishment 'Defiance'. I went ashore with an 'oppo' and as a suggestion of 'what to do' I plumped for the Cinema, as opposed to his choice of the Paramount Dance Hall in Union Street Plymouth. We tossed a coin. I won.
While we sat in the cinema the Dance Hall received a direct hit from a bomb and a large number of people including seamen, were killed'.
Completing his training as a Torpedoman he 'left Plymouth's North Road Railway Station late on Tuesday unaware of the fact that by Saturday I would be in Iceland.' He first went to Scapa Flow and the DUNLUCE CASTLE - a depot ship providing temporary accommodation for the fleet - from where he joined BERMUDA as she prepared to sail. The trip to Iceland's Hvalfjord and back 'gave me my sea-legs.' he says. 'No sooner back at Scapa Flow and we were off to sea again on the pretence of an exercise with other ships to confuse the enemy. It may not be widely known that a spy was indeed captured on the northerly coast of Scotland.'
'For me, in the Torpedo Branch, it was a case of closing-up by the torpedo tubes, sharing the watch with our own unit working from the 'parting shop'; for the uninitiated our work-room. The snag was the discomfort of getting our heads down on a usually wet deck. Although the cill did its job of keeping surface water out a rough sea could catch you unawares when leaving or entering.'
On Convoy Distant Cover patrols 'our exit from Iceland took the same north-easterly course to Nord Cap and through the Barents Straits with Bear Island to port and into the Barents Sea. We entered the Kola Inlet and moored at the little port of Polyarnoe from where the merchant ships sailed upriver to Murmansk.
'Of Iceland Alan well remembers spending a few hours ashore on one occasion walking up an icicle-overhung road around the edge of a mountain when '…giving thought to retracing my steps I heard the sound of a heavy vehicle which, when it came into view, was the biggest I had ever seen. Its driver was a couple of feet above my head level when it stopped alongside me and in a southern American drawl he called down "Hi Limey! I'm going down all the way". I climbed the eight feet in and thanked him. Without speaking he continued slowly lurching and scraping down the mountain. I deemed it better not to look but when I did I wondered if it would have been safer to walk down! At each slip and skid the driver cursed "Jesus Christ Almighty Grandma". Until this episode I had no knowledge of there being an American base on Iceland. Blaming his Grandma was a little over the top I thought.'
One of the jobs Alan had was with the paravane party which streamed and recovered gear from the bows of the ship designed to cut the wires of sub-surface-moored mines. Often a dangerous business it was made worse by the need for speedy action in order to minimise the time the ship was at reduced speed and therefore a torpedo/bomb target. The risk of being washed overboard was ever present. 'I was still holding the hauling in line.. as we prepared to enter the Kola Inlet and within seconds I was staring into a wall of water curling over the bows. I was engulfed by it and swept through the guardrails …. a dark shape passed over me in the same moment which, tragically, was the Commander' [See 1943 page on his loss]. Alan continues 'I on the other hand, still with my hands grasping the line, was pulled in by a couple of seamen who had somehow stayed on their feet. "Get below" called an officer for which I was thankful as I still felt disorientated.'
'Those winter convoys appear to one now [2010] as simply leaving Scapa, ploughing through rough seas, icing up, battered and frozen one's breath clinging white against one's balaclava, snatching sleep on any dry area of deck, the whole interspersed with calls to action stations. Clothing was not removed at any time except for one's needs and even the power of the sea occasionally reversing what was intended. How mind and body can conform is a mystery but conform they did. On return to Scapa Flow we were always greeted by a sea-lion who we christened Sammy. Strange how such things made life more tolerable.'
Alan was also positive in his comments on Russian concert parties in the Kola Inlet. 'I was surprised to learn the Kola Inlet was a dead duck for most matelots. Perhaps we were lucky. In fact on one particular convoy the unloaded cargo went directly into battle for Stalingrad; the resulting celebrations extending to a concert in an outbuilding given for the ship's company's enjoyment, Cossack style.'
