Britain at War 2016-09

GRAF SPEE: DEATH & SALVAGE OF GERMAN CRUISER

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WASBIES Heroines of Burma PLUS:

RAF Fighter Squadron in Russia War Poster by Cartoonist Giles Great War Tank in Trafalgar Square

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FLAMES! Success Against The Zeppelins TOBRUK UNDER SEIGE A Hell of Sand, Flies and Shelling

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Mail to the Trenches SEPTEMBER 2016 ISSUE 113 UK £4.60

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From the Editor... A

S WE mirror significant events of 1916 in our centenary features it is clear this was a year which arguably saw the most significant events of the war; withdrawal from Gallipoli, Battle of Jutland, Easter Rising in Ireland, Verdun, the Somme and, in September, the very public downing of a German airship in flames at Cuffley. Whilst German air attacks against Britain had been going on since early 1915, this was the first real success in countering them - a welcome boost to morale against a backdrop of huge losses at Jutland, and now on the Somme, that were being absorbed by the public at home. In terms of damage to the German war effort, and a general furtherance of British war aims, the loss of SL.11 at Cuffley was insignificant. But its downing was hugely symbolic. From south east England, the guns on the Somme and explosion of huge mines were sometimes audible, bringing the war close to home. The downing of the airship at Cuffley, however, literally brought war to the public’s very doorstep. Now, it increasingly became the lot of women to fill shoes left empty by men who had gone off to fight. As we see in this issue, for instance, women became ‘Posties’ for the first time in history. Total war would involve the public at home, and drew women into military service and work on the land, in factories and other essential employment, releasing men for active service. Although dealing with the Second World War, our feature on the ‘Wasbies’ appropriately sees the start of an occasional series of Women at War. Quite rightly, we acknowledge the vital war-winning work by women in both World Wars.

Andy Saunders (Editor) EDITORIAL Editor: Andy Saunders Assistant Editor: John Ash Editorial Correspondents: Geoff Simpson, Alex Bowers, Mark Khan, Rob Pritchard Australasia Correspondent: Ken Wright EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES Britain at War Magazine, PO Box 380, Hastings, East Sussex, TN34 9JA Tel: +44 (0)1424 752648 or email: [email protected].

Assistant Editor John Ash

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FEATURES

20 Zeppelin Down

In our cover story this month, Ian Castle marks the anniversary of Lt William Leefe Robinson's VC action over South East England when he famously became the first to down a German airship over British soil.

34 Expedition to Russia

Andy Thomas concludes his two-part series on the RAF in Russia in his study the RAF’s 81 Squadron and their heroic exploits on the Eastern Front.

44 King of the Jebel

Steve Snelling brings us the story of Britain’s ‘Second Lawrence of Arabia’, the daring and audacious commando leader, John Haselden, the man who found Rommel.

54 The Wasbies: Frontline Women

The often overlooked contribution of the Wasbies in Burma is explained by Anne Cuthbertson, who details their brave and dangerous efforts to keep British troops fed and watered.

64 Front Lines

The vitally important role of the men and women of the Post Office, both at home and on the Western Front, is explained by John Wright.

72 Outward Bound

John Grehan investigates Britain’s unusual secret weapon in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany, which had surprisingly effective results!

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Claim your FREE Shot Down in Flames book when you subscribe to Britain at War. See pages 62 and 63 for more details.

Contents ISSUE 113 SEPTEMBER 2016

34 Expedition to Russia 4

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54 The Wasbies

96 Gunners at Tobruk: 1941

Editor’s Choice

Peter Hart returns to the Tobruk perimeter and rejoins the South Notts Hussars, who battled the monotony of siege and harsh Saharan environment just as much as they did their Axis besiegers.

NEWS FEATURE

6 Trafalgar Square: Tank 100

John Ash reports on The Tank Museum’s spectacular plans to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the tank, including recreating history by positioning a Great War tank in London’s Trafalgar Square.

80 Suicide, Subterfuge and Salvage

David J B Smith investigates the forgotten story of the German battleship Graf Spee and the espionage and salvage of her unusual anti-aircraft guns, once left abandoned at Devonport, and now only existent in recently discovered photographs.

REGULARS 10 News

News, restorations, discoveries and events from around the World.

32 War Posters

Phil Jarman continues our series on wartime propaganda posters, this time analysing the career of Carl Giles and his famous Ministry of Information poster that encouraged sparing use of the railways.

42 First World War Diary

Our continuing month-by-month look at the key events of the First World War arrives at September 1916 as the bloody Somme Offensive continues and an airborne invader is decisively tackled.

90 Image of War

Target England! The crew of a Luftwaffe bomber prepare for a Battle of Britain strike on an RAF airfield.

93 Recon Report

New military history titles are reviewed by our editorial team.

106 Fieldpost

Your letters, input and feedback.

108 Great War Gallantry

Our monthly look at gallantry awards announced in the London Gazette reaches September 1916 and includes another ‘Hero of the Month’ as selected by Lord Ashcroft.

114 The First World War in Objects

This month’s object from the Great War is the National Registration Certificate.

COVER STORY

On the night of 2/3 September 1916 Lt William Leefe Robinson of 39 Squadron, RFC, shot down the German airship SL11 during its sortie to attack London, the wreckage falling in flames at Cuffley, Hertfordshire, with the loss of all its crew members. Lt Robinson was awarded the Victoria Cross for his exploits that night which were widely celebrated and witnessed by thousands of onlookers on the ground. (See our feature article on pages 20-30)

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72 Outward Bound

(ILLUSTRATION BY PIOTR FORKASIEWICZ)

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NEWS FEATURE |

Iconic War Machine Takes Post

Great War Tank

for Trafalgar Square The pioneering Tank Museum, in co-operation with the European-based gaming giant, Wargaming, have announced plans to observe the 100th anniversary of the first use of the tank in battle through a unique display at one of London's most iconic locations, reports John Ash. EARLIER THIS year, at a Tank Museum conference with Wargaming, the musuem, in association with Wargaming senior managerment, eagerly announced their intentions to mark the significant historical anniversary by placing a Great War tank in London. The Tank Museum have now confirmed their plans to position their working Mark IV replica tank in Trafalgar Square on the morning of 15 September, the exact day of the tank’s combat debut a century ago.

TRAFALGAR SQUARE ‘TANK BANK’ This is not the first time Great War armour has rolled onto the cultural landmark, and there is historical pedigree behind displaying Great War tanks in the UK. Operating on the back of the successful use of tanks at Cambrai in November

1917, and favourable public interest in the new machines, six Mark IV tanks toured the UK in an effort to raise funds for the war effort through the sale of War Bonds and Savings Certificates. Two others had previously taken part in the Lord Mayor’s Show, and a tour had also taken place in the United States and Canada (Britain at War, issue 104, December 2015). Most famously, Tank 130 ‘Nelson’, was displayed in London’s Trafalgar Square prior to the UK tour of the vehicles, which had entered the imagination of the masses after battle images of tanks covered newspaper front pages in late 1916. As images of the Tank Banks surrounded by crowds exist from Bromley to Preston and Oldham to Aberdeen, it is clear that this fascination did not fade. With the added incentive of winning Tank 141 ‘Egbert’, at least 13 cities were able to raise

in excess of £2 million with their ‘Tank Banks’. West Hartlepool was awarded the prize for raising the most per head, an average of £37 0s 8d. London raised £3.4 million, Britain’s second city, Birmingham, raised nearly £7 million, and Glasgow topped the total with £14.5 million. The amount raised by each town and city was highly publicised by the national press to further forge competitive spirit. In 1919, 264 used tanks were given to British towns and cities as a mark of gratitude. However, only one presentation tank survives, located in Ashford, Kent. Tank 141, however, was scrapped in 1937. The temporary ‘reinstallation’ of the museum’s replica tank and its distinctive trench-crossing rhomboid shape is sure to

RIGHT: The other major British tank type of the war, the Whippet. Armed with machine guns and twice as fast (capable of a whole 8mph!) as the rhomboid tanks, the Whippet could cause havoc behind German lines. However, this vehicle, likely disabled through breakdown, shelters the wounded. BELOW: Thousands flock to see a strange and curious vehicle - the aptly named ‘Nelson’, and other military exhibits at London’s Trafalgar Square, where millions of pounds were raised for the war effort. (THE TANK MUSEUM)

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Iconic War Machine Takes Post

| NEWS FEATURE

ABOVE: The Tank Museum’s faithfully constructed replica Mk IV tank. (BRITAIN AT WAR ARCHIVE)

GIVING BACK TO HISTORY

turn heads as history is recreated in front of thousands of commuters and tourists. It has already been a busy year for the vehicle, having been rolled out alongside a modern Challenger 2 at Tankfest for a special talk by David Fletcher, and taking part on the 1 July Somme centenary commemorations at the iconic Thiepval Memorial, France. London has also witnessed several First World War commemorations, standing out amongst them many are the powerful ‘Blood Swept Lands and Fields of Red’ poppies at the Tower of London and the eye-catching dazzle camouflage scheme applied to HMS President. The Trafalgar Square ‘tank bank’ event will join those poignant displays of mass commemoration and create a lasting impression for those who see it.

Although generous, the involvement of game developer Wargaming might at first glance seem out of place. However, Wargaming’s Special Projects Manager, Tracy Spaight, explained the company is filled with impassioned enthusiasts and historians, right up to the man at the top, Victor Kislyi. As a company, the success of historical games is tied to the cooperation of museums and their curators, the firm being in a position to give back to history by using their strengths to offer unique and tailored support to individual projects, as well as financial backing. Wargaming has been involved in several projects across the world and has previously assisted the RAF Museum in Hendon with operations to raise a Battle of Britain Dornier Do 17 from the Goodwin Sands off the Kent coast. They have also worked with the Historic Dockyard in Chatham, also in Kent, where an impressive virtual reality project has recently been completed on preserved destroyer HMS Cavalier. Wargaming’s application of social media, virtual and augmented reality technology, and an attitude of preservation through media, can help in building what the company and The Tank Museum all consider to be a core goal; education. The Tank Museum’s director, Richard Smith, suggested that the impact ‘World of Tanks’ has had on the take up of military history in the young is positive and noticeable, stating youth interest in armour has boomed in recent

years. The game serves as a gateway, inspiring players to later find more in-depth historical sources to learn more about their favourite tanks and their development and use and hopefully go to see them in a museum.

TANK 100

Although the Trafalgar Square event will likely be largest and most poignant commemorative event to observe a century of armoured warfare, the Tank Museum seek to further mark the occasion. On 10 September the museum will host a conference on the development and employment of tanks during the First World War with six keynote speakers. 

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NEWS FEATURE |

Iconic War Machine Takes Post

BELOW: Tank Bank ‘Julian’ is put through its paces in Blackpool, later appearing in the Blackpool Gazette. The original caption says: “Julian’s Farewell Stunt, bidding good-bye-ee [sic] to the Mayor.”

ABOVE: Stage actress Dorothy Lane standing by Egbert and receiving a pigeon carrying an application for war bonds, 14 March 1918. (BRITAIN AT WAR ARCHIVE)

THE 6 TANK BANKS 113 – Julian 119 – Old Bill 130 – Nelson 137 – Drake 141 – Egbert 142 – Iron Ration Dr Brian Hall (Lecturer in Contemporary Military History, University of Salford) will speak about communications and their relationship with British tank operations on the Western Front, and Dr Bryn Hammond (Imperial War Museum) will be talking about the Tank Arm in 1918. Other perspectives will also be covered at the conference, the German side the subject of Dr Markus Poehlmann’s talk (Senior Researcher, Centre for Military History and Social Sciences

of the Bundeswehr, Potsdam) on the challenges Allied tanks posed for the German Army while the use of tanks in the American Expeditionary Force will be the topic of choice for Dr James Corum, Lt Col US Army (ret.) (Lecturer in Terrorism and Security Studies, University of Salford). The French view will also be covered by Dr Tim Gale (British Commission for Military History) in his talk about the French tank force. Lastly, Professor Alaric Searle (Professor of Modern European History, University of Salford) will talk about the deployment of British tanks away from the Western Front (specifically Palestine and Russia) in the closing lecture of what looks to be a fascinating conference. The Tank Museum’s major commemorations conclude on 17 September, when, working with The Royal Tank Regiment, they will host ‘Tank 100 Day’ at the museum’s Bovington home. The special event will involve living history displays, commemorative talks and tank displays in the arena which will give attendees

BELOW: The Iconic Mk I Tank complete with grenade screen, steering tail, and supporting infantry. This vehicle sits in reserve a day before a tank action at Thiepval, 26 September 1916. This image was taken by Ernest Brooks (1878-1936) the British Army’s first official photographer.

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a new perspective on how being a ‘tankie’ has changed over the last 100 years. Several of the Museum’s historic exhibits, and a selection of the British Army’s most modern and current vehicles, will be involved in proceedings which seek to preserve the legacy of tankmen who will be remembered in a closing commemorative service. The event will also include a re-enacted Great War battle and a display from aircraft of the Great War Display Team. Speaking about the events, the museum’s curator, David Willey, said: ‘It is fitting that we should use the tank as a ‘prop’ at the commemorations to honour the memory of a group of extremely brave and pioneering soldiers who fought in this battle – the first tank crews.’ For more information on the special commemorative events hosted at The Tank Museum, please see their website: www.tankmuseum.org

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BRIEFING ROOM |

News • Restorations • Discoveries • Events • Exhibitions from around the UK

Farewell to Our Art Editor!

WITH THIS issue we say a very reluctant farewell to our Art Editor, Dan Jarman, who has worked on Britain at War magazine since October 2013. Dan is moving on to pastures new and the editorial team and all at Key publishing wish him well for the future. His brilliant design work will be greatly missed.

Rare Commonwealth Armour on Sale in The Netherlands

BULLETIN BOARD

IF YOU walked around the War and Peace Revival showground this July, you may have noticed the stand housing the Dutch firms Troostwijk Auctions and BAIV. Complete with a newly restored Comet Tank and a Centaur Dozer, the stand was rather hard to miss. Troostwijk have a long standing pedigree in international industrial auctions, while BAIV are specialists in armoured vehicles, parts, and restorations. The two groups were there to promote their auction, Historical Military 1939/1945 Collection BAIV B.V., which is hosted online and closes on 20 September. In addition to a large quantity of various pieces of militaria, several examples

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of Allied armoured vehicles and trucks are going under the virtual hammer. Laying in a scrapyard in Portsmouth 26 years ago, their early model Sexton Mk II selfpropelled gun could be yours for as little as €90,000. Running and totally restored, this rare Canadian vehicle is a fine example of the important type which equipped British units in the Second World War. Alternatively, €65,000 could get you the star of the auction, a 28 tonne 1943 Centaur bulldozer. This nimble bulldozer, based on the Centaur tank chassis, quite literally made tracks at the showground, the vehicle also being found in the same

A POSTHUMOUS George Cross has fetched £228,000 at auction. The decoration was presented to the widow of Mr. Fraser by King George VI in 1946. Mr. Fraser was stationed in Hong Kong when the Japanese invaded the colony in December 1941. His dogged resistance towards his Japanese captors led to his death in 1942, when he refused to reveal details of escape plans and secret communications. His citation reads: “Under this treatment he steadfastly refused to utter one word that could help the Japanese investigations or bring punishments to others. […] His fortitude under the most severe torture was such that it was commented on by the Japanese prison guards.” His George Cross medal was bought by an anonymous bidder in the London auction room of Dix Noonan Webb – exceeding its pre-sale estimate of £100,000.

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Portsmouth scrapyard in 1978. It has recently been re-restored a second time, and is now one of only three running examples of the engineering tank in existence. Also up for auction is a 1944 A34 Comet, which combined superb

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mobility, Christie-style suspension, Meteor engine and a powerful 77mm gun behind adequate armour protection that was developed as a potent Tiger-killer. The 30 tonne Mark I Comet on sale at this auction started at €120,000. Another extremely rare vehicle on offer is a Marmon-Herrington 1943 Mk IV armoured car. Part of a dependable and widely available family of South African armoured cars, the rarer Mk IV addressed issues with comparatively light firepower that befell the earlier Mk II which was often seen fitted with heavier captured weapons. The Mk IV on the other hand was a complete re-design, fitted with a 2Pdr gun from the outset, but did not incorporate the heavier armour of the Mk III. At time of writing, this vehicle was being offered for €16,000. Lots may be inspected on 17 September in Maarheeze, Netherlands, between 10:00 and 16:00 CET with the auction closing on 20 September at 14:00 CET. For more information, and to view other lots including a halftrack, motorcycles, an FV434, and wartime trucks, check: https:// www.troostwijkauctions.com/uk/ military-vehicles/01-22698/#

THE MOD are appealing for information on Lance Corporal Raymond Halliday, whose grave has been identified in the Netherlands. LCpl Halliday was born in Durham in January 1918 and married a Ms. Lily Hunter in 1934. It is believed they had a son together, also called Raymond. LCpl Halliday was part of the 1st (Airborne) Battalion, The Border Regiment, and fought in Oosterbeek during Operation Market Garden. The MOD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre lack any additional information but hope to track down surviving family members prior to a re-dedication ceremony.

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News • Restorations • Discoveries • Events • Exhibitions from around the UK

Para VCs for Duxford

THE TWO Victoria Crosses awarded to members of the Parachute Regiment have gone on display as part of a new exhibition at the Imperial War Museum’s Duxford site. The medals to Corporal Bryan Budd of 3 PARA and Corporal Josh

Leakey of 1 PARA were both earned in Afghanistan. Cpl Budd received his posthumous award for two actions in 2006. On 27 July 2006 his section engaged in a firefight with two insurgents, but rapidly sustained two men injured. Regaining the initiative, Budd led the attack and forced the insurgents into the open, ending the firefight and allowing urgent medical assistance to be given to his colleague, seriously wounded and exposed in open ground, and his successful evacuation. The second action took place on 20 August 2006, in Sangin. With his patrol coming under heavy fire from four insurgents, Budd, alone, charged into the high corn fields. The Taliban fire waned, and Budd’s section was able to withdraw. Now missing, a search was mounted for Budd, who was found laying next to three dead fighters. Sadly, although

still living when he was extracted, Budd died soon after. Cpl Josh Leakey received his VC following a 45 minute firefight in 2013 which claimed 11 insurgents killed. A large joint Anglo-AmericanAfghan force had been helicoptered into a hostile area to search a village for weaponry. Ambushed soon after touching down, Leakey led his section from a nearby vantage point and toward the action in order to protect and treat a wounded US captain. He then ran through enemy fire, twice, to retrieve and reposition two machine guns left uphill. The resumption of this firepower shifted the balance in favour of the ISAF force which held until air support arrived. The exhibition, housed at Duxford’s Museum of the Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces, was opened by Corporal Josh Leakey VC and the Deputy Commander

of 16 Air Assault Brigade, Colonel Graham Livingstone, in August. It represents and commemorates each of the four tours in Afghanistan conducted the Brigade, which lost 58 soldiers and earned another 349 medals and decorations in addition to the two Paratrooper VCs. Cpl Leakey VC said: “I am honoured to represent my Regiment in this way and see my medal alongside Corporal Bryan Budd’s as the two VCs won by paratroopers in Afghanistan. This exhibition is not just about these two medals but about the thousands of airborne soldiers who served throughout the long campaign. The Regiment has displayed the same traits that our forefathers in the Second World War displayed and we hope to continue living up to our reputation long into the future, whatever it may hold. Utrinque Paratus.”

