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This story appears courtesy of and with thanks to Mike Kemble and Tony Green.

I joined the Merchant Navy as a Cadet early in 1941 and made a few trips around the coast of England. Then November 1941 I joined the TSS City of Pretoria. We loaded a full cargo of war supplies then sailed off into the Atlantic destined for Singapore. On December 7th the Americans came into the war while we were somewhere near the Azores. We carried on around Capetown but by the time we were approaching Singapore the Japanese were almost there so we were diverted to Batavia (now Jakarta). There, believe it or not we discharged everything onto the docks then headed off to Bombay (now Mumbai) (towing a disabled British submarine!). Of course, in a few days the Japanese were in Batavia and grabbed our whole shipload of military supplies! We then went up to the Eastern Mediterranean (Egypt 鈥� Alexandria) and started loading more military supplies to take to Malta. When the convoy was ready we headed for Malta - in conjunction with a similar convoy leaving Gibraltar. The battering both convoys received from aircraft and the Italian fleet made it impossible to continue so our convoy - what was left of it - staggered back to Alexandria. We then waited a few weeks and tried again with the same results. Then we tried a third time with similar results at which time we gave up. Off loaded everything and proceeded to New York - via Cape Town. In New York we loaded a full cargo of ammunition then braved the North Atlantic submarines and headed to Liverpool arriving there about 20th Oct 1942. (My eighteenth birthday).
After three days of endless ship tours the 鈥淪notties Nurse鈥� called me and detailed my duties. Everything of course was brand new to me 鈥� full navy discipline versus the casual merchant ship, so I had a lot to learn. After two weeks God called - the Capt of the HOWE 鈥� Capt Woodhouse - sent for me and along with the 鈥楽notties Nurse鈥� questioned my lack of knowledge and discipline on matters RN. When I told my story Capt Woodhouse said I should have had my Greenwich Officers Course and instructed the 鈥楽notties Nurse鈥� to make the arrangements. Nine months later the HOWE returned to England and I was sent to Greenwich for their 鈥淗ow to be a naval officer鈥� course. Needless to say, after nine months on HOWE, I knew more about the navy B.S. than the instructors at Greenwich!

HMS Howe had been involved in the protection of North Russian convoys until we sailed to join Force H in the Mediterranean in May 鈥�43. There we became part of the force 鈥極peration Husky鈥� which invaded Sicily, bombarding the coast and providing strategic support for the protection of the landing forces. Later we followed with the invasion of Italy. After Italy surrendered in September 1943 we sailed to Taranto, the main Italian naval base in the South, to land more forces and then, along with the King George V, escorted what was left of the Italian battle fleet from Taranto and Malta to Alexandria harbour.

We later returned to Gibraltar and then sailed back to England arriving in December 1943 where I left the vessel and was sent to Greenwich College (The naval officers training school) for updating courses on 鈥淗ow to be an efficient Naval Officer!!鈥� The Howe was refitted then sailed in June 1944 to join the British Pacific Fleet around Sumatra and the East Indies.

I completed my naval officer courses at Greenwich Naval College and was then assigned on May 20th 1944 to join HMS WREN at Liverpool. WREN was a modified bird class sloop 鈥� same size as a destroyer but slower 鈥� and was part of the famous Second Escort Group (SEG) under the command of Capt 鈥淛ohnnie鈥� Walker. Wren鈥檚 main armament was six 4 inch guns in three twin turrets and of course the full complement of depth-charge launching equipment. The SEG comprised from five to seven ships at various times, including Starling, Wildgoose, Woodpecker, Magpie, Wren, Kite, Loch Killin, Lochy, Loch Fada, Loch Ruthven, Dominica and others. The main purpose was to be a self-contained group of anti-submarine vessels trained to a high level of efficiency to seek out and kill the U-boats that were sinking so many allied merchant ships. They were not involved in escort duties. The escorts stayed with a convoy to provide close protection and were not supposed to leave the convoy. The SEG freely ranged the North Atlantic to go wherever U-boats were expected or located.

The Group ships between them carried all the latest detection and anti-sub equipment. One or two vessels would be fitted with HF/DF, Hedgehog and later Squid - as well as their usual armament so that at least one or two of the Group ships could provide any particular strategic need as required. The Group would usually be on patrol for up to six weeks at a time and then return to home base 鈥� Gladstone Dock in Liverpool 鈥� for a five-day boiler clean and re-provision. During the five day rest period 50% of the officers and crew would have a chance for a few of days home leave. During my time on Wren we were involved in killing at least eight confirmed U-boats plus others which could not be confirmed due to lack of physical evidence 鈥� such as bodies or debris which could not have been sent through the torpedo tubes as decoys.

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