Cheerful, Cold and Icy sums up the above pictures sent by Alan. Top left: (L-R) C.O. Captain Back, Lieutenant Kidd and Navigating Officer Lt Cdr J Stirling in the Arctic c.1943
'I had been a desk worker prior to joining the navy,' Alan said, 'but now unwittingly I did myself a favour, I asked the PO who was operating the ship's crane if I could have a go. At a jerk of his thumb I was up the ladder. A week or so later I was given sole charge of it and forever after was relieved of any other duty until the day I said goodbye Bermuda. I had nursed it; became expert at lowering the Walrus aeroplane into the sea and recovering it. For three years or more it was my baby. My only serious error was that of knocking the pilot off the wing of the Walrus into the briny. The pilot, Lieutenant Woolley, a Canadian, came down to my messdeck later, threatened to thump me but instead shook my hand and we had a good laugh. After all it was a mutual undertaking. I knew that crane and I almost believe it knew me and it earned me a killicks hook' [promotion to Leading Seaman]. 'Watching that plane as it was catapulted off the ship, and later, it's landing on the water made me proud to be part of the operation and earned pilot Lt Woolley my admiration. I learned something from that time that has forever intrigued me. Landing the Walrus on the sea needed relatively calm water. This was achieved by the Captain's order to steer the ship in a circle. Within the circle the sea calmed down sufficient to allow a landing; effective too in the event of a rescue attempt. Atop the crane I watched in wonder at this phenomenon.'
The Supermarine Walrus aircraft catapulting off - Range 600nm, Speed 135mph, Crew 4 - had an enclosed cockpit and could carry 600lbs of bombs or two MkVIII depth charges. More than 700 (including variants) were built
Saying, understandably, it was hard to recall dates he continues 'We seemed to be forever ploughing through stormy waters. Twice of three times we suffered storm damage that necessitated repairs in dock. Came the day we headed again for Arctic waters ….in the middle of Summer; June to be precise. The loading of the ship also included Norwegian commandoes and officials. Our destination was Spitzbergen.[ [June 43] On a break from the eight hours I spent on the crane under a sun that didn't move I did a little exploring ashore around a deserted coal-mine and in a little hut found a packet of Russian Black tea. It went by post to my home but when I eventually reached home it had been used.''Another episode in the life of our ship was to bring us close to our doom. We spent some weeks in the Bay of Biscay without touching land, accomplished by refuelling at sea. Churchill gave an announcement of there being a sustained U-Boat hunt. BERMUDA had been fitted with Radar in Plymouth. Each afternoon at 1400 approximately enemy aircraft came out of Spain and dropped glider bombs. The order was "Don't shoot at the planes shoot at the bombs". I saw the destroyer EGRET going down stern-first and the Canadian destroyer Atherbaskan hit aft of the torpedo tubes. [Aug 43]. Two hours after being relieved by the cruiser Charybdis it was attacked by German E-Boats and sunk with [almost] all hands [462/480]. It gave us much to think about.'
'Our next foray saw us heading into the Atlantic and Azores, and again Mr Churchill had something to say about it. It transpired that the Portuguese were allowing U-Boats to use the Islands as a base and successfully so by the number of merchant vessel losses. Certain sections of our crew, in particular the Royal Marines, made ready for a landing party to take over control of the main Island at midnight. We prepared for the worst until, at 2200, the Portuguese authorities bowed to pressure. The relief felt by the crew was audible.'
Alan's experiences, and skills, were further advanced as he explains 'I stood by the torpedo tubes one morning and our torpedo officer, Ash was his name, came along and stood facing me. I began to wonder what I had done or what I hadn't done as he spoke. His opening words had me thinking he had been at the whiskey. "Have you done any canoeing?". The expression on my face brought a sharp rebuke. "Come on lad, you know what a canoe is don't you?". It conjured up a picture of the boating lake at Blackpool as I gave him a spluttered "No Sir". My answer was expected because his next words had me convinced he was hallucinating. Smiling he said "Right then, report to the CPO tomorrow, both he and the boat's crews are going to be your guardian angels from now on"
'A Royal Marine reached out to shake my hand and said "Hope you know what your doing because I don't". I immediately christened him "Ginger" because of his hair and being a Scot.