Harvested Grenade Causes Fright

BULLETIN BOARD

A FRENCH chef received a shock in July after be discovered a grenade while preparing food. According to restaurant owner Kévin Béatrix, the chef was peeling potatoes when he reached into the paper sack and pulled out the rusty grenade.

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The potatoes had come from northern France, where the discovery of bombs, shells, and other items is so common that each year an ‘iron’ harvest of such devices takes place, although it is unusual that

SIX SECOND World War medals have been stolen from a veteran’s home in Wootton Park, Bristol. The 91 year old man had returned home from a day out to discovery his home had been burgled, including the six medals he had left on the kitchen surface to clean. The medals stolen include a bronze 39-45 star, a bronze France and Germany star, and a Police long service medal, which were engraved with the pensioner’s name, the number 2666006 and 5th Battalion Coldstream Guards. Also stolen was a green and silver French Legion d’Honneur medal. Avon and Somerset Police are appealing for information, contact 101 with the reference 5216151507.

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unexploded ordnance remains undiscovered for so long. Staggeringly, when called to the restaurant in La Flèche, 160 miles west of Paris, the Gendarmerie were sceptical and required proof that the surreal event was

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not a hoax, taking ten days to dispose of the device. However, they rapidly identified the device on the day of discovery as a Second World War variant of the ubiquitous British ‘Mills Bomb’ and that it had not been fused.

A FORMER land-army girl has been awarded with a medal in recognition of her service during the Second World War. Mrs Flo Laybourne joined up for the Women’s Land Army Timber Corps aged just 18, in her native County Durham. Whilst receiving the medal and surrounded by four generations of her family, Mrs Laybourne quipped: “Better late than never,” as former Prime Minister David Cameron presented the decoration. Only 6,000 medals have so far been given out to those in the Timber Corps. If you believe you, or someone you know is eligible, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/apply-womens-land-armyveterans-badge.

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REGENCY SPLENDOUR AT APSLEY HOUSE A

ddresses don’t come much grander than ‘Number One London’, the popular name for English Heritage’s Apsley House, located in the heart of the capital at Hyde Park Corner. Home to the Duke of Wellington after his victory over Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo, the interior of Apsley House has changed very little since the days of the Iron Duke. Visitors can step inside and experience the outstanding Waterloo Gallery – the perfect backdrop for entertaining. Imagine yourself at one of Wellington’s annual Waterloo Banquets held to commemorate the great victory. Admire the gifts from emperors, tsars, and kings to the Iron Duke. There are nearly 3,000 fine paintings, sculptures and works of art in silver and porcelain, given to Britain’s greatest military hero. This fine art collection includes paintings by Velazquez, Rubens, Goya and Breughel. You can’t miss the impressive statue of Napoleon by Canova which dominates the stairwell at the centre of the house. Visit the dazzling state dining room with its gilt Portuguese service and breathtaking crystal chandelier. The collection of silver plates and unique porcelain were given by grateful nations to Wellington. Venture down to the basement gallery to see items rarely seen before and discover a wealth of fascinating memorabilia including Wellington’s medals, his campaign silver, Napoleon’s death mask and much more. Last year’s 200th anniversary of the battle saw the release of a brand-new multimedia guide. Visitors can delve into the art and history of the House, learn about Regency society and much more, there’s even a tour especially for families. Why not combine a visit to Apsley House with a trip to Wellington Arch, just across the road. Originally a grand approach to Buckingham Palace, it became a victory arch proclaiming Wellington’s triumph at the Battle of Waterloo. It was later moved to a new position and became one of London’s smallest police stations.

Visiting today you can gaze up at Western Europe’s largest bronze sculpture. Head inside Wellington Arch to discover our exhibition on the Battle of Waterloo and up on the balcony, take in views of London’s Royal Parks, the Houses of Parliament and the Household Cavalry on their way to the Changing of the Guard. Throughout autumn join us at Apsley for our Twilight Evenings and discover the fascinating history of Apsley House through spotlight talks and marvel at the beautiful collection of art as you explore after hours. Twilight Evenings take place every Wednesday in October and can be pre-booked on our website. Apsley will also be opening its doors after house for Museums at Night on Friday 28 and Saturday 29 October as part of the nationwide event series.

Apsley House is located at 149 Piccadilly on Hyde Park Corner and can be contacted on 020 7499 5676. The nearest tube station is Hyde Park Corner. Visit www.english-heritage.org.uk/apsley or facebook.com/apsleyhouse www.britainatwar.com 13

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BRIEFING ROOM |

News • Restorations • Discoveries • Events • Exhibitions from around the UK

HMS President Scrapyard Fears

ONCE A familiar sight along London’s Victoria Embankment, the fate of Great War Q-ship HMS President now hangs in the balance. The Flower-class sloop (of the Anchusa-class Q-ship subclass), originally known as HMS Saxifrage, currently lies awaiting works and restoration in The National Historic Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, but it is no longer clear if the works can be completed at all, let alone whether the ship will return to London. The distinguished ship was launched in 1918, but still engaged nine U-boats before the end of the Great War. She also helped defending St Paul’s Cathedral during the Blitz, performed the vital task of training recruit gunners, and acted as a base for the French Resistance. One of only three surviving First World War Royal Navy ships, President has been moored in London since 1922. Sold to a social enterprise project in 1988 and allowed to keep the name HMS President (1918), the preserved ship has since been involved in Great War commemorative events, sporting

a special dazzle camouflage scheme in 2014 painted by Tobias Rehberger. However, London’s Great War ship has been unsuccessful in its application for £330,000 to secure its future. In addition, her mooring of 92 years at Temple Avenue will become home to an access point for the new Thames Tideway Tunnel, despite huge public support from senior politicians and peers, the

military, related organisations and charities, 14-18 Now, the National Maritime Museum of the Royal Navy, and The National Historic Dockyard at Chatham and multiple Prime Ministers, both revelations have put to question the ship’s fate and plans to return her to London. Gawain Cooper, the trust’s chairman, said: “this decision will most likely condemn The President to the scrap yard”.

The charity which own the ship, the HMS President Preservation Trust, now intend to appeal directly to The Treasury, and the City of London Corporation have supported the principle of constructing a new mooring for the ship adjacent to London Bridge. Although troubled waters lay ahead, it is hoped that HMS President will return to London in time for her own centenary in 2018.

Secret & Deadly: Invasion Counter Uncovered?

PLACES TO VISIT

A CURIOUS device uncovered during a search for UXOs around the former RAF station at Horsham St Faith, Norfolk, has caused a stir. Identified as an Mk 1 Chemical Mine, contractors unearthed the weapon early in August while preparing to develop the site for a new main road, the Norwich Northern Distributor Road. It is thought that the mine was produced in the First World War, but repurposed and sown as part of coastal defences intended to repel invasion in the Second World War. The large urn-shaped device

may have been originally filled with mustard gas or phosphorous but was seemingly empty, but it showed signs of being damaged by ploughing which may have allowed presumed chemical contents to dissipate. Additionally, the mine still contained an explosive charge, so police established a 200m cordon as the Royal Logistics Corps examined the unusual device. Ten people were checked by paramedics as a just-in-case. The mine was later removed by a Colchester-based bomb disposal unit of the British Army

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Myths and Legacies of the Battle of the Somme: Army & Navy Club, London. 21 September, 7pm. Book in advance for this ticketed event at the prestigious Army & Navy Club as Prof William Philpott, Dr Catriona Pennel, Prof Gary Sheffield, and Dr Helen McCartney discuss the myths of the infamous Great War battle.

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Wounded: Conflict, Casualties and Care: The Science Museum, London, until 15 Jan 2018. Drawing on the Museum’s extensive Great War collection, this impressive exhibition tells the stories of the wounded, their carers, and also on the long–term impact of battle injury and also the medical innovations catalysed by conflict.

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as a controlled explosion on site cannot be safety conducted on potential chemical devices. The firm conducting the search, 6 Alpha Associates, will continue to search the site. Programme Manager Robin Richard explained that other similar devices may have been deployed in the area, such as buried pipes filled with nitroglycerin underneath the airfield, which could then be detonated to render them useless. However, he did stress that there was no indication such weapons had been used at RAF Horsham St Faith.

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The Birmingham International Tattoo 2016: Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham, 26-27 November Britain’s biggest indoor international tattoo, with over 1,000 performers, returns to the Barclaycard Arena for two performances. Bringing together marching bands, exciting displays and a spectacular Grand Finale, this promises to be a spectacle of pomp and pageantry. Call 0800 358 0058 or go to www.birminghamtattoo.co.uk for details and to book.

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Arnhem Lecture: Sussex Military History Society, Lewes, 19 October Join SMHS speaker Adrian Hills at 7.30pm in Lewes’ Royal Oak Public House function room for a lecture on the Battle of Arnhem. Admission £3.

The Memorial

Pegasus museum

is dedicated to the men of 6th British Airborne Division. The 1st liberators to arrive in Normandy on June 6th 1944. Archive films, a guided visit and many interesting and authentic objects enable the visitors to relive this momentous time. The original Pegasus Bridge is on display in the park of the museum along with a full size copy of a wartime Horsa glider. Open everyday from February to Mid-December Only five minutes drive from the Brittany Ferries Terminal at Caen/Ouistreham

Tel: +33 (0) 231 781944 Fax: +33 (0) 231 781942 Memorial Pegasus Avenue du Major Howard 14860 Ranville Normandy • France www.memorial-pegasus.org

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News • Restorations • Discoveries • Events • Exhibitions from around the UK

Loss of Battle of Britain Veterans

With the loss of two more Battle of Britain veterans, the number of surviving pilots and aircrew from the Battle of Britain now stands at just fifteen reports Geoff Simpson. Britain at War Magazine sadly continues with its pledge to report the passing of all of those numbered amongst Churchill’s ‘Few’.

Percy Beake ‫ ׀‬Battle of Britain to D-Day SQUADRON LEADER Percival Harold Beake, DFC, AE who died on 25 June, aged 99, was a Canadian-born Spitfire pilot in the Battle of Britain with 64 Squadron. Percy Beake was born in Montreal, to English parents and was eight years old when the family returned to the UK and settled in Bristol. Beake attended Bristol Grammar School. He joined the RAFVR in April 1939. On 31 August 1940 he was commissioned, before joining 64 Squadron on 22 September. He remained with the squadron until June 1941 when he moved to 92 Squadron, going on to 601 Squadron at the end of the year. During much of 1942 he was an instructor, but then, in December that year he joined 193 Squadron, forming at Harrowbeer, near Yelverton, Devon.

The squadron was intended to operate Typhoons, but was initially equipped with Hurricanes. Some of 193’s Typhoons were paid for by the Brazilian group of The Fellowship of the Bellows, formed to provide the RAF with aircraft. In May 1944 Beake took command of 164 Squadron and flew rocketfiring Typhoons in support of the Normandy landings. On D-Day, 6 June 1944, he was credited with destroying a Fw 190. The squadron moved to France in July and Beake was awarded the DFC on 5 September 1944. He had a spell as instructor at the Fighter Leaders’ School and was released from the RAF on 21 January 1946. Percy Beake later worked in the animal feed manufacturing business.

Nigel Drever ‫ ׀‬Survivor of ‘Lancastria’ and Battle of Britain Pilot

BULLETIN BOARD

WITH THE death of Flight Lieutenant Nigel George Drever, the Battle of Britain Fighter Association now has only fifteen full members; those aircrew who received the ‘immediate’ award of the 1939-1945 Star, with Battle of Britain Clasp. Nigel Drever, who died on 16 July, was 96, having been born on 19 January 1920. He joined the RAF on a short service commission in May 1939 and, on completion of his training, was posted to 98 Squadron, flying Fairey Battles. In the spring of 1940 the squadron operated in France. Drever was among the large body of 98 Sqn’s personnel on board the HMT Lancastria, a Cunard liner, commandeered for war service and which was bombed and sunk off

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St Nazaire while taking part in the evacuation of British nationals from France. There was enormous loss of life, including at least 75 men from 98 Squadron. Pilot Officer Drever managed to swim to another ship. Drever went to 4 Ferry Pilot Pool in July 1940 and then, at the beginning of September, to 7 OTU. After converting to Spitfires, he went to 610 Squadron at Acklington on 22 September. On 15 March 1941, still serving with the squadron, Drever was shot down over the English Channel while taking part in a Circus operation. He was captured by the Germans and eventually took part in what became known as the ‘Long March’ before returning to the UK at the end of the war. He was released from the RAF in 1946.

THE FIRST official footage of the upcoming Christopher Nolan wartime epic, ‘Dunkirk’ has been released. The minutelong teaser trailer reportedly debuted in cinemas preceding the greatly anticipated comic-book adaption film, ‘Suicide Squad’ – also distributed by Warner Bros. The footage has also since been leaked online. The 2017 film will star Tom Hardy, Mark Rylance, Cillian Murphy and Kenneth Branagh and will depict the infamous story of the evacuation of Dunkirk in May 1940. The film's trailer reveals very little, but leaves a lot to the imagination. Immediately obvious is the painstaking attention to historical detail and gritty realism which is a staple of all Nolan's projects. We wait with anticipation!

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THE RUSSIAN Government has presented a 90-year-old Royal Navy veteran with the Ushakov Medal for his service during the Arctic Convoys, which provided a vital lifeline of supplies and military equipment to the USSR. The convoys took the vulnerable ships around to the northern Russian ports, well in range of Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine assets. The Russian Embassy visited Alan Gray at his home in Hindley, to award him with one of Russia’s highest military honours. Mr. Gray has rarely spoken about his wartime experiences but his daughter, Ann Harrison, said he signed up to the Royal Navy aged just 18. Mr. John Burns, Chairman of the Ashton Royal British Legion branch, said: “The honour for Alan and also for the branch is tremendous. It is a job I don’t think many people would like to have done.”

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Fighter Command: The Original IADS

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Ian Black describes his experiences flying the superlative Lightning on quick reaction alert A Fondness for Phantoms

Former Phantom navigator Dave Gledhill shares his recollections from the back seat over West Germany Fighter Command and its Leaders

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News • Restorations • Discoveries • Events • Exhibitions from around the UK

Royal Artillery Museum at Woolwich 1778 – 2016

JULY 8TH was a very sad day for British military history and saw the final closure of the Royal Artillery Museum (The Firepower Museum) in its traditional home on the banks of the Thames at Woolwich writes Claire Jordan. It had been open to the public since 4 May 1820, longer than any other British military museum. The Collection was founded in 1778 at the Royal Arsenal by Captain William Congreve, when King George III required him, through the Board of Ordnance: ‘to complete a Repository of Military Machines and to instruct the officers and men of the Royal Regiment of Artillery in the many valuable improvements he has discovered.’ The Board of Ordnance added that it wished to: ‘recommend it in the strongest manner to the officers of Artillery to do everything in their power to promote so useful a plan’. The Collection benefited in 1816, the year following Wellington’s defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo, by the acquisition of ordnance, arms, models and various articles taken from the French Army depot in Paris as part of the British share of stores captured in the city. The British did not take anything from the French Museum of Artillery; however, items were obtained from here through the Prussian Army which had fewer scruples and comprehensively helped itself to treasures in ‘retaliation’ for looting carried out by the armies of Napoleon. Some rare items were acquired in this way and it is worth remembering that the Duke of Wellington directed the artefacts be looked after at the Royal Artillery depository and not at the Tower of London. In 1819, the entire Collection

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was moved into the Rotunda, now a listed building in its own right, on the edge of Woolwich Common. Starting life as a marquee tent, the Rotunda was designed by the John Nash as the centrepiece of a garden party for the entertainment of Allied Sovereigns at London’s Carlton House Gardens in 1814 and was also used for the postWaterloo victory celebrations the following year. Nash organised the dismantling of the tent in December 1818, brought the structure to Woolwich and personally supervised its erection, adding brick walls and a central column. By 1820, the Collection was established in the Rotunda and was based there until 2001, when it returned to occupy several buildings by the river on the old Royal Arsenal site. This was its final London home. Through the years since establishment in 1820, the Collections have continued to grow, first under the direction of Congreve’s son and then under other serving officers of the Regiment. A tremendous boost was received in the form of the strong support of General Sir John Lefroy, a distinguished Gunner and Fellow of the Royal Society, who, in the course of his extensive service, obtained many new items. It was during this period that the Rotunda served as a reference collection and repository for models of projects for the Ordnance Select Committee, with which Lefroy was heavily involved. The committee’s function was to study and recommend new proposals for the improvement of artillery and re-equipment of the army, as a direct result of lessons learned in the Crimean War and American Civil War. In 1870, responsibility for the Rotunda and its Collections was transferred to the Royal Artillery Institution, a professional and charitable organisation established in Woolwich in 1838. At this point, the Government’s limited funding ended but the Collections continued to grow with objects arriving from all over the world, thanks to Imperial expansion, foreign wars and the travels of individuals. A further boost to the scientific side came when Captain C. Orde Brown deposited the results of his experiments in armour and armour-

penetration with the Museum: his work ‘Armour and its Attack by Artillery’ (1887), a very important work for both the Royal Navy and the Army of the time, is held in the Royal Artillery Library. In these and a thousand other ways, the Collection and of course the officers and men of the Regiment itself have played a central, vital role in our nation’s history, in her ability to expand and sustain her Empire, and then to fight and win two World Wars and others since. The Collections of the Royal Artillery Museum now amount to over three and a half million objects, ranging from a wrought iron gun recovered from Henry VIII’s long-lost warship ‘Mary Rose’, to a collection of drawings made in secret whilst the artist was a Japanese POW. There is the umbrella which the Duke of Wellington left in one of the offices during a visit to the Board of Ordnance on site, and there is a coffee pot which belonged to Napoleon, taken from his captured baggage train after his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo. And there are, of course, the famous captured Chinese guns which provide the metal from which all Victoria Crosses have been made since the First World War. Men of the Royal Artillery have earned 62 VCs and 21 of them are held in the Museum’s Collection. Apart from objects such as these, things of national interest and importance, there are also many little things which commemorate the men who have fought with the Regiment and often died under its Colours. In this way, the Royal Artillery Museum had come to serve as a memorial for the more than 86,000 men who died serving with

the Regiment during both World Wars. There is, for example, the belt of First World War Gunner Lewis Harman, who carefully collected regimental badges and buttons during his time at the Front with the 18th Brigade of the Royal Field Artillery. When he was mortally wounded in action near Ypres in August 1917, his belt was removed and subsequently returned home with his personal effects to his wife Alice. The belt bears a ragged hole through which passed the piece of shrapnel which killed him, the family bequeathing the belt to the Museum to be cared for in perpetuity. Now, Gunner Harman’s belt, and so much else that is irreplaceable, is packed away, to be kept in storage until such time as a new Museum opens in Wiltshire. Mark Smith, the Museum’s Curator, said of the situation in June this year: ‘We’ve done our best to make it a Museum that people want to come to, and in the last year we have made it into one of the top-ten visitor attractions in London something we are very proud of, and that we managed to make this a visitor destination worth coming to.’ When asked about a new museum opening in the future at a proposed Salisbury Plain Heritage Centre, he continued: ‘I think it will be a different type of museum to the one we have here, purely because of the nature of the target audience they’ll be looking for. But when it arrives, I am sure it will be spectacular.’ However, the sad truth is that at present there is no opening date for any new Museum. For now, the Royal Artillery Museum, and access to all its amazing treasures, has simply closed after more than almost 200 years.

Exhibitions from around the UK • Events • Discoveries • Restorations • News

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Spitfire Wing Discovery AS BRITAIN at War went to press we received news of the discovery of the starboard wing from a Spitfire in a South Coast harbour which had been reported to the Historic Environment Fisheries Liason Officer (HEFLO), working for Wessex Archaeology under the Fishing Industry Protocol for Archaeological Discoveries scheme. This voluntary reporting

scheme, funded by the HLF allows for the reporting of archaeological finds made, primarliy, by the fishing industry. The wing will be subject to further archaeological investigation and recording when it is hoped that it might be possible to identify the aircraft involved and the story behind this fascinating discovery. The likely identity of the Spitfire

is currently being researched and further investigations will be made at the site where the wing was discovered in order to determine whether this is a find in isolation or whether other associated wreckage is nearby. Once initial investigations and recording have taken place, Britain at War magazine will report further on any findings.

Falklands Auxiliary for Sale

THE MINISTRY of Defence has offered for sale the RFA Diligence, a Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel tasked with fleet maintenance, supporting Trafalgar-class submarines to the east of Suez, and as a mothership for British and American minesweepers in the Gulf. The ship (originally MV Stena Inspector) has been part of the RFA since October 1983, having

previously been taken up from trade to support the British taskforce in Operation Corporate, the response to the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands in 1982. Impressed by her service, where she supported and repaired many ships of the taskforce, she was purchased for £25m and refit with military capabilities, such as light weapons, a larger workshop, and

supply facilities. She also features an ice-breaking hull. In 1988, the Diligence repaired the destroyer HMS Southampton which collided with the MV Tor Bay while on the Armilla Patrol in the Straits of Hormuz. During the First Gulf War, she repaired several damaged American vessels such as the USS Tripoli and USS Princeton. The Diligence also deployed to the Falklands on several occasions, and in 1995 was involved in a confrontation with an Argentine corvette. The invasion of Iraq in 2003 saw her return to the Gulf, where she supported ships involved with the action, and she was also part of the Vela task force off Sierra Leone. When Diligence returned to Portsmouth in late 2006, she had been on continuous deployment for over five years, in which she visited 25 nations and

ABOVE: The recently discovered starboard wing of a Spitfire in a South Coast harbour. (WESSEX

ARCHAEOLOGY)

steamed 150,000 miles. Originally the valuable ship’s retirement was set for 2020, and options for extension or replacement left open, as confirmed by a Freedom of Information request last year. However, it is now unclear whether RFA Diligence, described as being in an overall good condition and the beneficiary of a £16m refit in 2007, will be replaced. Those interested in procuring the ship must register their interest by 26 September 2016, and must include a short proposal on her use and final location. Four of the Trafalgar-class submarines the Diligence was purposed to support will remain in service until at least 2017, with the last scheduled for decommissioning in 2022, and the effort to demine the Gulf continues.

New BBC Doc Remembers First Tankies

PLACES TO VISIT

A NEW BBC South documentary, ‘Tank Men’ is to tell the thoughtprovoking story of two of the first Tank Men. The men included in the documentary were best friends who took part in the Battle of FlersCourcellette, the combat debut of the tank, 15 September 1916. The two men were George

Macpherson, then aged 20, and Basil Henriques, aged 26. Born in Bromsgrove, George studied at Winchester College. His friend Basil was born in London and studied at Harrow, Winchester College and University College Oxford. Both men were recruited into 3rd Battalion East Kent

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Scotland Tayside Branch Journalist and historical novelist Andrew Williams will discuss ‘Intelligence in World War One’ on 10th September starting at 14:30. Venue: Glasite Hall, St Andrew’s Church Complex, King Street, Dundee DD1 2JB. Contact: [email protected] Tel: 01738 880483. Open to all.

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Essex Branch Ken Wisdom will talk about ‘Gotha Bombers over England in the Great War’ on 23rd September at 19:30. Venue: Room 2, Village Hall, Maldon Road, Hatfield Peverel, CM3 2HP. Contact: [email protected] or telephone 01245 361864. All welcome.

Regiment (Buffs) Machine Gun Corps, the formation which would later become the first tank regiment. Their story is told using dramatisation and interviews from Richard Porter, and ex-Royal Marine and battlefield guide on the Somme, Sarah Lambert, the exhibitions manager for the

Tank Museum and one of those behind the Tank Men exhibition, David Willey the aforementioned museum’s curator, and Andrew Robertshaw, military historian, curator and author. ‘Tank Men’ is scheduled to air on BBC One South at 19.30, 9 Sept 2016, and is presented by Rob Bell.

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Lincoln & North Lincs Branch A seminar on the Somme with the Friends of Lincoln Tank. Speakers include Martin Middlebrook and Stephen Pope. From 10:00 on 24 September at the Terry O’Toole Theatre, North Hykeham, Lincoln LN6 9AX. Contact: [email protected] Tel: 01522 883311. Tickets £12.50.

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Thames Valley Branch ‘Having a Good War: Anthony Eden and Harold MacMillan’ by Professor Brian Bond. At 20:00 on 29 September at Berkshire Sports & Social Club, Reading RG4 6ST. Contact: 01276 32097. [email protected]

Britain at War Magazine is pleased to support the Western Front Association in listing a monthly selection of WFA events around the country. For more information, go to: http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/

www.britainatwar.com 19

‘A DULL RED GLOW…’

Fighting back in the Zeppelin War

‘A Dull Re Britain’s defences seemed woefully impotent in trying to successfully counter the Zeppelin attacks on the country which had gripped much of the nation with fear for over a year. Then, one hundred years ago this month, came the first success in bringing down one of these menacing airships. Ian Castle tells the story.

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‘A DULL RED GLOW…’

Fighting back in the Zeppelin War

ed Glow...’ A

S THE population of Britain ticked the final days of August 1916 from their calendars, Zeppelin attacks were again casting a threatening cloud over the country. After a threemonth hiatus coinciding with the short summer nights, which made airships more vulnerable to attack, Zeppelins carried out two raids at the end of July followed by

another four in August. But for the defenders the results were the same. Since the first Zeppelin raid in January 1915, German airships had appeared over Britain on 37 nights, but on no occasion had aircraft or anti-aircraft guns succeeded in bringing down a Zeppelin on British soil. This left the population feeling exposed and helpless in the face of this brooding menace.

Although on paper shooting down a target around 600 feet long filled with up to 2 million cubic feet of highly flammable hydrogen would seem simple, in reality it proved extremely difficult to achieve. Hydrogen only becomes flammable when it combines with oxygen, so before ignition it first has to mix with the air. Early incendiary bullets proved ineffective and gave birth 

MAIN IMAGE: The final fiery moments of German airship SL 11. (PIOTR

FORKASIEWICZ)

www.britainatwar.com 21

‘A DULL RED GLOW…’

Fighting back in the Zeppelin War when it was descending to its home base, over England Zeppelins could easily out climb the defence aircraft sent up to attack them thus preventing them gaining the height advantage they needed to drop their bombs.

FROM HEATH ROBINSON TO LEEFE ROBINSON

Besides standard bombs a number of extraordinary devices appeared in the anti-Zeppelin arsenal, all but one needing a height advantage for deployment. The 3.45-inch incendiary bomb, released through a tube in the aircraft cockpit’s floor, was fired by electrical contact strips and came with hooks attached that would – hopefully – catch onto the envelope, the airship’s outer covering. In a similar vein, the Ranken dart, a 1lb explosive-packed pointed tube, released spring-loaded vanes as it fell, again intended to catch onto the airship covering after the dart had penetrated. Then came the fearsomely ABOVE: 21-year-old William Leefe Robinson joined the RFC after initial service with the Worcestershire Regiment. Joining as an observer, he quickly fell in love with flying and trained as a pilot, qualifying in September 1915.

to an incorrect theory that an inert gas contained within the body of the airship prevented combustion. Therefore the authorities concluded that the only way to destroy a Zeppelin was to drop bombs on it. Events in Belgium, when a Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) pilot, Reginald Warneford, destroyed a Zeppelin with bombs in June 1915 had reinforced this view. Yet there was a major flaw in the theory; Warneford had caught his target

RIGHT: Outclassed on the Western Front, by late 1915 the Blériot Experimental 2c (BE2c) had become the standard Home Defence Zeppelin nightfighter. When armed with a Lewis gun firing new explosive and incendiary bullets it became the airship’s nemesis. MIDDLE: A diagram of L.33, downed on 24 September 1916. (KEY

COLLECTION)

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named ‘Fiery Grapnel’, in essence a four-pronged grappling hook loaded with explosive charges. The idea being that the pilot lowered the grapnel by cable, trying to hook the Zeppelin like a fish, then electrically fired the charge. But no one appeared to have much faith in this oddity. Some aircraft also carried Le Prieur rockets attached to their outer struts, which had seen some success against observation balloons on the Western Front. But these devices all had one thing in common, none of them ever brought down a Zeppelin. There was, however, another weapon, introduced in 1916, that would change the face of the Zeppelin war at a stroke – new incendiary and explosive bullets. A determined New Zealand inventor, John Pomoroy, finally had his explosive bullet accepted by the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) after trials in May 1916, having initially received a cool response in 1914 and again in 1915. Meanwhile a naval officer,

‘A DULL RED GLOW…’

Fighting back in the Zeppelin War BELOW: SL 11, the latest airship from Zeppelin rivals, Schütte-Lanz. Although more streamlined than early Zeppelins, the woodenframed airships were more popular with the Army Airship Service than the Naval Airship Division who felt them unsuitable for service in the moist conditions experienced over the sea. BOTTOM: Wilhelm Schramm (1885-1916). Born in London where his father worked, Schramm lived in the capital until his father died in 1900. Schramm joined the army as an officer cadet in 1905 before transferring to the Prussian Army Airship Battalion in 1910. (PHOTO

COURTESY OF

PETER AMESBURY VIA RAY RIMELL)

Flight Lieutenant Frank Brock of the famous fireworks family, had developed a bullet with both explosive and incendiary attributes, which the Admiralty ordered following a second trial in February 1916. While at the same time a Coventry engineer, John Buckingham, developed a true incendiary bullet; after trials the Admiralty placed an order for his bullets in December 1915. The War Office also ordered quantities of the Brock and Buckingham bullets after completing their own tests in April 1916. Although none of the bullets appeared completely effective on their own, when fired in combination they showed great promise; it was hoped the explosive round would blow a hole in the gas bags contained within the body of the airship, letting the hydrogen mix with oxygen, and a following incendiary would then ignite the now volatile gas. Later that month an officer of No. 39 (Home

Defence) Squadron, Captain Arthur Travers Harris (known to later generations as ‘Bomber’ Harris), engaged Zeppelin LZ 97 with the new Brock bullets. Although at long range, he made two attacks, but both times the bullets jammed in his Lewis gun. Another pilot from the squadron, 2nd Lieutenant William Leefe Robinson, also failed to engage LZ 97 that night because his guns jammed too. But Robinson’s time would come.

A HERO IN THE MAKING

William Leefe Robinson was born in southern India in July 1895, where his father owned a successful coffee plantation. Having completed his education in England in 1909, at the outbreak of war he gained entry to Sandhurst, earning a commission in December 1914 in the Fifth Militia Battalion of the Worcestershire Regiment. His subsequent posting, however, to Cornwall and a seemingly endless round of guard duty, trench digging and training recruits, did  www.britainatwar.com 23

‘A DULL RED GLOW…’

Fighting back in the Zeppelin War in April 1916, he flew a second patrol on the night of 24/25 August when he saw nothing of Heinrich Mathy’s Zeppelin L 31 as it bombed south-east London causing damage estimated at £130,000 – the second highest total of the war from a single raid. But just eight days later this unknown 21-yearold pilot became a national hero.

THE AERIAL ARMADA

ABOVE: Developed by naval officer, Francis Ranken, the Ranken Dart was one of many unusual devices in the anti-Zeppelin arsenal. These darts were to be dropped on a Zeppelin whereupon the iron point would penetrate the skin and detonate, three spring-loaded vanes held the dart in place.

not satisfy his desire to ‘do his bit’. He applied for a transfer to the RFC and was delighted to receive orders in March 1915 to join No.4 Squadron in France as an Observer. Robinson immediately fell in love with flying, but early in May over Lille he received a shrapnel wound in his right arm. While recuperating in England he began flying lessons and qualified as a Flying Officer in September 1915, eventually joining No. 39 (Home Defence) Squadron; it soon became clear that Robinson was a natural. But following that first Zeppelin encounter

After Mathy’s successful foray over London, Germany planned its biggest airship raid of the war for the night of 2/3 September 1916, although not all participants were Zeppelins. A rival company – Schütte-Lanz - also built giant rigid airships, the main difference between the two being that while a Zeppelin’s framework was built of duralumin (an aluminium alloy) those of Schütte-Lanz were constructed of plywood. But to those on the ground living through the nightmare of this first blitz the difference was irrelevant, to them all German airships were simply Zeppelins. On that early September afternoon 16 airships set out from Germany to attack England: the navy mustered 11 Zeppelins and one Schütte-Lanz while the army sent a Schütte-Lanz and three Zeppelins. Commanding the army’s single Schütte-Lanz was Hauptmann Wilhelm Schramm. This 30-year-old army officer had been born in London where his father worked for the German engineering company Siemens, but he moved to Germany following his father’s death in 1900. He had been on board SL 2 when she bombed London a year earlier and had commanded LZ 93 in two raids over England in April 1916. Now he had command of SL 11, the latest addition to the army’s airship fleet. But any

hopes Schramm and the other airship commanders had of delivering a heavy blow against London and its population that night quickly evaporated. German forecasters had predicted fair weather, but the reality at high altitude was very different. Here the airships encountered heavy rain and ice and were battered by adverse winds, destroying any chance of a concerted attack on London. At least half of the navy airships, unable to reach the capital, selected secondary targets across a wide area between the River Thames and the Humber. British naval intelligence received warning of the raid in the early evening. In all at least seven navy airships came in over East Anglia but none of RNAS aircraft stationed on the east coast had much luck in locating them. As the naval airship captains continued their missions, displaying varying levels of determination, the army airships made their appearance. One developed mechanical problems and turned back over the North Sea, but the other three pressed on for London.

OVER ENGLAND

The first of the army airships, Schramm’s SL 11, came inland over Foulness near the mouth of the Thames Estuary at about 10.40pm. From there he steered across Essex and Hertfordshire, sweeping around London to approach the capital from the north-west. His route took him beyond the patrol area of No.39 Squadron of the RFC, guarding the north-eastern approaches to the city. Twenty-five minutes later a second army airship appeared over the Essex coast, but she only flew inland for about 35 miles, dropping her bombs on the Essex/ Suffolk border before turning for home.

ABOVE: Metal superstructure such as this from L.33 did not litter the Cuffley site, as unlike other German airships, Schütte-Lanz airships had a wooden girder framework and there was no metal skeleton left when the fire died down.

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‘A DULL RED GLOW…’

Fighting back in the Zeppelin War BELOW: Although airships presented a massive target, each one full of highly inflammable hydrogen, they had proved extremely difficult to shoot down. Ordinary lead bullets merely made small holes in the individual gas cells, of which there could be up to 19, allowing some gas to leak away but they could not ignite the gas.

'The Army airships pressed on for London'

No. 39 Squadron had two BE2c pilots assigned to night flying duties at each of its three airfields: ‘A’ Flight, based at North Weald, ‘B’ Flight, about twelve miles to the south at Suttons Farm, Hornchurch, and ‘C’ Flight flying from Hainault Farm, a little to the west of the other two. Advised of an imminent raid, the squadron received orders to fly their standard patrol lines at around 11.00pm. Lieutenant William Leefe Robinson of ‘B’ Flight took off from Suttons Farm in his BE2c, climbing slowly up to 10,000 feet to patrol towards Joyce Green, an airfield on the south bank of the Thames near Dartford. Within five minutes both lieutenants Clifford Ross, of ‘A’

Flight and Alfred Brandon of ‘C’ Flight, were also in the air, with Ross patrolling from North Weald to Hainault Farm and Brandon covering the line from Hainault Farm to Suttons Farm. As the three pilots reached patrol height the third German army airship, LZ 98, appeared over the English Channel at about midnight. Flying inland over New Romney she steered a course across south-east Kent towards the capital. Lieutenants Ross and Brandon, peering from their cockpits into the blackness of the night, saw no sign of enemy activity during their patrols and returned to their airfields. Expecting the return of Robinson at any time, the three pilots

taking the second patrols were dispersed differently; two were directed to patrol south of the Thames, leaving just one pilot north of the river. Fortunately for the now undermanned defence line north of the Thames, 21-year-old Lieutenant Robinson was still airborne.

TARGET LONDON

Having reached 10,000 feet, Robinson commenced his patrol southwards on what started as a beautifully clear night. Even so, he had seen no sign of enemy activity as he approached the end of his allotted patrol time. But then, at 1.10am, after two hours in the air he noticed two searchlight beams fixed 

BELOW: The first two postcards in a sequence of four depicting the final minutes of SL 11 after Robinson’s attack using the new rounds. The last two postcards show the descending red blur of SL 11 moments before crashing at Cuffley, Herts, with the last image timed at 02.25.

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‘A DULL RED GLOW…’

Fighting back in the Zeppelin War

CAUGHT IN THE SPIDER’S WEB

ABOVE: Soldiers and men of the RFC amongst the wreckage of SL 11. BELOW: Leefe Robinson as he is cheered by his comrades on September 3 1916.

on a Zeppelin away to the south-east towards Woolwich. As he turned in pursuit, however, cloud cover was building up and the searchlights were finding it difficult to hold their beams on the raider. This distant airship was LZ 98, the army Zeppelin that had arrived over the coast at New Romney just over an hour earlier. Anti-aircraft guns forced LZ 98 to turn back eastwards, dropping a number of bombs as she approached Gravesend at about 1.15am. For the next ten minutes, Robinson’s aircraft

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only gained slowly on LZ 98 as he preferred to maintain his 800 feet height advantage until ready to swoop down and make his attack. But LZ 98 steered into a cloudbank, becoming lost to the probing searchlights and the pursuing airman. Robinson searched for his elusive quarry for another 15 minutes but, frustrated, he finally abandoned the hunt and turned for home. Ten minutes later though a red glow over north-east London attracted his attention: ‘Taking it to be an outbreak of fire I went in that direction.’