In the company of the Chief Petty Officer and boat's crew we were shown the two-man canoe, our education beginning by learning how to get in it as it rocked up and down. This was followed by further instructions based on the probability of a midget submarine and/or Frogmen doing damage to the Home Fleet. We were not to know how soon that could be but in view of the fact that the RM was handed a rapid firing rifle and me a charge of Amatol explosive (part of my training at Defiance) I at least knew why I was in the rear seat and that the Admiralty were worried.'
For the next week or so we trained daily and then one night at 2.00am came the call "Canoe's crew to action stations". We hadn't bargained on leaping into action in the darkness of night, the moon being partly obscured by cloud. Even so we had no trouble finding our way around except for the fact we were dazzled by the beams of searchlights that frequently played over us. It did occur to us that not all the ship's crews knew of our existence and might get too excited, but apart from wondering if someone might take a pot-shot at us we had to stick to the task of keeping the canoe steady. We kept to our routine, conscious of sounds that were real or imaginary; mostly the latter. Suddenly the voice of the CPO had us paddling in its direction. "Where've you been? We've been looking all over for you. Right then! Back to the ship!"
'Back onboard again it did not seem long after we had got our heads down when the Captain addressed the ship's company again. It was five a.m. "This is your Captain speaking Jamaica has just fired its first shell at the Fortress of Europe. Operations have begun on the Normandy coast. We learned later that our flagship BELFAST actually opened the firing.'
[Webmaster's note: Entirely by chance I am transcribing this on the 6th of June 2011, the 67th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. The wind is light; the sky overcast with occasional light rain and The Solent/Spithead is empty of ships apart from the tanker AMALIENBORG and container ship PRAGUE EXPRESS both inbound through Spithead. A couple of ferries to/from the Isle of Wight and a very few small craft/yachts are the only other vessels about. That's far too empty, in my way of thinking, to pay any sort of tribute to those who set out in 1944 to bring the country deliverance and peace. In all some 140,000 troops were transported in 6,000 ships.]
'It was not long after this that we left Scapa for a short spell with a visit to Gibraltar. We were never to know why and questions went unanswered. On the first night there the call came again for the RM and I to close up to action stations. I was surprised that we still had the canoe. It was for the same reason, but this time the water was calm and there was not a lot of it compared to Scapa Flow.. There was one big difference in the matter of comfort. We got rather wet in our home waters whereas in the harbour of Gibraltar not only did we get wet but suffered vibrations, some quite strong, on our posteriors as a consequence of the destroyer Wizard dropping depth charges on the seaward side of the defence boom. I could recommend it instead of taking pills!' [Jun 43]
'Our next foray saw us heading into the Atlantic and Azores, and again Mr Churchill had something to say about it. It transpired that the Portuguese were allowing U-Boats to use the Islands as a base and successfully so by the number of merchant vessel losses. Certain sections of our crew, in particular the Royal Marines, made ready for a landing party to take over control of the main Island at midnight. We prepared for the worst until, at 2200, the Portuguese authorities bowed to pressure. The relief felt by the crew was audible.'
Alan's experiences, and skills, were further advanced as he explains 'I stood by the torpedo tubes one morning and our torpedo officer, Ash was his name, came along and stood facing me. I began to wonder what I had done or what I hadn't done as he spoke. His opening words had me thinking he had been at the whiskey. "Have you done any canoeing?". The expression on my face brought a sharp rebuke. "Come on lad, you know what a canoe is don't you?". It conjured up a picture of the boating lake at Blackpool as I gave him a spluttered "No Sir". My answer was expected because his next words had me convinced he was hallucinating. Smiling he said "Right then, report to the CPO tomorrow, both he and the boat's crews are going to be your guardian angels from now on"
'A Royal Marine reached out to shake my hand and said "Hope you know what your doing because I don't". I immediately christened him "Ginger" because of his hair and being a Scot.
In the company of the Chief Petty Officer and boat's crew we were shown the two-man canoe, our education beginning by learning how to get in it as it rocked up and down. This was followed by further instructions based on the probability of a midget submarine and/or Frogmen doing damage to the Home Fleet. We were not to know how soon that could be but in view of the fact that the RM was handed a rapid firing rifle and me a charge of Amatol explosive (part of my training at Defiance) I at least knew why I was in the rear seat and that the Admiralty were worried.'
For the next week or so we trained daily and then one night at 2.00am came the call "Canoe's crew to action stations". We hadn't bargained on leaping into action in the darkness of night, the moon being partly obscured by cloud. Even so we had no trouble finding our way around except for the fact we were dazzled by the beams of searchlights that frequently played over us. It did occur to us that not all the ship's crews knew of our existence and might get too excited, but apart from wondering if someone might take a pot-shot at us we had to stick to the task of keeping the canoe steady. We kept to our routine, conscious of sounds that were real or imaginary; mostly the latter. Suddenly the voice of the CPO had us paddling in its direction. "Where've you been? We've been looking all over for you. Right then! Back to the ship!"
'Back onboard again it did not seem long after we had got our heads down when the Captain addressed the ship's company again. It was five a.m. "This is your Captain speaking Jamaica has just fired its first shell at the Fortress of Europe. Operations have begun on the Normandy coast. We learned later that our flagship BELFAST actually opened the firing.'
[Webmaster's note: Entirely by chance I am transcribing this on the 6th of June 2011, the 67th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. The wind is light; the sky overcast with occasional light rain and The Solent/Spithead is empty of ships apart from the tanker AMALIENBORG and container ship PRAGUE EXPRESS both inbound through Spithead. A couple of ferries to/from the Isle of Wight and a very few small craft/yachts are the only other vessels about. That's far too empty, in my way of thinking, to pay any sort of tribute to those who set out in 1944 to bring the country deliverance and peace. In all some 140,000 troops were transported in 6,000 ships.]
'It was not long after this that we left Scapa for a short spell with a visit to Gibraltar. We were never to know why and questions went unanswered. On the first night there the call came again for the RM and I to close up to action stations. I was surprised that we still had the canoe. It was for the same reason, but this time the water was calm and there was not a lot of it compared to Scapa Flow.. There was one big difference in the matter of comfort. We got rather wet in our home waters whereas in the harbour of Gibraltar not only did we get wet but suffered vibrations, some quite strong, on our posteriors as a consequence of the destroyer Wizard dropping depth charges on the seaward side of the defence boom. I could recommend it instead of taking pills!' [Jun 43]
After returning to the UK, 'the ship went to John Brown's Shipyard on Clydebank for fitting out for Far Eastern waters. It so happened that a new battleship, the Vanguard, was being made ready for launching and Princess Elizabeth was to launch it. A few of us from Bermuda were instructed to stand underneath the bows of the Vanguard and so, we had a grandstand view of the proceedings. It was also an amazing experience as the ground around us shook as the chains restraining it erupted as the ship slid stern-first into the Clyde.' [Nov 44]'Soon after this event we were on our way to far eastern waters which took us first to Malta. On the way, somewhere between Gibraltar and Malta we celebrated the end of the war in Europe in traditional fashion in that we spliced the mainbrace' [Had a double ration of rum issued 8 May 45].
'Our next port of call was Alexandria and a rather educational shore leave before going on through the Suez Canal and into the Red Sea. Flying fishes were numerous, some landing on deck and dolphins cavorted close to the ship. Unlike the Mediterranean sunshine, here the dry heat burned.'