Having swung around London, SL 11 passed south of St. Albans and began dropping bombs between London Colney in Hertfordshire and North Mymms at about 1.20am. He released further bombs near Enfield and more as he passed Southgate at about 1.40am. These all created the fires on which Robinson now homed in. From Southgate, Schramm gradually closed on central London. But over Hornsey in North London, just before 2.00am, the searchlights positioned in Finsbury Park and Victoria Park pierced the night sky and caught SL 11 in their beams. Now, brilliantly illuminated, the airship shied away to the east, but almost immediately came under heavy fire from the anti-aircraft gun deployed in Finsbury Park. Schramm swung his airship to the north-east, heading over Tottenham as the guns at Victoria Park, West Ham, Beckton and Wanstead joined the attack; more searchlights locked onto the target too. The central London guns now opened fire, from King’s Cross, Paddington, Green Park and Tower Bridge, adding to the crescendo of noise thundering across the city.

‘A DULL RED GLOW…’

Fighting back in the Zeppelin War

'A crash that could be heard for miles'

anti-aircraft guns. Schramm began dropping bombs again over Edmonton, but his respite was brief, for a searchlight piercing the night sky from Chingford quickly pinpointed him again, a cue for the watching thousands to cheer enthusiastically. Twisting to the north he released more bombs at about 2.15am over Ponders End and Enfield Highway. Now, three more sweeping searchlights caught the hunted airship and the anti-aircraft guns positioned near Waltham Abbey opened fire.

DUEL TO THE DEATH

Awoken by this storm of fire, London was wide-awake. Watching breathlessly, tens, maybe hundreds of thousands stood in their doorways and gardens, peering up into the night sky to watch the unfolding drama as SL 11 desperately attempted to escape the beams of light that seemed to trap her like a fly caught in a spider’s web. Some even climbed rooftops to get a better view, oblivious to the dangers of falling anti-aircraft shells and shrapnel. Previous Zeppelins over London had been viewed with apprehension; these

vast airships with their droning engines, shining silver in the searchlights and threatening the city with a brooding menace, had always appeared to be beyond reach and impervious to attack. But this time it was different. Never before had such a volume of fire filled the London sky. Now over Wood Green, Schramm took advantage of a bank of clouds or heavy fog, which swirled around North London that night, becoming lost to the searchlights and thundering

Ten minutes earlier, Robinson had caught his first sight of SL 11 in the searchlights. With the experience over Gravesend fresh in his mind, he put his nose down and gained on the airship as quickly as possible. As he sped towards the fugitive, he could see the bursting anti-aircraft shells, then, when about 3,000 feet from the target, he noted that those explosions became audible above the noise of his engine. The keenest-eyed observers on the ground caught glimpses of an aircraft flitting like a moth through the searchlight beams as Robinson’s 

ABOVE: Great crowds of onlookers watch as servicemen roll up the vast quantities of wire from the crashsite, much of which the Red Cross turned into souvenirs to help raise funds. LEFT: Two of the many souvenir postcards issued to commemorate Robinson’s deed in being the first man to shoot down a German airship over mainland Britain. He became an instant media celebrity and his value to morale led to his withdrawl from operational flying. (COURTESY OF DAVID MARKS)

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‘A DULL RED GLOW…’

Fighting back in the Zeppelin War BE2c closed on SL 11. Although dwarfed by the massive 570-footlong airship, he headed directly towards it and, from a position 800 feet below, flew along the underside from bow to stern, emptying a drum of ammunition into her. He fired a cocktail of Brock and Pomeroy bullets with, presumably, Buckingham incendiary bullets doubling as tracers, although he does not mention the latter in his report. Much to his dismay, however, they had no effect. And now, alerted to his presence, the six machine guns on SL 11 opened up in response, seen from below as ‘flickering red stabs of light’ in the dark. Undaunted, Robinson turned to make a second approach, this time spraying another drum of mixed ammunition all along one side of the airship, but again, frustratingly, without result. As he manoeuvred into position for a third attack Robinson noted that the searchlights had now lost SL 11 and the anti-aircraft guns ceased firing. This time he closed up directly behind her, estimating that she was flying at about 12,000 feet as he positioned himself 500 feet below. Concentrating his fire on just one spot this time he reported: ‘I hardly finished the drum before I saw the

part fired at glow. In a few seconds the whole rear part was blazing.’ A newspaper reporter watching the action in the sky described the scene that followed. …the blazing airship swung round for an instant, broadside on, as though unmanageable; then the burning end dipped, the flames ran up the whole structure as her petrol tanks one after another caught fire. In another second or two the Zeppelin, now perpendicular, was falling headlong to earth from a height not much short of a couple of miles, a mass of roaring flame… With ever-increasing momentum she sped down, until at last she struck the earth with a crash that could be heard for miles. A dull red glow brightened the heavens for a few seconds, and a distant mass of still burning wreckage was all that was left. The doomed airship fell to earth in a field at the village of Cuffley, near Potters Bar, in Hertfordshire. Hauptmann Wilhelm Schramm and his 15-man crew perished in the flames.

ROBINSON VC

The final moments of SL 11 - a flaring, roaring inferno - illuminated the countryside up to thirty miles away. Those watching observed the final

'Londoners no longer felt defenceless'

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‘A DULL RED GLOW…’

Fighting back in the Zeppelin War OVERLEAF: The outpouring of joy and relief felt by the population of Britain after the destruction of SL 11, following the unchecked Zeppelin menace that had existed since January 1915, is captured in this celebratory postcard. BELOW & OVERLEAF BELOW: The distintive metal framework of L.33, the most major difference between this and Schütte-Lanz designs.

down over mainland Britain - and elevated Lt. Robinson to celebrity status. The government reacted quickly too, with the King awarding Robinson the Victoria Cross at Windsor Castle just five days later. And the souvenir industry, recognising a marketing opportunity, produced numerous lurid postcards illustrating Robinson’s deed, while the Red Cross sold off much of the wire salvaged from the wreck as souvenirs to raise funds. 

harrowing spectacle in silence, but as the flames engulfed the stricken airship, the mood changed. People began to dance and cheer and sing in celebration, while the sound of bells, hooters and the screech of train whistles joined this triumphant tumult. At a stroke Londoners no longer felt defenceless in the face of the Zeppelin menace that had haunted them for the last fifteen months. One newspaper described it as ‘the greatest free show that London has ever enjoyed’. When the elated Robinson finally arrived back at Suttons Farm, he had been in the air for three hours and thirty-seven minutes and his petrol tank was almost dry. He also discovered that the intense

LEFT: The downing of an airship soon became a public spectacle. BELOW: An example of a SL 11 wire souvenir, attached to a brooch, sold by the Red Cross.

heat of the burning airship had scorched his jacket, and in his excitement he had managed to shoot away part of the centre section of the upper wing and the rear main spar of his own aircraft. He was fortunate to get back in one piece. In a year that so far had brought nothing but bad news from the war, including the seemingly endless casualty lists from the Battle of the Somme, here at last was something positive to report. The newspapers filled their columns with stories of the destruction of SL 11 - the first airship shot www.britainatwar.com 29

‘A DULL RED GLOW…’

Fighting back in the Zeppelin War RIGHT: The monument erected at Cuffley in 1921 honouring Leefe Robinson VC, paid for by Daily Express readers. The crash site is now buried below a housing estate but the memorial is about 100yrds from where SL 11 landed. FAR RIGHT: The grave of Leefe Robinson, VC, in All Saints Church cemetery in Harrow Weald. Having become POW in April 1917, he remained captive until the end of the war. Returned to Britain in mid-December 1918 he, much weakened by his experiences, fell victim to influenza and died on 31 December 1918. BELOW: Initially buried in Potters Bar, in 1966 the remains of SL 11's crew were reinterred in a mass grave at the German Military Cemetery at Cannock Chase, Staffordshire.

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A CASUALTY OF WAR

Recognising his value to public morale, the authorities promoted Robinson to Captain, but withdrew him from operational flying, to begin an endless round of public appearances. Keen to return to active service, Robinson finally got his way and arrived on the Western Front in March 1917 where, less than three weeks later, his aircraft came down behind enemy lines following a bloody encounter with Manfred von Richthofen’s squadron. Captured, he spent the rest of the war in various prison camps from which he made a number of ultimately unsuccessful escape attempts. During this time, his health suffered badly. With the war at an end, William Leefe Robinson arrived back in Britain in the middle of December 1918 but, severely weakened by his experiences, he quickly succumbed to the influenza pandemic that swept the planet and died shortly afterwards, on New Year’s Eve 1918. After Robinson’s success in the early hours of Sunday 3 September 1916, the air war over Britain changed dramatically. Robinson’s victory saw the first destruction of a German airship over mainland Britain since the war began. But in the next four weeks the new bullets added two Zeppelins

to the bag while a third fell victim to anti-aircraft fire. Then, in November, the bullets claimed two more Zeppelins off the British coast. Although the German navy continued to wage the Zeppelin war sporadically until August 1918, the German army turned away from airships, putting its faith in bomber aircraft to take the air war to Britain. But it was that first victory by a lone airman in the dark skies above Hertfordshire in the early hours of a September morning 100 years ago that ultimately marked the beginning of the end of the Zeppelin menace. 

P031_BaW_Sept16_ad.indd 1

09/08/2016 17:18

ART OF PERSUASION Carl Giles

the pen mightier than the sword Nurturing the Blitz humour through his cartoons, Carl Giles became one of the most influential illustrators of the Twentieth-Century, Phil Jarman looks at the man behind the pen. BOTTOM LEFT: Giles (pictured left) dealing with a liberated chicken while serving with a film unit near the front in Europe. BOTTOM RIGHT: In his Suffolk studio in his latter years, Giles led a reclusive life and was rarely seen in Fleet Street where his work was revered.

W

IDELY KNOWN as an astute visual commentator, depicting events and contemporary society through his use of pen, brush and ink, Carl Giles and his cartoons have a special place in art and newspaper history. Regularly topping the best-selling book lists, the Giles compilation annuals rarely hinted at the true identity of the man behind the pen. Regarded by his peers as a twentiethcentury William Hogarth, Giles began his creative career as an artist and cartoon animator working for the renowned Alexander Korda in Wardour Street, the centre of British film making. The awareness of the First Lord Beaverbrook, proprietor of Express Newspapers, who saw the potential in the work of Giles in the early 1940s, paved the way to a 50-year relationship with the company. Beaverbrook employed the best artists in the business, paying the highest rates, allowing licence and innovation, resulting in many contributors staying loyal to the company for decades. Giles began his print-based cartoon career with the left-wing Sunday publication, Reynolds News, before being lured to the Sunday Express by its editor, John Gordon, in 1943. Giles employed a style reminiscent of the First World War cartoons produced by Bruce Bairnsfather, who’s ‘Old Bill’

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character had a less than serious view of warfare, despite the actual events of the time. Keen observations of how troops, families and participants were affected by a global conflict led Giles to become the official war cartoonist for the Express Newspapers. Often depicting the Axis leaders and generals as incompetents, Giles poked fun at their activities, even through the darkest periods of the War. A pre-war motorcycle accident and subsequent injuries prevented Giles from undertaking active service, although in the latter stages of the Second World War he was seconded to the 2nd Army, and travelled with the Coldstream Guards as they edged across Europe and in 1945, Giles saw at first hand the evidence of ‘Total War’, as the unit he worked with liberated the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. He went on to interview the commandant, Josef Kramer, who offered Giles his Walther pistol, ceremonial dagger and swastika armband in exchange for an original drawing. Giles accepted the gruesome souvenirs, but failed to despatch a cartoon to Kramer who was hanged for his heinous crimes a short time after. The poster depicted in this feature of our ‘Art of Persuasion’ series is a typically humorous look at wartime Britain. Commissioned by the Ministry of Information, Giles worked on animated shorts and some stills were used in print

form and published by the Railway Executive Committee as posters, addressing serious issues and to deter the public from using the network at key times. Free movement of goods by the British Railway Companies was necessary in ensuring essential munitions, vehicles, fuel and food could nourish the war machine, especially in the period leading up to the creation of the second front in Northern Europe in 1944. The cartoon depicts hapless civilians stranded in a packed railway siding, surrounded by goods trains engaged in moving war materials from factories in support of the war effort. Giles’ use of humour, sarcasm, and an accurate visual interpretation of semi-realistic scenes were typical of his work. Following the war, Giles further developed his family of characters in the Express Newspapers, the never-to-be-forgotten Grandma, the work-shy father, the stoic mother, son George, his wife Vera, young Ernie and the twins, all becoming household names. Key events showing austere post-war Britain, the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, political change, the rise of consumerism in the 1950s, the wealth of the sixties, fashion, music and every aspect of popular culture was given the witty treatment of a Giles cartoon, through to the final decade of the century when, living a reclusive life in rural Suffolk, he submitted his final cartoon at the time of his death in 1995.

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BATTLES OVER THE BARENTS Heroism Above The Arctic Convoys

EXPEDITION TO

RUSSIA Continuing with the second of his two-part series of features looking at the RAF in Russia during the Second World War, Andy Thomas explains how it is that only 81 Squadron are entitled to carry the Battle honour ‘Russia 1941’ on its colours.

MAIN PICTURE: Plt Off Scotty Edmiston flew Hurricane IIB Z5227/ FE53 during 81 Sqn’s first encounter with the Luftwaffe when he shared in damaging a Messerschmitt Bf 110.

T

HE GERMAN invasion of the Soviet Union that opened on 22 June 1941 inflicted massive losses on the Soviets. It resulted in the immediate offer of material assistance by the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill though the Soviet leader Josef Stalin demanded much more, including direct support. One result was a plan to send a Wing

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of two Hurricane squadrons, code named Force Benedict, to North Russia which was approved on 27 July. To make up 151 Wing two new squadrons were formed at Leconfield in East Yorkshire. No 81 Sqn was formed around a nucleus of a complete flight of 504 Sqn under Sqn Ldr Tony Rook with 17 Sqn providing a similar nucleus for 134 Sqn to complete the Wing that was

commanded by Wg Cdr H N Ramsbotham-Isherwood. Both units rapidly built up to full strength and knew they were destined overseas, though most assumed the destination was the Middle East. Only the Wing and Squadron commanders knew the real task that was: ‘…the defence of the naval base of Murmansk and co-operation with the Soviet forces in the Murmansk areas.’ 

BATTLES OVER THE BARENTS Heroism Above The Arctic Convoys

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BATTLES OVER THE BARENTS Heroism Above The Arctic Convoys

ABOVE: No 81 Sqn’s CO during the expedition to Russia was Sqn Ldr Tony Rook.

Preparations proceeded swiftly and in mid-August the Wing’s ground party with some pilots and 15 crated aircraft sailed for Iceland to join the first convoy to Arctic Russia, code named Dervish. At the same time two-dozen aircraft with twelve pilots from each unit were loaded at Greenock onto the old aircraft carrier HMS Argus. She then sailed for the Fleet anchorage at Scapa Flow before

sailing under escort for the Barents Sea on 30 August. That day the Dervish convoy arrived at the port of Archangel on the White Sea where unloading and re-assembly began, albeit in the face of numerous difficulties. Having sailed under escort to the Barents Sea, Argus arrived at its flying off point early on 7 September and at 07.00 six Hurricanes of ‘A’ Flight 134 were the first to fly off, though to reduce weight the aircraft were fitted with just six guns. The six aircraft each of 81 Sqn’s ‘A’ Flt and then ‘B’ Flt followed and all landed

safely at Vaenga an airfield about 10 miles north of Murmansk high in the Soviet Arctic just a few miles east of the front line. The rest of 134 Sqn then followed. The following day, the Wing’s Soviet hosts held a banquet in their honour, though many pilots passed out after innumerable toasts in vodka! Meanwhile, on the 9th at KegOstrov near Archangel Flt Lt Rook and Plt Off Holmes of 81 Sqn with Plt Off Woolaston of 134 Sqn made the first Hurricane flights after assembly. These were then gradually ferried to Vaenga. BELOW: Hurricanes of 81 Sqn sit at a camouflaged dispersal at Vaenga. The nearest aircraft is thought to be that flown by Sgt ‘Ibby’ Waud in 12 September when be engaged a Bf 109 and the Henschel 126 it was escorting.

“It was an awesome sight, the 109 drifting along inverted with flames and debris pouring from it.” 36 www.britainatwar.com

BATTLES OVER THE BARENTS Heroism Above The Arctic Convoys

BELOW: F/Sgt Haw claimed RAF’s first victory over Russia on 12 September when flying this Hurricane IIB, Z4018/FH-41 he shot down a Bf 109. He claimed another in this aircraft on the 27th.

ACTION OVER THE TUNDRA

The first patrol by both units was flown on the morning of 11 September taking them by way of the the front along the Finnish frontier. No enemy aircraft were seen, though several pilots had their engines cut briefly over enemy territory due to the inferior quality of Russian fuel. The first encounter with the enemy came during a patrol the following day. In good visibility Plt Offs Bush (flying Z5122) and Edmiston (Z5227/FE-53) from 81 Sqn spotted a twin-engined aircraft they initially thought might be a Russian Petlyakov Pe 2. Closing in they identified it as a Messerschmitt 110, probably from 1(Z)./JG 77 that was attacked with Bush’s fire hitting its underside. It was

then chased at treetop level before making its escape, but was claimed damaged. More action came later that afternoon when 81 Sqn’s duty section was scrambled towards the Finnish port of Petsamo. Flying Z4018/FH-41 F/Sgt Haw led Plt Off Walker (Z5157) and Sgts Waud (Z4006/FV-54), Smith (Z3746/FA-40) and Rigby (Z3746). Flying at 5,500 ft, at 15.25 they spotted five Messerschmitt 109Es of I/ JG 77 that were escorting a Henschel 126 that was on a reconnaissance. ‘Wag’ Haw’s combat report relates the subsequent encounter: “The enemy aircraft were approaching from ahead and slightly to the left, and as I turned toward them they turned slowly to the right. I attacked the leader and as he turned I gave him a ten second burst from the full abeam position. The enemy aircraft rolled onto its back and as it went down it burst into flames.” Sgt ‘Ibby’ Waud was more succinct in describing 81 Sqn’s first victory of WW2: “It was an awesome sight, the 109 drifting along inverted with flames and debris pouring from it.” Waud then found himself favourably placed to attack the Henschel which he claimed damaged, though Soviet Observers reported it had been shot down. He recalled: “I found myself in a favourable position to attack the HS 126 and after delivering a short burst from the beam it turned and dived away steeply westwards. I followed, overtaking rapidly and fired a burst at 50 ft range.” He then attacked a Bf 109 that he claimed destroyed: “I saw

smoke coming from the e/a which was flying very low and just after I passed over it, I saw it crash in flames.” Plt Off Jimmy Walker who was seeing action for the first time also shot down a Messershmitt to complete a hat trick for 81: “Climbed up and saw a ’109 on Red 1’s tail [Haw], headed in and gave the e/a a couple of bursts of a few seconds each. The ’109 broke away and fell towards the ground pouring out smoke. Followed him down and saw him roll over – then regain upright position – he then burst into flames and crashed.” However, during the action Sgt ‘Nudger’ Smith’s aircraft was damaged and he died in the subsequent crash landing. He was the only pilot to be killed on the expedition, but nonetheless it had been an encouraging debut. 