'Life was very pleasant and some time later we entered Singapore where we indulged in the time-honoured way of a beer in the Raffles Hotel. From there we were soon in Hong Kong where, to my astonishment, I saw quite close to us two liners; one was the "Bermuda Queen" and the other the "Queen of Bermuda". The Hong Kong we saw then had its banana warehouses and, over the hill which my 'oppo' and I climbed to get to Repulse Bay, had only its deserted war-damaged bungalows and a rather tatty beach. It staggers me to see the pictures of the city at the present day.'
'The heat became increasingly more difficult to deal with after we left Hong Kong. Not that it had any bearing on being piped to "Repel Aircraft Stations". We had already been informed of the Atom Bombs and the Japanese surrender but a Tojo bomber was encircling us, and so, it was a matter of being prepared. Although a Torpedo-man I was allocated to an Oerlikon 20mm gun. Leaning back in the broad straps I wondered how many other people had spent their 21st Birthday in similar fashion.' I can't remember whether any shots were fired but he left us; no doubt for his place among the gods if he conformed to fashion.'
'Soon after we had returned to normal we anchored in Leyte Gulf. We had joined forces with ships of the American 7th Fleet. It was the 17th of August, nine days after it was all over. Leyte Gulf is sandwiched between the islands of Luzon and Mindanao and it was on one of them that I bought a necklace of seashells from a half-dressed young lady. Even at 85 I still have memory recall! Leaving the Gulf we sailed north to the island of Formosa (Taiwan) where we anchored in the harbour of Kilung (Chilung). Our reason for being there was to assist prisoners of war to make preparations for their journey home. As soon as they boarded Bermuda they were issued with pencils and told to write a few words which would be transmitted to their homes within a few hours. It was very emotional. '
'Our next port of call was Alexandria and a rather educational shore leave before going on through the Suez Canal and into the Red Sea. Flying fishes were numerous, some landing on deck and dolphins cavorted close to the ship. Unlike the Mediterranean sunshine, here the dry heat burned.'
'Life was very pleasant and some time later we entered Singapore where we indulged in the time-honoured way of a beer in the Raffles Hotel. From there we were soon in Hong Kong where, to my astonishment, I saw quite close to us two liners; one was the "Bermuda Queen" and the other the "Queen of Bermuda". The Hong Kong we saw then had its banana warehouses and, over the hill which my 'oppo' and I climbed to get to Repulse Bay, had only its deserted war-damaged bungalows and a rather tatty beach. It staggers me to see the pictures of the city at the present day.'
'The heat became increasingly more difficult to deal with after we left Hong Kong. Not that it had any bearing on being piped to "Repel Aircraft Stations". We had already been informed of the Atom Bombs and the Japanese surrender but a Tojo bomber was encircling us, and so, it was a matter of being prepared. Although a Torpedo-man I was allocated to an Oerlikon 20mm gun. Leaning back in the broad straps I wondered how many other people had spent their 21st Birthday in similar fashion.' I can't remember whether any shots were fired but he left us; no doubt for his place among the gods if he conformed to fashion.'
'Soon after we had returned to normal we anchored in Leyte Gulf. We had joined forces with ships of the American 7th Fleet. It was the 17th of August, nine days after it was all over. Leyte Gulf is sandwiched between the islands of Luzon and Mindanao and it was on one of them that I bought a necklace of seashells from a half-dressed young lady. Even at 85 I still have memory recall! Leaving the Gulf we sailed north to the island of Formosa (Taiwan) where we anchored in the harbour of Kilung (Chilung). Our reason for being there was to assist prisoners of war to make preparations for their journey home. As soon as they boarded Bermuda they were issued with pencils and told to write a few words which would be transmitted to their homes within a few hours. It was very emotional. '
Map: Distances Kilung 430nm - Shanghai - 310nm Tsingtao
'A week or two later we left Kilung, Formosa and went into the Yellow Sea to the north China port of Tsingtao. [Sep 45]. Again it was an eye-watering start to the beginning of our long stay there. During the first couple of days the civilian prisoners of the Japanese were brought by train directly onto the quayside where, together with their bits of luggage, they were taken to a close-by hotel-like building. I was ordered by an officer to look after three young girls, each I guessed rightly to be fourteen years of age. One was Canadian, one Australian and the other English. The whole purpose of our presence was to get them to Shanghai for passage home by Liner. I learned from Joy, the English girl that she had been in the prison camp three years. Never would I have believed I would see her again forty years later.'
'And so, our stay concluded and we went south to Shanghai. We moored in the Yangtse alongside the 'Bund.' For whatever reason I do not know but we stayed for some weeks which gave us the opportunity to get to know the city.'
'From there, through the Celebes and Sumatra Straits into the Timor Sea, we were soon alongside a wharf in Freemantle on the south western coast of Australia. From there it was a short train ride to Perth. The Timor Sea, incidentally, is the one sea, so it is said, that pilots prefer not to fly over in case they have to ditch. It's not surprising! Leaning on the rails one is certain of seeing snakes wriggling through the water.' 'Leaving Freemantle we went through the Bass Strait and the 'Heads' into Sydney's famous harbour where we anchored opposite Circular Quay.'
'The next day saw the first half of the ship's company getting shore leave and as I prepared to make my way to the main deck the post arrived. There was an envelope for me, and hastily, I slipped it between my jumper and jersey, the normal practice in the absence of pockets. Fifteen minutes or so later I was ashore and taking my bearings. I soon learned there was a place called Woolloomooloo and made the mistake of pronouncing it incorrectly.
'Directly across the road from the harbour was an entrance into Sydney's Hyde Park and so I thought that a good place to start. Making my way across the mowed grass the sound of music drew me to a Victorian bandstand. The weather of course was perfect and I joined the many relaxing on the grass and enjoying the music. This is when the mother and father of all coincidences had me gasping in disbelief.
I opened my envelope which I knew by the handwriting to be from my girlfriend in East London. I began to read "It is a lovely day and I am sitting on the grass listening to the band in Hyde Park". Who could imagine my disbelief as I looked at the letter over and over again. Imagine my disappointment at losing it amongst other belongings during my later attempts to get home.'
Our next move took us into a dock on Cockatoo Island (still within the harbour).' [15 January 1946 and Admiral Sir Philip Vian, 2nd I/C British Pacific Fleet, visited the ship.]
'One thing I have not mentioned is the fact of us being caught in a Typhoon off Okinawa that claimed many lives and destroyed the naval base of the Americans. The hospital ship Rangatiki logged a wave from trough to crest at almost one hundred feet and Bermuda rode it.' Also 'PO Short, though aptly named, was not short on courage. When a depth charge was swept out of its rack by heavy seas it created havoc on the quarterdeck until, armed with a lasso and a life-line tied around his waist, PO Short battled with it and the sea and miraculously managed to get the lasso round it without being crushed. Little man...big heart!'
Of leaving HMS Bermuda he says 'The Atom Bombs that brought the war against Japan to an end would, upon my reaching home ground, also put an end to my life at sea. More than a year was to pass however between being drafted to the Sydney shorebase HMS Golden Hind and my stepping ashore at Plymouth. That, of course, has nothing to do with the logging of Bermuda's history. Suffice it to state that it involved three other ships and an RAF Hospital.'
'Even after all these years', Alan wrote in 2010, 'I still get flashbacks from time to time, more of a sentimental nature rather than the conditions, forces of nature and loss of sleep, they went with the job. The memory that will not go away is that of the young lasses and the thirty odd servicemen released from the clutches of the Japanese. I still see the flow of surprise and joy on their faces when told their families would have their messages by the morrow's midday.'
[More including pictures in HMS BERMUDA 1945 section]
'The crew were welded together by the conditions and an uncertain future, and what, above anything else, will never be forgotten, was the camaraderie aboard the ship. Your request for information unleashed a sense of nostalgia for the old lady.' were Alan's closing words on his four years in HMS BERMUDA
'And so, our stay concluded and we went south to Shanghai. We moored in the Yangtse alongside the 'Bund.' For whatever reason I do not know but we stayed for some weeks which gave us the opportunity to get to know the city.'