LEFT: In shooting down three Bf 109s F/Sgt ‘Wag’ Haw of 81 Sqn became the RAF’s top scoring pilot in Russia for which the Soviets awarded him the Order of Lenin. BELOW: Flt Lt Mickey Rook (right) chats outside the entrance to a bunker with Fg Off ‘Mac’ McGregor (centre) and Plt Off Jimmy Walker (right).

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BATTLES OVER THE BARENTS Heroism Above The Arctic Convoys RIGHT: During late September Plt Off ‘Scotty’ Edmiston made three claims against the Luftwaffe but narrowly escaped injury during a bombing raid on Vaenga on 6 October when a bomb exploded in front of his aircraft. BELOW: A section of Hurricanes overfly Z3768/ FK-49 at its dispersal at Vaenga. It was the usual mount of Sgt Crewe and like the other RAF Hurricanes wears Soviet style numerical codes aft of the roundels.

Patrols continued on a daily basis, and near Balucha on the evening of the 17th, whilst escorting some Peltyakov Pe 2 bombers, a pair of Me 109s bounced the formation. The CO Sqn Ldr Tony Rook in BD792/FR-44 fired on one as it passed ahead of him and damaged it before running out of ammunition. Sgts Sims (Z5228) and Anson (Z5207) then fired on the Messerschmitt that caught fire and crashed into a lake. The second enemy fighter dived away to the west chased by F/Sgt Haw, who was flying Z5208/FA-48 as he later described: “I made an astern attack from about 200 yards range, firing a three second burst with no visible effect. The enemy aircraft then turned to the right across me and I delivered a quarter attack from about 150 yards, firing another burst of 3 seconds. During this attack smoke began to pour from the e/a, a large piece flew off him and he rolled onto his back and went into a vertical dive.” Haw saw the pilot of his second victory over Russia bale out but 10 minutes later six more 109s dived on the Allied formation. Plt Off Basil Bush in Z4017/FU-56 dived onto some

more Me109s and attacked the nearest one: “A dog fight ensued in which I was able to out- turn the enemy aircraft, and deliver a two-second burst from the starboard quarter. Thick black smoke came from the enemy aircraft, as it dived to earth. I got in another burst, and it burst into flames as it crashed into a hill.” Defensive patrols then predominated for the next week as no escorts were

possible due to deteriorating weather which also flooded the dispersals at Vaenga making conditions on the ground treacherous. Then the first of the winter snow fell on the 22nd. However, on the afternoon of 26 September 81 Sqn achieved further success when a dozen of 81’s Hurricanes were escorting four Soviet bombers on a raid on Petsamo. A trio of Me 109s attacked the formation and got onto the tail of Basil Bush’s aircraft. Having initially evaded the attack, Plt Offs Arty Holmes in BD818 chased after them and hit the Messerschmitt that dived inverted spewing black smoke and was seen to crash by one of the bomber crews. At almost the same time Plt Off Scottie Edmiston in Z5227/ FE-53 (that was decorated with a ‘Scottie’ dog motif) went after another 109 that was chasing a Hurricane and saw many hits around the cockpit before it flew into cloud; he was credited with a ‘probable.’ During the dogfight the CO’s cousin Flt Lt Mickey Rook (in BD697/ FZ-50) and his wingman Sgt Vic Reed (Z4006/FV-54) became separated and were attacked by a lone109. Reed

“A dog fight ensued in which I was able to out- turn the enemy aircraft, and deliver a two-second burst from the starboard quarter. Thick black smoke came from the enemy aircraft, as it dived to earth. I got in another burst, and it burst into flames as it crashed into a hill.”

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BATTLES OVER THE BARENTS Heroism Above The Arctic Convoys

climbed after it firing several bursts, causing the enemy to dive vertically into cloud and it was seen to crash by Soviet observers. The following day thirteen Hurricanes of 81 Sqn escorted Pe 2s towards Petsamo when ‘A’ Flt was attacked by four Bf 109Es. In a tight, turning fight Haw, once more flying Z4018/FH-41, hit the 109 that had engaged him as it climbed. The Messerschmitt stalled and went down pouring smoke to its destruction giving Haw his third victory over Russia. It had, however, been tough fight. With Plt Off Edmiston as his wingman, Flt Lt Mickey Rook (in BD697/FZ-50) fought off the 109s attacking their charges and climbing above them Edmiston, who was in Z5227/FE-53 opened fire on one causing the cockpit hood to fly off before it went into a spin from which it did not recover. That was to be the last action for over a week as increasingly poor weather, including some heavy snowfalls resulted in operations being cancelled.

FINAL ACTION

In clear, bright weather on 6 October a force of Ju 88s from I./KG 30 had been reported heading towards Murmansk and by 15.50 Sqn Ldr Rook was ordered off leading eight Hurricanes to find them; other aircraft from 134 were also flying locally. Shortly afterwards Vaenga was attacked by the 14 Ju 88s from Banak and bombs rained down on the airfield. Seeing the anti aircraft fire Rook led his formation back whilst three more of ‘B’ Flt that were on standby immediately scrambled. Plt Offs Bush (in Z3977/ FN-55) and Holmes (BD818) managed to get off but as Plt Off Edmiston started Z5227/FE-53 a bomb exploded in front of the aircraft so he and the ground crew headed for cover. Those aircraft airborne then went after the intruders one falling to 134 Sqn whilst Sqn Ldr Rook (in BD792/FR-44) shared another with Plt Off Furneaux of 134. The latter attacked another in concert with Plt Off Ramsay of 81 (who was in Z5157) and it was

probably destroyed. Ramsay probably destroyed another Ju 88 with 134’s CO whilst two more bombers were hit and claimed as probables by Plt Off A J McGregor (Z5228) and Plt Off Jimmy Walker (Z5209). Five more Ju 88s were damaged. The Luftwaffe recorded the loss of two Ju 88s over Soviet territory whilst a third crashed on landing at Petsamo. Sitting above the action was Flt Lt Mickey Rook flying Z5207 who had been acting a weaver and had become separated. Having attacked and damaged a Ju 88 he then flew towards what he thought was a formation of 134 Sqn and so joined them, waggling his wings as he approached. To his horror, he realised that they were six Me 109s (of I/JG 77) – the Ju 88’s escort! He was attacked but 

ABOVE & LEFT: Hurricane IIB 4017/FU-56 is prepared for another flight in the snow at Vaenga during October 1941. Plt Off Bush flew it on 17 September when he shot down a Bf 109.

Hurricane IIBs used by 81 Sqn in Russia Z3746/FA-40, Z3768/FK-49, Z3977/FN-55, Z4006/FV-54, Z4010, Z4017/FU-56, Z4018/ FH-41, Z5122, Z5157, Z5207, Z5208/F*-48, Z5209, Z5277/FE-53, Z5228, Z5236/FO-**, Z5252, Z5349, BD697/FZ-50, BD792/FR-44, BD818, BD822, BD824/FA-47 www.britainatwar.com 39

BATTLES OVER THE BARENTS Heroism Above The Arctic Convoys

BELOW: Sitting in the deep snow in early October 1941, Hurricane IIB BD792/ FR-44 was the personal aircraft of Sqn Ldr Tony Rook and flying it he shared the destruction of a Bf 109 near Balucha on 17 September and a Ju 88 near Vaenga on 6 October. (VIA MARK SHEPPARD)

ABOVE: The Standard of 81 Sqn bearing the Battle Honour ‘Russia 1941’. (AUTHOR)

fought back and in a furious dogfight managed to destroy his attacker, reportedly blowing it to pieces, but was then chased at low level by four other Messerschmitts almost as far as Vaenga. On landing with his black moustache bristling he said: “The

81 Sqn Pilots in Russia Sqn Ldr A H Rook DFC, Flt Lt M Rook Fg Off A J McGregor, Plt Off B M Bush Plt Off J Edmiston, Plt Off R T Holmes Plt Off D Ramsey, Plt Off J E Walker F/Sgt C Haw DFM, Sgt P Anson Sgt E Carter, Sgt F Crewe, Sgt J Mulroy Sgt V Reed, Sgt B Rigby, Sgt P N Sims Sgt N I Smith, Sgt K A Ward

Germans must have thought me either bloody brave or bloody foolish.” His log book read: “intercepted 14 Ju 88s. Helped damage one. Joined 6 109s, damaged one, destroyed one. Dogfight with others, one bullet through my tail. CO 1 Ju 88 destroyed.” The aircraft then returned to Vaenga where fortunately there was only slight damage. This was the last significant encounter the RAF had with the Luftwaffe over Russia. 81 Sqn flew a further patrol two days later but decreasing daylight and severe snowy weather meant that operations were restricted. The Squadron flew its final bomber escort on the 17th and the following day the remaining aircraft were handed over to the Soviets. The

BELOW: Soon after beginning operations from Vaenga heavy rain and sleet turned the airfield into a flooded morass of mud as is evident as Hurricane Z3977/FN-55 sits at dispersal. In 81’s last big action on 6 October it was flown by Plt Off Basil Bush.

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Squadron was credited with fifteen destroyed, five probables and seven damaged against the loss on a single Hurricane. In late November the Wing was embarked in the cruisers HMS Kenya and Berwick and the destroyers Bedouin and Intrepid and sailed for home, where they arrived on 7 December. On arrival, it was announced that amongst other decorations, the Soviet Order of Lenin had been awarded to Sqn Ldr Rook and F/Sgt Haw. When 81 Sqn was presented with its Squadron Standard at RAF Tengah, Singapore, on 24 June 1966 among eight Battle Honours emblazoned on it was ‘Russia 1941’ – the only unit ever entitled to carry it. 

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FIRST WORLD WAR DIARY SEPTEMBER 1916, the Battle of the Somme continues in earnest with a string of Allied victories, but the ongoing struggle remains costly for both sides. At home, a terrifying raid results in a British aerial victory like none before, and a huge morale boost for the country. Another aerial feat is accomplished by two French pilots, and elsewhere the Italians continue to wear down their hardy foe.

HOME FRONT

2 September: Fourteen Zeppelins, the largest number in one raid, attack England, dropping 500 bombs. In Kent, Longfield, Southfleet, and Gravesend are hit by LZ.98, as are Corringham and Great Waltham in Essex and Rushmere in Suffolk. Unbeknown to LZ.98, they were stalked by Lt Leefe Robinson but he lost the craft in cloud. LZ.90 also hit targets in Essex, in particular the village of Wixoe, but lost its observation car and winch. SL.11 dropped bombs over South Mimms, Little Heath, Northaw House, and Enfield (Crews Hill Station). Three horses were killed when a bomb hit Clayhill, and more hits were recorded at Enfield Hospital, Southgate, and Hadley Wood. Leefe Robinson, drawn in by the fires, moved to investigate as SL.11 hit Edmonton, damaging close to 80 houses. Leefe Robinson attacked, setting SL.11 ablaze on his third pass earning him the VC. L.16 hit Harpenden and Livermere, before circling Hatfield and Potters Bar (witnessing the plight of SL.11) and then bombing Essendon, killing two, injuring two. Areas near Thetford were struck by L.32, as was Hertford and Great Amwell, killing two horses and a pony. Turned away from London after SL.11 was downed, L.21 bombed Biggleswade and Chatteris before hitting King’s Lynn, hits on Doddshill killed one and injured two. L.14 bombed several Cambridgeshire and Essex towns and also diverted from London after seeing SL.11 ablaze. SL.8 bombed Burnham Thorpe before moving between Ely and Huntingdon. Although 45 miles away, it is suspected SL.8 also witnessed SL.11s demise and turned away. L.24 bombed a number of Norfolk coastal villages and RNAS Bacton without effect, and L.30 injured a man when bombing Earsham. L.11 failed to bomb Harwich, Felixstowe, and Southtown while L.23 was more effective, hitting Boston and surrounding villages, damaging 75 houses, killing one, wounding two. L.23 circled Spalding and Wisbech before bombing Weston. L.13 bombed various targets in Lincs and Notts, the shock killing one woman in East Stockwith. Three gasholders were destroyed and 90 homes damaged in Retford by L.13. Finally, L.22 dropped bombs without effect on Flinton, East Yorkshire.

WESTERN FRONT

3 September: British Fourth Army achieves success in the bloody three-day Battle of Guillemont, capturing the village as part of the Somme Offensive. 4 September: At Verdun, a serious fire breaks out in the Tavannes Tunnel, a 1,400 yard rail tunnel passing under the Meuse Hills being used as barracks for 4,000 men, a hospital, storage, and as a line of communication. The fire quickly spread between ammunition stores and set off a chain of explosions. Three days later, 500 charred bodies are found near the air shafts, and at least another 500 are said to have perished, their corpses wholly consumed. News of the disaster is quickly censored and suppressed. 9 September: Another British success along the Somme is won at the Battle of Ginchy, roughly a mile north-east of Guillemont. An important six-road junction, and on high ground, the German-held village had to be captured. The British were able to exploit a gap between two German divisions to take the village, and defended it with a large quantity of dug-in machine guns. 15 September: Tanks are used for the first time and the Canadian Corps and New Zealand Division see their Somme debut at the Battle of Flers-Courcelette. Although not a total victory, the British did gain around 2,300 metres of ground in the week-long battle (3,200 at Flers itself). The deployment of tanks was botched, with many of the 49 breaking down or becoming lost, however, enough were successful to have an effect on the battle and the machines quickly became popular with Haig, troops, and the public. The use of tanks at Flers would be controversial, with Churchill, Lloyd George, and one of the developers Ernest Swinton, each criticising the decision to use them at this point – preferring to wait and use them en masse.

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SEPTEMBER 1916 WORLD MAP GERMANY

24 September: Two daring French aviators, Captain de Beauchamp and Lieutenant Daucourt, fly 500 miles and brave 250 AA guns to drop a dozen bombs on the vital Krupp Works in Essen.

ITALY

14 September: The four-day long Seventh Battle of the Isonzo begins and sees a shift in Italian tactics, with commanders preferring to concentrate resources against single points. However, some 17,000 Italians become casualties, and the battle is inconclusive. At least 15,000 Austro-Hungarian troops also become casualties, and as each battle over the Isonzo is waged, the balance of power shifts towards the Italians.

ROMANIA

3 September: General August von Mackensen, commanding Bulgarian, German and Ottoman troops, begin an offensive in Dobrudja. Within six days, they take Silistria, which had been held by the Romanians since the Balkan War of 1913 6 September: Romania troops capture Sibiu, the capital of Transylvania. Ten days later, they also take Baraoltu. 26 September: The Battle of Sibiu begins, and results in the successful Austrian recapture of the city within three days, 3,000 Romanians are captured along with 13 guns, however many more guns and vehicles are thrown into the Oly River by the retreating Romanians. Elsewhere, Falkenhayn (recently moved to the theatre) leads 9th Army, and captures the Danube River fortress of Turturkai, and 25,000 prisoners.

NEW ZEALAND

1 September: The Compulsory Service Bill comes into effect in New Zealand, requiring all males between 20 and 46 to be entered into a ballot for call-up. The only grounds for conscientious objection were religious, and only in the case of pre-war members of faiths such as Quakers.

MIDDLE EAST

22 September: The 2,000 strong Turkish garrison at At Taif surrenders to Arab forces backed by Anglo-Egyptian artillery rushed to the battle from Sudan by General Reginald Wingate.

WESTERN FRONT

25 September: British and French troops win a considerable victory along the Somme at Morval, using a continuous creeping barrage and with even cavalry being of use. The German frontline was targeted with a more concentrated barrage, and poor weather conditions had prevented them improving their defences, nevertheless, the Allied advance was contained. 26 September: In the Somme debut of Lt Gen Gough’s Reserve Army, the British achieve another success at the Battle of Thiepval Ridge. Artillery tactics had improved, and tanks and gas were also employed, resulting in a 2,000 yard gain for the British. For the German Army, defeated on five separate occasions, September would be the most costly month of the Somme Battle. www.britainatwar.com 43

KING OF THE JEBEL

The Second World War’s ‘Lawrence of Arabia’

KING OF THE Master of disguise and daring commando leader, John Haselden was kingpin to some of the most audacious special forces operations of the North African campaign. Seventy-five years after one of Haselden’s bravest missions, Steve Snelling charts the extraordinary career of the man they called ‘a second Lawrence of Arabia’. Arabia BELOW: Target Tobruk: the strategicallyimportant Libyan port exchanged hands three times during the pendulumswinging North African campaign. An aerial view of the town in 1942, shortly before its capture by Rommel. Three months later, it was the objective for Haselden’s commando force.

T

HERE WAS a slight swell running as the submarine surfaced under cover of darkness less than a mile off the coast of enemy-occupied North Africa. HMS Torbay had spent the better part of the day at periscope depth, spying out the land to ensure they were exactly where they were supposed to be. A red-brick fort perched on a hill confirmed the location as Zaviet el Hamama, seventeen miles west of Apollonia on the rocky shore of Cyrenaica, and as dusk gave way to night on October 10, 1941 Commander Anthony ‘Crap’ Miers edged his boat to within 300 yards of a small, seemingly deserted beach. Down below, a flurry of activity saw a three-seater canoe readied for launching.

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At the last moment, the plan to ferry the two passengers ashore in a single trip at the start of their top-secret operation was abandoned when it emerged there was just too much to carry. The only option appeared to be to make two journeys, doubling the risks not just for the man tasked with getting them ashore but also for Torbay, waiting anxiously for his return. The solution came from the senior member of the infiltration team preparing to land behind enemy lines; he volunteered to swim ashore, thus leaving enough space for his colleague and an assortment of supplies to be brought ashore in one trip. Though loath to expose himself to the rigours of a swim at the outset of his expedition, Miers was satisfied that ‘it was the wisest course’. Moments later, the

officer slipped over the side and splashed out for the Libyan shore. He was stark naked and armed only with a torch, sealed inside a condom. Incongruous and incredible all at once, the daring swim marked the beginning of one of the most audacious operations of the Second World War - the attempt to capture or kill General Erwin Rommel on the eve of the Eighth Army’s Crusader offensive - and the opening of an another eventful chapter in the extraordinary career of the man destined to be hailed ‘a second Lawrence of Arabia. That man was John Edward Haselden.

Operation Flipper

Recalling ‘Jock’ Haselden years later, Bill Kennedy Shaw, Intelligence Officer with the Long Range Desert Group, considered him the 

KING OF THE JEBEL

The Second World War’s ‘Lawrence of Arabia’

E JEBEL

ABOVE: King of the Jebel: John Edward ‘Jock’ Haselden, MC and Bar (19031942) in his most famous disguise as a Senussi Arab tribesman.

www.britainatwar.com 45

KING OF THE JEBEL

The Second World War’s ‘Lawrence of Arabia’

ABOVE: The future agent: John Haselden as a pupil at King’s School, Canterbury, in 1916. (VIA G HASELDEN)

ABOVE RIGHT: Young businessman: John Haselden, in his early 20s, back in Egypt forging a career in the cotton trade. (VIA G HASELDEN.

LEFT: Grim news: an Egyptian newspaper report of the accident in which Haselden’s wife died relates his vain attempts to save her. (VIA G

HASELDEN)

RIGHT: Country sportsman: a pre-war picture of John Haselden on his horse. He was also a member of the Derwa Shoot. (VIA G HASELDEN)

46 www.britainatwar.com

‘outstanding personality’ among a dozen or so secret agents who worked closely with the Arab tribes of Cyrenaica. His intelligencegathering exploits, ranging across the Jebel al-Akhdar (‘the Green Mountain’), disguised as a Bedouin or masquerading as an Italian officer, were the stuff of legend. Kennedy Shaw described him as ‘untiring, strong, courageous’ and a man ‘never without some new scheme for outwitting the enemy’. Others went further. To LRDG patrol commander Alastair Timpson, Haselden was a man of ‘magnetic’ character who was quite simply ‘the King of the Jebel’. And yet, prior to the war, there was little about this popular and prosperous expatriate businessman to suggest a detour into the world of derring-do. A third generation member of Egypt’s British trading community, he was a respected cotton broker

who could trace his roots back to Liverpool in its mercantile pomp. Born in Ramleh, near Alexandria, in 1903, the eldest of four children to a British father and an Italian mother, he had been expelled from King’s School, Canterbury, for reasons that are now unknown. Since returning to Egypt in the wake of the First World War, however, his career flourished. He rose to become manager of a cotton mill in Minia before being made a joint partner of the American-owned Anderson, Clayton & Co cotton enterprise. But his business success was blighted by tragedy. He was still a teenager when his father died, the victim of a hornet sting while playing tennis. And his marriage to Nadia Szymonska-Lubicz, a 19-year-old beauty of Polish-Italian extraction, was cut short by her death in 1936 following a car crash. Haselden was 36 when war broke out. A widower with a son aged seven to support, he could have been

KING OF THE JEBEL

The Second World War’s ‘Lawrence of Arabia’

forgiven for putting personal interests above duty. But with Britain’s Middle East empire threatened by Italy, he did not hesitate. Abandoning his successful career, he enlisted in July 1940 in the British-officered Libyan Arab Force before transferring to the Intelligence Corps where his mastery of Arabic and his understanding of local customs were of the greatest value. Over the next two years, he served variously as a member of

G (R) Staff, a Middle Eastern sub-branch of British military intelligence, MI6, euphemistically known as the Inter-Services Liaison Department, and as a staff officer based at Eighth Army Headquarters. But it was as the British army’s foremost field agent that he made his name as most unconventional of heroes during the desert war. As well as establishing a clandestine network of agents, he made frequent forays into enemyoccupied Cyrenaica, often in his favourite disguise as a Senussi tribesman. In undertaking such missions, he was well aware that he faced the prospect of execution if betrayed or captured. But rather than be cowed, he appeared to thrive on such risks, displaying outrageous courage that knew no bounds. During one mission he famously posed as a shepherd, driving a flock of sheep across an Italian airstrip while calmly pacing out its dimensions in full view of the guards. So valuable was his intelligence that when his former employers petitioned

FAR LEFT: Young couple: John and his new wife, Nadia SzymonskaLubicz, on their honeymoon in Sussex. Their marriage ended in tragedy when Nadia died following a car crash in Egypt. (VIA G

HASELDEN)

for his return the answer was a firm but polite ‘no’. In his reply, the Assistant Military Secretary explained that he was engaged in ‘an undertaking of an important nature for which his special qualifications render him particularly suited’. The ‘undertaking’ was Operation Flipper, an attempt to kill or capture Rommel. And four days later, even as his employers were framing another unavailing plea, military intelligence’s supreme operator was leaving Alexandria bound for familiar territory in what, for him, was an unfamiliar mode of transport.

LEFT: Commando hero: LieutenantColonel Geoffrey Keyes VC, MC (1917-1941) leader of the daring raid on Rommel in November 1941. He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his heroic leadership in the failed mission.

Fearless action

It took Haselden 12 minutes to swim ashore from Torbay, his flickering torch signalling his safe arrival. He was followed by the Folboat carrying his companion, an NCO from the Libyan Arab Force, and their assorted baggage. By the time the canoeist paddled back to Torbay, the pair, dressed in Bedouin robes, were already trekking up into the Jebel. Thanks to Haselden’s cool courage, the landing had taken just 34 minutes, with an awed Miers reporting: ‘Credit for the success of this operation is due in the first place to Captain Haselden whose swim ashore in the dark onto a shore upon which only a narrow strip of sandy beach was clear of rocks, showing a disregard for his personal safety and complete confidence in the submarine navigation.’ Haselden and his companion made for the Jebel town of Slonta, 12 miles from the reputed location of Rommel’s HQ at Beda Littoria. It is not clear who provided the original intelligence about the site, or who came up with 

LEFT: New recruit: John Haselden as a lieutenant in the Libyan Arab Force in 1940. He later transferred to the Intelligence Corps, but maintained his links to the LAF during his clandestine career as a field agent operating behind enemy lines. (VIA G HASELDEN)

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KING OF THE JEBEL

The Second World War’s ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ RIGHT: Desert hero: John Richard ‘Jake’ Easonsmith, DSO, MC (19091943), was one of the most successful patrol commanders in the Long Range Desert Group. The unit’s future commander, he picked Haselden up in the aftermath of the Rommel raid. FAR RIGHT: Desert Fox: Erwin Rommel, with captured British goggles, acquired legendary status on both sides for his generalship in North Africa. John Haselden carried out the reconnaissance which was a precursor to the raid intended to remove him from the ‘order of battle’ on the eve of Operation Crusader. BELOW LEFT: Moment of victory: Field Marshal Erwin Rommel stands up to view the ruins of Tobruk during a parade of staff cars following the town’s fall in June 1942. The capture of the port climaxed a stunning victory over the Eighth Army in the battle of the Gazala Line.

the idea of a raid to capture or kill the commander of the Afrika Korps, but Haselden’s task was to seek confirmation of this information and to reconnoitre the ground. His mission, fraught with danger, lasted 10 days. During that time he had met with the pro-British Senussi Mudir, mayor, of Slonta, who corroborated reports about Rommel’s HQ. As well as giving its location, roughly half a mile from Beda Littoria, he apparently identified a white-washed villa that was said to be the general’s sleeping quarters. Accompanied by his partner and ‘friendly’ tribesmen, Haselden then carried out a reconnaissance of the area, noting enemy troop deployments and other potential targets, before making for a pre-arranged rendezvous with an LRDG unit. Picked up by a patrol led by Captain Jake Easonsmith, Haselden

FAR RIGHT: In enemy hands: British prisoners receive a ration of water in Tobruk following their capture in June 1942. Haselden’s raid in September was aimed at releasing hundreds of men still incarcerated in the port.

48 www.britainatwar.com

was driven to Siwa Oasis en route to Alexandria where he briefed the leaders of the planned raid. Sadly, for all his daring, the intelligence he brought back proved out of date. While Rommel had indeed used the buildings identified as his HQ, he had since moved his base. Worse still, he was not even in North Africa when a small force of commandos, bravely

led by Lieutenant Colonel Geoffrey Keyes, launched their attack on the night of November 17/18. Their intended victim, who was in Rome, arrived back in Libya the day after the botched mission which resulted in the death of Keyes and capture of all but three of the 37-strong raiding party. Yet, disaster though it was, Haselden emerged from Operation Flipper with

KING OF THE JEBEL

The Second World War’s ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ FAR LEFT: Bound for Tobruk: John Haselden, as a lieutenant colonel in command of Operation Agreement’s Force B, at Kufra Oasis shortly before embarking on his last venture into enemy territory. (VIA G HASELDEN)

his ‘fearless action’ in walking ‘nearly 100 miles through the heart of the enemy territory’ to ensure the raiding party’s safe incursion. The only pity was that his incredible efforts, deemed ‘worthy of the highest praise’, were not crowned with greater success.

Road watch his reputation enhanced. Having returned overland to the Jebel, he had not only guided the commandos ashore, but helped to ensure their undetected approach to their objective before going on to achieve one of the raid’s few unqualified successes: the destruction of telephone and telegraph communications along the main road south of Cyrene. Brought out by a LRDG patrol on 1 December, his reward was a Military Cross for the initial reconnaissance, in which he had displayed a ‘high degree of courage, determination and clear thinking’, and a Bar for his part in the raid itself, the recommendation hailing

Undaunted by the calamitous fate of Keyes’ raiding force, Haselden was attached to the LRDG in February 1942 in the aftermath of the Eighth Army’s chaotic retreat from positions only recently gained during the Crusader offensive. Their aim was to carry out a four-day ‘continuous road watch and traffic census’ across the Jebel al-Akhdar in a bid to discover whether Rommel was consolidating his Cyrenaican gains or preparing a swift follow-up. The mission was handed to Lt Alastair Timpson and a four-truck patrol whose passengers included Haselden, his old friend, the Mudir of Slonta, and an Arab guide, a native of the Jebel who had been a refugee in Egypt for some years. Timpson was well-acquainted with

Haselden’s formidable reputation and the sortie allowed him the rare opportunity to study at close-quarters his extraordinary hold over the local tribes and the power of his influence. To the Scots Guardsman it appeared as though they were in his thrall. ‘Natives, who seldom thought highly of white men, would do anything for John Haselden,’ he wrote. They were won over, thought Timpson, not by bribery or bullying but by Haselden’s quietly impressive manner and infectious sense of humour. He later recalled: ‘It was a continual source of amazement to me… how John and his native guides and their countless relations could go on talking and gurgling all day long. But however unintelligible the secret of his power, it certainly worked. I and other Patrol commanders were sometimes let down by native guides if things went wrong, though never betrayed. Yet with Haselden everyone did his bidding with apparent pleasure.’ As a result of one particularly prolonged tea party with a local sheikh that was filled with the customary 

LEFT: Under way: a rare shot of Haselden’s Force B during the early stages of its journey to Tobruk. (VIA THE

LATE D LLOYD-OWEN)

MIDDLE LEFT: Desert escort: David LloydOwen, CB, DSO, OBE, MC (19172001), the LRDG patrol leader who guided Force B to the outskirts of Tobruk. LloydOwen, who later commanded the LRDG and rose to the rank of major-general in the post-war army, had grave misgivings about the operation. ((VIA THE LATE D

LLOYD-OWEN)

LEFT: Desert raiders: an officer scans the horizon as Force B halts near the rocky outcrop of Gilf Kebir. (VIA THE LATE D LLOYD-OWEN)

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KING OF THE JEBEL

The Second World War’s ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ RIGHT: Brief hitch: seven days out from Tobruk, the raiders are forced to dig out one of the trucks with German markings that has become stuck in the soft sand. The man in the kilt is Major Colin Campbell of the London Scottish. (VIA THE LATE D

LLOYD-OWEN)

RIGHT: Tobruk raiders: an officer group from Force B taken en route to Tobruk in September 1942. The men pictured are (l to r): Lieut John Poynton, Major Colin Campbell, Lieut Michael Duffy, Lieut Graham Taylor, Lieut David Sillito, unknown but possibly Lieut Mike Roberts and Lieut Bill Macdonald. (VIA THE LATE D LLOYD-OWEN)

MIDDLE: Audacious bluff: Lieut Michael Duffy borrows one of the SIG Afrika Korps caps to pose alongside Lieut Graham Taylor. (VIA THE LATE D LLOYD-OWEN)

RIGHT: Fighting back: Italian marines in action against the Tobruk raiders on the morning of September 14.

As a result of information handed to Haselden by a local Arab, 47 officers and men were brought back, together with two wives and one child of the Mudir of Slonta, some chickens and one goat!

‘stream of jokes and gestures’ they learned that 200 vehicles, with guns and tanks, had passed through nearby Cheruba just two days before and that large enemy convoys were pushing eastwards along the two main roads running through the Jebel. Dividing his force between them, Timpson led a party to the southern road while Haselden headed north. He was gone five days, four of them spent logging vehicles as they passed beneath his cliff-top perch. ‘On one occasion’, wrote Timpson, ‘John borrowed the clothing of a passing shepherd, dressed himself in it, and led a slightly suspicious herd of goats to the verge of the road in order better to observe some details of the markings on the enemy trucks.’ Among the observations made by Haselden was that one in five of the vehicles was British and that these captured trucks were in ‘very much better condition than the enemy’s vehicles’. Their traffic watch complete, they were ready to return to Siwa, though not before their number was swollen by a motley band of stragglers cut off during the Eighth Army’s latest chaotic retreat.

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Calculated risk

Back in Egypt, Haselden found himself in a new job, posted from G (R) Branch to the General Staff and attached as an Intelligence Officer to Middle East Special Operations, GHQ. It was in this role during the summer of 1942 that a plan began to form in his mind that would eventually metamorphose into his last most audacious mission. Following the fall of Tobruk in June, hundreds of British and Commonwealth troops were marooned behind enemy lines and thousands more incarcerated in hastily-constructed holding pens prior to being shipped across the Mediterranean to POW camps in Italy. As well as helping organise the recovery of stragglers, many of whom were being harboured at great risk by Bedouin tribesmen, Haselden evolved a daring scheme for releasing those men held captive in Tobruk. Originally envisaged as a small-scale operation

KING OF THE JEBEL

The Second World War’s ‘Lawrence of Arabia’

involving a relatively few commandos, the idea was hijacked by GHQ and transformed into something much more ambitious and altogether riskier and involving almost every Special Forces unit in North Africa. The plan that emerged between the two battles of El Alamein in August was for a four-pronged, co-ordinated strike by the SAS, LRDG, the remnants of the Middle East Commando (now styled as 1st Special Service Regiment) a battalion of Royal Marines, a small party of Jewish commandos from the Special Interrogation Group and an assortment of more conventional forces drawn from such units as the Sudan Defence Force, 1st Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders and 1st Royal Northumberland Fusiliers. The object of raids targeting Barce, Benghazi and Jalo, as well as Tobruk, was to spread chaos and confusion in the enemy’s rear areas while disrupting

Rommel’s over-stretched and supposedly vulnerable supply lines. Of them all, Tobruk was the largest and most complex operation, involving a combined air, sea and land assault that had as its grand aim the destruction of the harbour together with petrol storage tanks and gun positions as well as the potential recovery of thousands of men believed to still be POWs in the town. By now a Lieutenant Colonel, Haselden, who as Western Desert Liaison Officer at GHQ had helped plan the operation, was appointed

commander of Force ‘B’, the landward assault party made up of 83 commandos posing as POWs guarded by a small SIG team of Palestinian Jews dressed in German uniform. Having traversed 1,700 miles on their roundabout approach to Tobruk, the LRDG-guided force, carried in trucks with German markings, was to drive openly through the town’s perimeter posts to reach its intended jumping off position for the attack. Even by Haselden’s standards it was an almighty gamble, but of even greater concern was the mushrooming scale of the operation and an increasing likelihood of security breaches. Captain David Lloyd-Owen, the LRDG patrol commander charged with escorting them as far as the outskirts of Tobruk, was ‘horrified’ at ‘how unwieldy the whole thing had become’. In his view, the operation was ‘utterly impossible’ and with their cover almost certainly blown he feared they would be ‘walking into a trap’. Moreover, he maintained that Haselden shared some of his misgivings. But, despite believing his plans might have fared better if ‘so many others had not been involved’, he remained outwardly confident that the mission he accepted as ‘a calculated risk’ would be crowned with success.

TOP LEFT: Special service: Lieut David Russell, MC (1915-1943) was second in command of the Special Interrogation Group team which infiltrated the enemy defences at Tobruk in German uniform. The former Scots Guardsman later served with SOE and was murdered during an attempt to cross into Romania. TOP RIGHT: Break from the action: German pioneers rest after mopping up the survivors of the landing party which was intended to join forces with Haselden’s commandos. MIDDLE: Great evader: Russell, seen here wearing Arab headgear, was one of only a handful of men from Force B to make it back to Allied lines after an epic trek across the desert.

Awful adventure

For a few tense hours on 13 September it seemed as if he would be proved right. ‘B’ Force made it to the edge of Tobruk undetected and, against all odds, passed through the town’s outlying defences without incident. Assisted by a diversionary air raid, Haselden’s colossal bluff continued to hold, enabling them to reach the building earmarked as the force’s HQ and for the commandos to form up in readiness for their various tasks. Only slightly behind schedule, a small party headed off under cover of 

LEFT: Raid relics: German troops inspect some of the landing craft captured after the bodged assault from the sea.

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KING OF THE JEBEL

The Second World War’s ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ RIGHT: Secret no more: how the Eighth Army newspaper reported John Haselden’s exploits months after his death (VIA G HASELDEN).

RIGHT: Final recognition: John Haselden’s posthumous mention in despatches for his courageous leadership of the commando raid on Tobruk was announced in June 1946.

darkness to seize a coastal gun battery as a precursor to the seaborne assault. Around midnight, a flare shot into the sky signalling their success, but thereafter things quickly unravelled. All but two of 18 troop-carrying MTBs failed to find their allotted landing inlet, while a heavy swell meant only a fraction of the marine battalion made it ashore from the destroyers HMS Sikh and Zulu. And those who landed were of little use, washing up three miles outside the town where, after a brave fight, they were all killed or captured. With his HQ surrounded and his plan in tatters, Haselden refused to give in. Under covering fire provided by four men led by Scots Guardsman and SIG second-in-command Lt David Russell, the remainder of the assault party, including their wounded, were loaded onto three trucks and driven full-tilt, downhill and through the enemy. According to an official account, Haselden’s intention was ‘to get the wounded away, and then to carry out the second part of his task which included the capture of… guns along the Southern shore… with the oil storage tanks as his final objective’. It was a desperately gallant if vain effort. Finding their way barred by an ‘ambush’ one truck burst through, while Haselden shouted to the remaining troops to debouch and

BOTTOM RIGHT: Missing in action: official notification from the War Office of Haselden’s death in action came 13 months after the raid on Tobruk (VIA G HASELDEN). FAR RIGHT: Back in British hands: the Union Jack is hoisted over Tobruk on Friday, November 13, 1942.