'From there, through the Celebes and Sumatra Straits into the Timor Sea, we were soon alongside a wharf in Freemantle on the south western coast of Australia. From there it was a short train ride to Perth. The Timor Sea, incidentally, is the one sea, so it is said, that pilots prefer not to fly over in case they have to ditch. It's not surprising! Leaning on the rails one is certain of seeing snakes wriggling through the water.' 'Leaving Freemantle we went through the Bass Strait and the 'Heads' into Sydney's famous harbour where we anchored opposite Circular Quay.'
'The next day saw the first half of the ship's company getting shore leave and as I prepared to make my way to the main deck the post arrived. There was an envelope for me, and hastily, I slipped it between my jumper and jersey, the normal practice in the absence of pockets. Fifteen minutes or so later I was ashore and taking my bearings. I soon learned there was a place called Woolloomooloo and made the mistake of pronouncing it incorrectly.
'Directly across the road from the harbour was an entrance into Sydney's Hyde Park and so I thought that a good place to start. Making my way across the mowed grass the sound of music drew me to a Victorian bandstand. The weather of course was perfect and I joined the many relaxing on the grass and enjoying the music. This is when the mother and father of all coincidences had me gasping in disbelief.
I opened my envelope which I knew by the handwriting to be from my girlfriend in East London. I began to read "It is a lovely day and I am sitting on the grass listening to the band in Hyde Park". Who could imagine my disbelief as I looked at the letter over and over again. Imagine my disappointment at losing it amongst other belongings during my later attempts to get home.'
Our next move took us into a dock on Cockatoo Island (still within the harbour).' [15 January 1946 and Admiral Sir Philip Vian, 2nd I/C British Pacific Fleet, visited the ship.]
'One thing I have not mentioned is the fact of us being caught in a Typhoon off Okinawa that claimed many lives and destroyed the naval base of the Americans. The hospital ship Rangatiki logged a wave from trough to crest at almost one hundred feet and Bermuda rode it.' Also 'PO Short, though aptly named, was not short on courage. When a depth charge was swept out of its rack by heavy seas it created havoc on the quarterdeck until, armed with a lasso and a life-line tied around his waist, PO Short battled with it and the sea and miraculously managed to get the lasso round it without being crushed. Little man...big heart!'
Of leaving HMS Bermuda he says 'The Atom Bombs that brought the war against Japan to an end would, upon my reaching home ground, also put an end to my life at sea. More than a year was to pass however between being drafted to the Sydney shorebase HMS Golden Hind and my stepping ashore at Plymouth. That, of course, has nothing to do with the logging of Bermuda's history. Suffice it to state that it involved three other ships and an RAF Hospital.'
'Even after all these years', Alan wrote in 2010, 'I still get flashbacks from time to time, more of a sentimental nature rather than the conditions, forces of nature and loss of sleep, they went with the job. The memory that will not go away is that of the young lasses and the thirty odd servicemen released from the clutches of the Japanese. I still see the flow of surprise and joy on their faces when told their families would have their messages by the morrow's midday.'
[More including pictures in HMS BERMUDA 1945 section]
'The crew were welded together by the conditions and an uncertain future, and what, above anything else, will never be forgotten, was the camaraderie aboard the ship. Your request for information unleashed a sense of nostalgia for the old lady.' were Alan's closing words on his four years in HMS BERMUDA
Here's a reminder of what you specialised in all those years ago Alan. Your aim was good then and I, with many others, wish you success in todays aim.
'My aim now is a letter from our Queen in fourteen and a half years time.'Douglas Alan Broughton.' (Feb/Mar 2010)
Another first hand account can be found in 'An Engineer Officers war 1942-44'
Another first hand account can be found in 'An Engineer Officers war 1942-44'
|
|
This HMS BERMUDA - A Seaman's War section first published online 2011 and since revised. (2016)