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‘charge the enemy’. Characteristically, he led the way, blazing away with a Thompson submachine gun. According to information gathered by Lt Tommy Langton, he was hit ‘within a few yards of some screaming Italians’. 2nd Lt Bill Macdonald was following close behind, ‘but as he bent down to him, a grenade burst practically on the Colonel’. With Haselden’s death, what little chance of success finally evaporated. Of his brave force only four men, including Lts Langton and Russell, together with a Corporal from the Northumberland Fusiliers, managed to escape back to Allied lines after epic desert marches lasting two months. A mission that had grown like topsy had ended in total failure with a loss of around 740 men, most of whom swelled the ranks of the POWs they had hoped to rescue, along with a cruiser, two destroyers and a couple of MTBs which formed part of the ill-starred seaborne assault force. Operation Agreement marked the tragic end to a brilliant career that had served as an inspiration to the Special Forces striking across the wilderness of the Western Desert. And more than

half a century on, David Lloyd-Owen, the future commander of LRDG who had guided the raiders to their target and managed to extricate his patrol, was still angry about a flawed, over-blown operation that had resulted, as he saw it, in the loss of a ‘great and incredibly courageous leader’ for no useful purpose. His thoughts drifted back to the outskirts of Tobruk and the moment he bade an emotional farewell to the man they called ‘King of the Jebel’. ‘It was terribly sad,’ he recalled. ‘We were almost in tears to see him go off on that awful adventure, knowing that we would be bloody lucky to see any of them again.’

WARTIME EVENTS

WARTIME EVENTS D_P_S.indd 2

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THE ‘WASBIES’

Frontline Women: Burma

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THE ‘WASBIES’

Frontline Women: Burma

The‘Wasbies’

If the allied soldiers in Burma were the ‘forgotten army’ of the Second World War, even less is known of the women who risked their lives to support them. Anne Cuthbertson tells their remarkable and often overlooked story.

S

EVENTY YEARS ago, in the summer of 1946, the Women’s Auxiliary Services (Burma), affectionately known as the Wasbies, was quietly disbanded after nearly five years in the field. They returned to civilian life with one OBE, a handful of MBEs and several Mentions in Despatches between them, sinking quietly into obscurity. Yet they had experienced some of the harshest conditions for any servicemen or women in the war; in malarial jungle and on bombed out roads, terrifyingly close to Japanese fire. Their mobile canteen trucks reached remote corners of Burma and the frontline of battle, providing a simple mug of ‘char’, but a vital boost to exhausted troops thousands of miles from home.

THE FIRST WASBIES AND FLIGHT FROM RANGOON

The founder and self-styled Commandant of the Wasbies was an army wife of no formal qualifications or training. Forty-two year old Mrs Ninian Taylor had lived in Assam and joined her husband, a Lieutenant Colonel in the 7th Gurkhas, in Burma in 1940. At the end of 1941, around the time his battalion had been called to action against the Japanese

Imperial Army, Nin decided to form a Women’s Service in Burma, along the lines of the ATS (Auxiliary Territorial Service). The first Wasbies were made up of British expats, Anglo-Burmese and Anglo-Indian women. Thousands had applied and 500 enrolled, undertaking cipher encoding and secretarial work as well as driving. But before uniforms had even been designed, Rangoon was evacuated, with most of the women heading to India by sea. ‘To get to the docks,’ wrote Nin, ‘the girls drove themselves in enormous commandeered buses. Already buildings had been set on fire, looting was rife, and the lunatics had been let out of the Asylum.’ On arrival, they discovered there were no ship’s staff, so the Wasbies took on the duties of stewards and helped nurse the wounded. Undeterred, Nin stayed in Burma with some 65 cipherettes. They moved with Burmese Army HQ to Shwebo, 400 miles north of Rangoon, just ahead of advancing Japanese troops. Everywhere, roads were full of fleeing civilians. The town was heavily bombed and casualties were high. From a ‘filthy’ house they had cleaned up as best they could, they carried on their work. ‘Food was very short,’ wrote Nin, ‘and we 

LEFT & ABOVE: Wasbies with one of their mobile canteens in Burma.

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THE ‘WASBIES’

Frontline Women: Burma

TOP: Wasbie canteen duty orders. RIGHT: Wasbie canteen girls.

BOTTOM: A Wasbie helps prepare ‘char and wads’ for soldiers.

slept cheek by jowl on the floor, carried our own water and dug some trenches.’ In their spare time, they helped at the hospital, dressing the wounded and carrying out the dead. With the Army in retreat, they were given an hour’s notice to board a train to Myitkyina in the north. The journey took a painful six days, with 12 to a carriage in intense heat, two days’ rations and, she wrote, ‘the only drinking water was boiling hot from the engine, tasting of oil’. The route was lined with refugees and they would never have reached Myiktyina had it not been for a passing Inspector of Trains in his official car. ‘By this time the Japs were just galloping along behind us, so he told us to get into his car,’ recalled another Wasbie, Fleurette Pelly.

At Myitkyina they were lucky to board an old Dakota plane to Assam, helped in considerable measure by a personal letter from General Alexander to Nin, giving them priority boarding. Two days later the small band of Wasbies pitched up in Calcutta, where they arrived ‘looking more like scarecrows than an Army Unit’. The Wasbies who had been evacuated by sea had been sent to Simla, where Nin’s crew joined them. Many girls formed no 1 Platoon WAC(I) in Delhi, others joined the nursing services, while Nin found work for the rest. ‘I was determined that as the girls had shown such courage in carrying on with their work during the bombing, and machine gunning in Burma, that the WAS(B)'s should not die,’ she wrote. ‘After a terrific battle with the powers that be, we were allowed to stay.’

PREPARING FOR BATTLE

Nin Taylor’s formidable character undeniably shaped the Wasbies into an essential service. The powers that be did not at first want women in Burma. It was considered at worst too dangerous and at the least, a distraction. ‘She had a terribly difficult time with the War Office back in England,’ says Sally Jaffe, Nin’s daughter. ‘They were so busy thinking about Europe, the Far East was beyond what they could consider. The Wasbies had a big job to get hold of anything and they had to be official.’ But Nin was not easily intimidated by military high command. She gave 56 www.britainatwar.com

herself the title of Commandant and her core of senior Wasbies were given appropriate ranks from Major and Captain, down to Sergeant and Private for the newly enlisted. She used what military connections she had to secure supplies from NAAFI and Canteen Services (India). Mobile canteens were converted three-tonne trucks with a serving hatch cut into the side with smaller 15cwt trucks used on steeper territory. They had smart green uniforms made up in India with stripes for rank and a Chinthe, the Burmese mythical lioness, as their symbol proudly pinned to the lapel.

THE FIRST MOBILE CANTEEN

The Wasbies were reformed to support the multi-national 14th Army fighting the Japanese. In September 1942, Nin started the first mobile canteen in Shillong. By VJ Day, she would have close to 250 women in 56 teams, four or five women to a team, serving divisions in Assam, Arakan, the Andaman Islands, Burma and later Sumatra, Java and Japan. The first Wasbie unit served thousands of troops, many of whom had emerged from bitter rearguard fighting in Burma, while others were moving through to hold the mountain frontier against the Japanese. Six of the original Wasbie force set up the core of this first canteen service. Lois St John, Nin’s great friend, was to join them later from Bombay as Assistant

THE ‘WASBIES’

Frontline Women: Burma

Commandant. A motherly figure, Lois was the organisational powerhouse who was to work miracles getting equipment and supplies through to Burma. Those on the mobile unit sold tea, sandwiches, cakes and stores such as soap, razors, cigarettes, tinned fruit, writing paper and library books - items which made army life bearable. Troop convoys at dawn and dusk found the Wasbie canteen ready to serve, working shifts round the clock. For the women, it meant rough travel over mountain roads, working in torrid heat, then restocking supplies at headquarters. Excellent communication with army command meant they could anticipate troops movements and be stationed where they were needed at the right time. Those in charge of the kitchen work had to secure supplies from Army depots, supervise sandwich and cake making, and keep equipment in check. At the same time, new Wasbies were being recruited and trained. It was an invaluable experiment and proved to the authorities their worth. Their service at Shillong won them permission to move into Imphal and Arakan. It was a tribute to their work that the Army allowed

women into frontline areas, having at first been opposed to the canteen moving beyond the Shillong base. They had shown themselves to be an asset and in no way a liability.

WASBIES ON THE FRONTLINE

In October 1943, the first canteen opened at Imphal, close to the Burmese border, and became a frontline service. The mobile units were reserved for the fighting troops in isolated areas and forward main dressing stations, where bulk issue rations sometimes couldn’t get through. The Wasbies were able to

bridge the gaps. The arrival of the Wasbies created something of a stir amongst the troops of 4th Corps of the 14th Army. The canteens were inundated with soldiers eager to buy stores and to chat to the girls. ‘Everywhere they went the men gave the girls a grand welcome, and every unit sent in a request to be put on the Wasbie itinerary,’ according to an account by the Wasbie’s own journalist Kathleen Vellacott-Jones. ‘As one gunner officer jokingly related, if the canteen arrived during routine drill, there was nothing else for it but to dismiss the men.’ 

MIDDLE: Wasbie living quarters were often basic and primitive. ABOVE: Newly kittedout Wasbies with their vehicle. BOTTOM: Wasbie girls in their Burma uniforms.

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THE ‘WASBIES’

Frontline Women: Burma BELOW: Pamela Mayes joined as a Wasbie from Bombay in 1945, aged just 17.

The Wasbie truck at Imphal covered a 40-mile radius, with one girl sitting in the driver’s cab and the others sat among the store boxes in the back. Roads were dry and deeply rutted. On arrival, the girls were white with dust and streaked with perspiration. But crowds of smiling troops soon made them forget about their appearance. As Japanese forces headed for the Indian border, the Wasbie teams were evacuated to Dimapur. In March 1944, secret orders were received from high command that a unnamed force training in the jungle 20 miles from Imphal were to be visited twice a week

There was another evacuation, this time from Dimapur, after the Japanese set up road blocks just 23 miles away. They were ordered to flee for Jorhat. But only one supply truck got through which would not be able to supply the thousands of troops passing through to the Kohima and Imphal battlefields. Nin Taylor, in an act of typical determination, set off in a truck with a European officer to Dimapur, where she knew there were supplies. The driver knew nothing of the road being closed - had she told him he never would have agreed to take her. A stunned silence greeted Mrs Taylor’s arrival at army HQ at Dimapur. But, matter of factly, she stated what she wanted and got not only stores, but a convoy of trucks to carry them back to Jorhat.

WASBIE LIFE

Ninety-year old Margaret Arnaud worked on mobile and static canteens in Pimina and Thrawaddy in Burma towards the end of the campaign when the 14th Army were pushing

RIGHT: The Wasbies side-hat and uniform tunic.

and given top priority in stores. This, it emerged, was part of the Second Wingate Expedition of British India Special Forces, known as the Chindits, who were preparing to fight behind enemy lines. Their Wasbie biscuits and tinned fruit would be the last they would have for many weeks. When the Japanese advanced on Imphal and Kohima in March, the Wasbies had just hours to pack their stores and equipment before evacuation. They would not return until July. Instead they were flat out in the Jorhat, Silchar and Dimapur areas where troops piled in from battle stations, exhausted from Arakan and later from heavy fighting in Kohima. The Wasbies at Dimapur worked seven days a week, on a 12-hour schedule. Their wind-up telephone would call them out day and night.

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back Japanese forces. She joined from Bombay, where her father was a forester. ‘It was wartime, you were expected to go,’ she says. ‘I was 18. I just wanted a bit of adventure really!’ ‘I was very used to the heat and the wet of the monsoon. We sold notepaper and pens - absolutely essential - and Brylcreem. On one occasion we ran out of Brylcreem incredibly quickly because we were with West African troops and they loved eating it!’ She remembers the challenges of producing ‘char and wads’ in tropical

war zones. Slab cakes were made in big metal trays using reconstituted egg and dried milk. These were cooked in ovens often fashioned out of old ammunition boxes. The army marched on tea. “They had a big 10 gallon oil can, scrubbed out well. In the morning the cook would put in so many loose handfuls of tea, sugar, tins of milk and topped it up with water, lit the fire underneath and kept it going all day. At least it was safe to drink.’ Troops lined up for char and chatter. But ‘some of them didn’t want to talk,’ recalls Margaret, ‘they were just on their knees.’ Wasbies endured the same basic conditions as the troops. ‘We all had to have a mepacrine a day, to prevent you from getting malaria,’ says Margaret. ’It turned you yellow. And we took a multivitamin which gave you constipation. If it wasn’t raining it was very very dusty and water was limited to a bucket a day. We were all issued with a fold up camp bed, bedding and mosquito net and a strong canvas bucket to wash in - you started at the top and worked down.’

THE ‘WASBIES’

Frontline Women: Burma

Their headquarters were little bamboo huts, or tents, with the occasional rat or snake visitor. A leopard once commandeered the verandah of the Wasbie mess for a nap. Trousers were worn to keep off mosquitoes and at night they covered their faces and hands in repellent. Clothes were washed in the river. It was hardly the glamorous life. In frontline areas such as Akyab, they quickly learned to scramble out of bed and into slit trenches if there was a night time raid by Japanese bombers. ’We were right there with the troops,’ says Margaret, ‘sharing the discomforts and everything that they were deprived of.’

THE FORCES’ ‘ANGELS’

Stuck to many a tree with a bayonet would be notes saying: ‘Wasbies, please call’. By 1944, the girls’ canteens were in high demand. A 14th Army observer wrote of the mountain road from Kohima to Imphal: ‘The business done by this canteen is staggering. One hundred pounds of fudge a day was sold. At times they had as much as 1,000lbs of cakes on order. And toilet necessaries by the gross (for there is no Woolworths in the Naga Hills’ villages).’ Coming off the battlefield to see a duo of smiling Wasbies had an undeniably positive effect on the troops. In a letter to Nin Taylor’s daughter, a Burma

veteran recalled when a Wasbie canteen ‘turned up out of the blue for a day or two. It was, frankly, a quite marvellous sight - so unexpected and totally out of place.’ Another veteran, Bill Elland was part of a gun crew of five men who rarely saw others during the nine-week campaigns of Kohima and Imphal. During the siege they lived on army rations of corned beef and biscuit. ‘Towards the end,’ he wrote, ‘we saw a mobile canteen near us. Rushing to it, we found two lovely white ladies who we could only stare at. They were selling char and fags and small tins of apricot jam. The jam was luxury to spread on our biscuit.’ Frank Colenso, a rigger in the RAF was transferred from India to Thibaw, Burma. He wrote: ‘We were more than surprised by the appearance on our airstrip of the WAS(B) 15 cwt truck, with tea and cakes served from the back by real women in their junglegreen uniforms and shoulder-flashes, giving refreshment to all our senses. Their visits were really looked forward to.’ Although the climate, disease and danger of a war situation was ‘certainly no place for a women, ‘ he added, ‘they brought a touch of normality back.’ The girls even arranged Christmas festivities in 1944. Two canteens were flown into the Burmese frontline

areas of Myitkyina, with one heading to Naba 100 miles south and the other to Katha. The Katha team commandeered a house as a static canteen, scrubbing it clean, putting up Christmas decorations and curtains. A live pig was dropped by parachute, however it escaped its wicker basket and an energetic chase ensued. Troops donated their rum rations to the mince pies, baked in makeshift ovens. Indeed a wounded soldier in a nearby hospital thought he was dreaming when he woke ‘to find angels standing by the bed with mince pies’. 

TOP: Commandant Ninian Taylor helps work on one of the unit’s Jeeps. TOP LEFT: Commandant Ninian Taylor of the Wasbies. ABOVE: Margaret Arnaud, 90, Wasbie veteran.

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THE ‘WASBIES’

Frontline Women: Burma

ABOVE: Letter of thanks to the Wasbies for their valued service. TOP RIGHT: Wasbies on active service in Burma, 1943. RIGHT: A thank-you card to the Wasbies from the 36th Indian Division.

VICTORY AND HOME

THE WAR ENDS

The Japanese defeat at Kohima was the turning point in the Burma campaign. Wasbies arrived to view the devastation at Garrison Hill where troops had fought the enemy hand to hand with grenades and bayonets. Rain had washed away makeshift graves to expose the many dead. A Wasbie canteen was required to offset the grim reality and in the raging monsoon, dressed in clammy rain capes and gumboots, Wasbies went about their work. They became an integral part of both 7th Indian Division and 2nd British Division down the road at Imphal and a warm camaraderie developed between Wasbies and troops. With the Japanese army in retreat, the Wasbies returned to Burma. Nin Taylor arrived by plane or jeep to make preparations at each location the day after the Japanese had withdrawn. On one terrifying occasion when their jeep broke down she and another area commander had to walk seven miles back through the jungle at night. The Wasbies finally arrived back in Rangoon in May 1945, where they took over catering at the Boat Club. Some 1,200 men passed through daily. The women provided refreshments at the docks for the thousands of incoming and outgoing troops and visited the wounded in

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hospitals. Local Burmese girls as well as Australians were recruited to help boost their numbers. Jo Scott, 88, one of the last surviving Wasbies, went out to Rangoon from Shillong at 16, having lied about her age. ‘When all the ex-prisoners of war were being evacuated back we were asked to meet them. We were told how to behave and how we mustn’t stare, but my God it was awful. They had been on the Siam Railway and were in a terrible state, just skin and bone.’ When POWs saw the Wasbies, their first glimpse of a British woman in over three years, many broke down in tears.

Victory over Japan came in August 1945. The Wasbies stayed on in Burma to serve troops moving out and small teams went to Java, Sumatra and later Japan. In late 1946, they came home to a cold Britain, some arriving by ship in Liverpool with few belongings, shivering in their thin clothing. There were a few warm words from military high command on the disbanding of the WAS(B) in June 1946. ’The Wasbies’, wrote Rear Admiral Louis Mountbatten, Supreme Allied Commander in South East Asia, ‘played an important part in the Burma campaign… they always had the welfare of troops at heart and they were able to do much to alleviate the hardships of the campaign’. Three Wasbies had been killed in transport accidents. And Nin Taylor, the formidable driving force of this brave band of women, returned to live in Kent only to die in 1951, aged 53, after what should have been a routine operation. Perhaps General William Slim, commander of the ‘Forgotten’ 14th Army, summed it up best: The WAS(B) showed ‘the highest standard of devotion and courage. Their contribution, not only to the material welfare but to the morale of the Army was a very real one,’ he wrote. ‘The men … will long remember them for their unselfish cheerfulness, their tireless service, and for the breath of home they brought to them.’ 

80th Anniversary

CELEBRATING BRITAIN’S GREATEST FIGHTER

On March 5, 1936 test pilot ‘Mutt’ Summers put the throttle of a sleek prototype fighter forward and it leapt into the air. He came back clearly delighted, telling the crowd of onlookers: “I don’t want anything touched!” The iconic Supermarine Spitfire was born and ready to face the full might of the Luftwaffe just four years later. More than 22,000 of many variants followed. In this 80th anniversary year, the publishers of FlyPast magazine present a special 100-page tribute to Britain’s greatest fighter and possibly the best known combat aircraft in the world. Using extensive archive images, the best of aviation writers and researchers salute the Spitfire’s incredible heritage Renowned air-to-air photographer John Dibbs presents a stunning portfolio of present-day Spitfires in their element: from the day fighter Mk.I to the high-flying Mk.XIX and the wing-folding Seafires. All of this adds up to a superb souvenir of a world famous fighter. FEATURING:

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On 12 August 1940, during the Battle of Britain, in an engagement with Dornier Do 17s, Geoffrey Page was shot down into the English Channel, suffering severe burns. He spent much of the next two years in hospitals, undergoing plastic surgery, but recovered sufficiently to pursue an extremely distinguished war and post-war career. This eloquently written and critically acclaimed autobiography tells of his wartime exploits in the air and on the ground. He was a founder member of The Guinea Pig Club – formed by badly burnt aircrew – and this is a fascinating account of the club, of the courage and bravery of ‘The Few’, and of Geoffrey’s later life and achievements, most particularly in the creation of The Battle of Britain memorial. Softback, 256 pages.

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FRONT LINES

Mail to The Trenches BELOW: A field Post Office.

W

ITH 75,000 of its employees enlisted after the outbreak of war, the Post Office formed its own 12,000-strong battalion, the Post Office Rifles, who forsook letter boxes and mail sacks for rifles and kit bags. Almost all of these men were postal staff, an astonishing half of whom would become casualties, with 1,800 killed and

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4,500 wounded whilst climbing out of trenches and fighting as foot-soldiers on the Western Front at places like Ypres, the Somme and Passchendaele. This effort prompted one Divisional General to get sufficiently carried away after one attack, telling them: ‘I thought you were a lot of stamp lickers, but you went over like a lot of bloody savages’. Some 145 of

these men would receive gallantry medals, which is certainly a lot of brave postmen! As these men marched away, so womenfolk stepped in to fill the void left behind in the British postal service, to keep the public as much in touch with loved ones as they had ever been; the government realising how important it was for morale and for troops to be kept in

FRONT LINES

Mail to The Trenches touch with home. According to the British Postal Museum & Archive, the mail was sorted in a five-acre shed at Regent’s Park, London, said to be the largest wooden structure in the world and employing over 2,500 mostly female staff by 1918. During the war, the London Home Depot handled a staggering 2 billion letters (12.5 million a week) and an astonishing 114 million parcels.

BARRAGE OF FIRE

Birmingham-born Alfred Knight worked as a clerk in the Post Office’s North Midland Engineering District and was 26 when he signed up for the 2nd Post Office Rifles Battalion (the 2nd/8th Battalions, London Regiment),

the unit moving to France in January 1917. He was made a Sergeant after the Second Battle of Bullecourt that year, in which he brought in wounded men under heavy fire and was awarded the Victoria Cross for actions at the Battle for Wurst Farm Ridge, Ypres, on 

Front Lines The vitally important part played by the Post Office during the First World War enabled soldiers to keep in contact with folk back home, although many ‘Posties’ also joined up to form the Post Office Rifles as John Wright explains.

www.britainatwar.com 65

FRONT LINES

Mail to The Trenches in The Post Office Rifles, but it was service of another kind by those left behind on the Home Front which ensured the mails got through.

THE POST OFFICE WOMEN

ABOVE: Bags of mail at the huge Home Depot, Regent’s Park, London. BELOW: Men of The Post Office Rifles at attention.

20 September. The London Gazette, 18 days later, described his valour as the ‘most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty during the operation against the enemy positions’. Pinned down by two German gunners, twice he single-handedly left the trench to run through the barrage of fire with his rifle with bayonet fixed, managing to surprise and scatter their post of 12 men and capturing their machine-gun. Years later, Knight remembered the pattern the German bullets made around him in the mud as he ran, and described how he felt: ‘All my kit was shot away almost as soon as we were in it. Everything went, in fact. Bullets rattled on my steel helmet – there were several significant dents and one

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hole in it I found later – and part of a book was shot away in my pocket. A photograph-case and a cigarette-case probably saved my life from one bullet, which must have passed just under my armpit – quite close enough to be comfortable!’ Given a hero’s welcome back in Nottingham, and clutching an inscribed marble clock postal workers had clubbed together to buy, he was always jovial and modest and jokingly dismissed press accounts of his VC action which, he claimed, made him out to be ‘a man from whom the bullets bounced’. The press were taken by his sense of humour; one Birmingham newspaper dubbing him ‘the Jolly VC’. His was just one example of valour

As well as helping troops stay in touch with families at home, the Post Office did less obvious jobs during the war. Employing over ¼ million people, it handled Britain’s telegraph and telephone systems, banking, a Relief Fund for widows and orphans of employees, distributed recruitment forms and, later on, ration books. It also issued the government’s new ‘Separation Allowances’ to soldiers’ wives left with no income with one condition that raised eyebrows then, as it would today, which was that women could only claim the allowance if they were faithful to their husbands. The arrival of 35,000 women to do Post Office work apparently made many ‘uncomfortable’, although this is a little difficult to understand given the fuss made about the war effort involving everyone. More ‘uncomfortable’, probably, were most of the women who were promptly replaced by men after the war and would have to wait yet another decade before even gaining the right to vote. Temporary staff members or not, it was largely these women who drastically overhauled the Post Office so that it could cope with all the changes and prepare for the future. The amount of mail increased dramatically: 700,000 items in October 1914 grew to 13 million by the end of the war. Services once offered in peacetime were cut back and some rural towns being used to 12 deliveries a day were cut back to one or two, as was the mail carried by

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trains and ships. The Irish Packet Boat Service did night crossings only after RMS Leinster, carrying 771 passengers and crew (mostly soldiers and 180 civilian men, women and children) was torpedoed by a German U-boat just before the end of the war and sunk in the Irish Sea, over 500 losing their lives.

ABOVE: Women Post Office workers during the First World War. LEFT: Personnel from the WAAC (Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps) pictured outside on the balcony of their billet in France during the First World War, sorting through the post that has just arrived.

THE TERRIBLE REALITY

The war also brought to an end the British institution that was The Penny Post; for 75 years it had cost exactly one penny to send a standard letter. The war had so drained the government of cash that in June 1918 the Treasury added the princely sum of a halfpenny to that price, a letter never again costing as little as a penny to post, making one historian observe that ‘one of the great triumphs of peace had succumbed to the demands of war’. Not only did the Post Office go about its normal business during the war, but cities like London also had occasional bombings to contend with. One day in July 1917 part of the roof of the Central Telegraph Office in London collapsed in an air raid, which also damaged the telegraph system. Offices in Birmingham stepped in straight away and the CTO was up and running within three days, according to the BPMA. No one was hurt thanks to a national air raid warning system that had also been developed by the Post Office Engineering department. 

BELOW LEFT: A British officer, laying on the ground in a captured trench in Oostaverne Wood, writes a letter home, 11 June 1917, during the Battle of Messines, Belgium.

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Mail to The Trenches BELOW: German officers censoring POWs’ mail before it is sent home, Doberitz PoW Camp, Germany, circa 1915. All military mail, from and to whomever, was censored – particularly POW mail.

The Post Office’s Engineering department also designed telephone and telegraph equipment to be used in the trenches, and a staggering 11,000strong army of peacetime engineers were brought in and, often while battles were in progress, would lay or repair the lines and make it all work. An Army Postal Service was also established to receive mail from the Home Depot the moment it arrived at its overseas destination. Each day, up to 19,000 mailbags crossed the Channel to France where lorries and carts would take them onward. Despite the staggering efficiency of this system, its touching carefulness often flew in the face of the terrible reality that many would-be recipients were killed. A sobering 30,000 letters a day remained unopened.

EXPLOITED BY THE ENEMY

One infantryman, Reg Sims, wrote home: ‘In exactly twelve months I have received 167 letters besides paper and parcels and have written 242 letters.’ The Army did whatever it could to raise everyone’s morale, both at the front and at home. By the end of the war there was also such a well-organised pigeon post service that the authorities even had 22,000 pigeons going to-and-fro taking official messages. The overwhelming need with the rapidly growing numbers of posted mail and telegraphed messages,

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however, was security. Since letters home could unwittingly provide the enemy with useful information if intercepted, the War Office devised precautions to prevent this happening, the main one being that all mail, in both directions, was censored before it was sent. Clearly, in wartime the post can be a potential source of information for the enemy and even innocent personal letters could give away information on troop positions and even battle plans. Grumbles about conditions, or signs of low morale, could also be exploited by the enemy with morale at home just as important in maintaining support for the war. Hence, a desire to seize upon and delete any messages about battle experiences that would upset families. The Post Office censored mail from the troops and letters going from home to the soldiers could only be addressed by their name, military number and unit and be sent ‘Care of the GPO’, as was mail sent to sailors which could only mention the ship’s name. Thus, no geographical locations were mentioned and no one could know where any of the men actually were. It is hard to imagine, though, a government allowing 12 million letters to be sent to troops at a time of war let alone there being enough will or manpower to open and read every single one of them and still manage to deliver them in just two days! There were exceptions, of course. One notable case being the

postcard that took almost a century to arrive. Sent from the Channel port of Newhaven, Sussex, by a soldier called Alfred Arthur to his sister Nell before leaving for France, the cheeky postcard with a sweating soldier looking sheepishly at a notice ordering recruits to do eight hours marching, began: ‘Dear Nell, Just a PC to let you know I have not forgotten you.’ Sadly, she never received it. Arthur died, aged 22, and just a month before war

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ended in 1918. Ninety-four years later, a historian tracked down his nearest relatives and delivered it. Admittedly, censoring was far from a perfect art form and at the front it generally fell to junior officers, some of whom couldn’t bear to read what was said and passed such letters onto someone else. The method was also very often crude. Former ‘postie’ and Home Secretary Alan Johnson MP, told the BBC on 31 January this year that ‘Forbidden subjects were either ripped out of letters or simply scribbled out. In some cases, censored words remained readable.’ Revealing nothing, and really pretty basic was the Field Service Post Card which provided a multiple choice message where the soldier crossed out ones that didn’t apply, such as ‘I am quite well’ or ‘I have been admitted into hospital’ and ‘I have received no letter from you’ either ‘lately’ or ‘for a long time’. The brief stilted language was hardly romantic, but at least it told loved ones that the sender was alive. Some messages, of course, were passionate but revealed no secrets. When one soldier on the Western Front wrote to a London newspaper in 1915 saying he was lonely and would appreciate receiving some mail, the newspaper published his name and regiment and within weeks he’d received 3,000 letters, 98 large parcels and three mailbags full of smaller packages! Some of the letters that did get through, however, were extremely poignant. ‘Dear father,’ began one, now held by the Imperial War Museum, ‘They have been teaching us bayonet

fighting today and I can tell you it makes your arms ache. I think with this hard training they will either make a man of me, or kill me. From your loving son, Ted’. The sender, Edward John Poole, was killed in action just two months later, aged 18. A century on, it is still just as upsetting to read. Another said: ‘My own beloved wife... I do not know how to start this letter... We are going over the top this afternoon and only God in Heaven knows who will come out of it alive... If I am called my regret is that I leave you and my bairns... Oh! How I love you all and as I sit here waiting I wonder what you are doing at home. I must not do that. It is hard enough sitting waiting. Goodbye, you best of women and best of wives, my beloved sweetheart... Eternal love from yours for evermore, Jim’. He would be one of the lucky

ones. Company Sergeant Major James Milne (‘Jim’) survived to be reunited with his family.

CAPTURE OF ENEMY AGENTS

While words of affection stood a fighting chance of getting through, it was quickly established what kind of less benign messages needed to be looked for, and to crack those in foreign languages the War Office hired thousands of bilingual women. Helped by the Post Office, they stopped all telegrams addressed to Germany and intercepted compromising mail which duly led to capture of enemy agents. All were caught ,except one who escaped, and 14 of them were executed. The most famous was the German spy Carl Hans Lody. A Lieutenant in the German Naval Reserve, Lody 

ABOVE RIGHT: A British Officer in a dug-out censoring letters home. ABOVE MIDDLE: A mobile telegraph machine. ABOVE LEFT: The original caption states that this photograph shows: ‘Soldiers writing letters home after the battle’ during the First World War. BELOW LEFT: The soldier’s postcard sent to Vera.

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Mail to The Trenches RIGHT: British and French prisoners of war are pictured sorting mail upon its arrival at their camp during the First World War. This photograph is believed to have been taken at Doberitz POW Camp, Germany, circa 1915. BELOW: The ubiquitous Field Service Post Card which allowed very basic information to be communicated. BOTTOM: The Post Office Rifles Cemetery at Festubert, France, where most of the casaualties are men of the Post Office Rifles. (CWGC)

travelled on an American passport under the name of Charles Inglis, spoke English fluently and was detected in his very first message sent to an address in Stockholm known to be a cover for German intelligence. Any messages sent there were intercepted, and Lody’s correspondence made it clear that a German spy was active in Britain.

DETAILED LETTER IN GERMAN

Lody sent regular messages in English and German to contacts in Stockholm, but some were allowed through because they contained misleading information. For instance, he sent letters about ‘large numbers of Russian troops’ in Scotland, repeating an infamous rumour that thousands of Russians had been sent to fight on the Western Front. There was no truth in the story, but Lody’s messages sent via the Royal Mail caused great concern to the Germans. It was when he went to Dublin via Liverpool and wrote a detailed letter in German with no coding about ships he’d seen that postal censors intercepted the letter and MI5 decided to order his arrest. Tracked to Killarney, County Kerry, Lody was arrested on 2 October 1914, his true

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identity discovered from a tailor’s ticket in his jacket which bore his real name and an address in Berlin.

What nobody could know when the First World War began was that it was going to last just over four years and the exultance when Armistice INESTIMABLE SERVICE Day arrived can only be imagined Amateurish or not, Lody had guts. 100 years later. But one soldier knew Facing a highly publicised public trial precisely how to express it in a postcard and a death sentence, he refused to name marked ‘Victory’ and sent home to the man who recruited him, stating: either girlfriend or wife, one Vera ‘That name I cannot say as I have given Tolhurst. He designed and addressed my word of honour’. MI5 later wrote: his postcard in such a curious way that ‘His declarations of patriotism and it somehow summed it all up. Not honour attracted widespread admiration only did it effectively say farewell to in both Britain and Germany. the age-old ‘Penny Post’ by chopping Convicted and taken to up penny stamps and constructing the Tower of London her name with them, but the card to be executed on the bore the newly increased postage of a morning of 6 November penny ha’penny. It seems to shout to 1914, he was reported to the world, not just his feelings about have said to the officer Vera, but of the freedom and safety that who escorted him: ‘I had finally returned to daily life. It also suppose that you will not stands as testament to the inestimable care to shake hands with service provided by the Post Office – a German spy’. ‘No,’ the not only through its own regiment at officer replied; ‘but I will the front but through the invaluable shake hands with a brave contributions of postal workers at man.' home. 

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OUTWARD BOUND

Balloon Warfare on German War Effort RIGHT: Operation Outward underway on Languard Common, Felixstowe – note the racks of cylinders arranged on the right hand side. The backdrop is provided by Landguard Fort. A fort at Landguard has protected Harwich Harbour since the reign of Henry VIII. The five-sided fort pictured here (and which is today open to the public) dates from 1717-20. (THE NATIONAL

ARCHIVE, ADM199848)

T

HIS TALE began on the night of 16/17 September 1940. It was a stormy night and violent gales tore loose a very large number of barrage balloons from across England’s east coast. The winds carried the balloons over the North Sea, coming to earth throughout Scandinavia. The wide-spread and devastating effect that these seemingly harmless stray balloons created was reported by the Swedish press on the following day, the 18th. ‘A great number of English barrage balloons, which, clearly, were set free by the heavy storm on Tuesday, have drifted in over the south and west coasts of Sweden and over Denmark. The trailing cables of the balloons caused damage in many places to over-head electric circuits and caused interruption of traffic, in Malmö and Gothenburg among other places. The traffic on the West Coast Railway was crippled.

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Balloon Warfare on German War Effort A number of power lines from Trollatte power station were damaged ... Falkoping, Skara, the whole of the Vastgota Plain, Uddevalla and the whole of Dalsland had current off at midnight ... The main cable from Lahan to Malmo has been broken twice and a large part of the south of Sweden has been deprived of current ... Greater or smaller disturbances in the electric distribution have been reported from Engelholm, Hassleholm, Lund, Vinslov, Karlsham, Kristianstad and Karlskrona ...’2 The effects of the balloons hitting power cables were as devastating as a major air raid. Sweden, of course, was not at war with Britain and the incident was an embarrassment to the British Government. But some of the balloons reached German-occupied Denmark where they did so much damage that anti-aircraft guns were brought into action to shoot them down. This, naturally, set people

in Britain thinking. As Churchill observed: ‘We may make a virtue of our misfortune’!

LIKELY TO DESCEND IN GERMANY

The Air Ministry was instructed to consider the practicality of using balloons as an offensive weapon. Balloons could clearly do a great deal of damage, they were comparatively cheap to manufacture and no-one would have to risk their life sending them to the enemy. It was calculated that if balloons were released from Great Yarmouth on a westerly wind they were likely to descend in Germany. But the Air Ministry showed little interest in the scheme, expressing concerns that the Germans might retaliate in kind - the lamest of excuses in time of war. Plus, they noted, the prevailing winds across the UK tend to be westerly, which would limit the opportunities for balloon

releases from the Continent, and it was passed on to the Boom Defence Department (BDD) of the Royal Navy which had suitable facilities for such an operation on the south and east coasts. The first BDD balloon base was situated on Landguard Common in Felixstowe. The base was operated predominantly by women Operational Boom Defence Wrens - even though the work was mainly heavy, outdoor, manual labour. Big strong girls were chosen and one person who saw the team at Felixstowe lined up in the field in bell bottom trousers and blue jerseys, described the women as ‘Amazons’. The girls were also trained to operate defensive Lewis guns, even though the employment of women on lethal weapons was at that time officially prohibited. The Wrens living quarters were at the Suffolk Convalescent Home on Felixstowe seafront.3 

BELOW: A rare photograph capturing the release of incendiary balloons, as part of Operation Outward, from Languard Common, Felixstowe. Interestingly, those carrying out the task seem to a combination of both naval and Royal Air Force staff. (THE NATIONAL

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D N U O B D R Large numbers of unusual yellow objects drifted over the streets of the east-coast port of Felixstowe in March 1942. Spotted by women in the town, the cry went up that the Nazis had invaded at last. But these were not German paratroopers - they were, in fact, Britain’s latest secret weapons! John Grehan investigates the story of Operation Outward.

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Balloon Warfare on German War Effort BELOW: The idea behind Operation Outward came from the events of the night of 16/17 September 1940. During a series of violent gales large numbers of British barrage balloons were torn loose from across England’s east coast. Carried across the North Sea, these balloons caused havoc in Scandinavia and Denmark. (MIRRORPIX)

OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN AGAINST GERMANY

Two types of balloons were designed for flights over Germany under the codename Operation Outward. One was made of rubber with a diameter of 6.5 feet containing a volume of 148 cubic feet which resulted in a lift of 10.5lbs. The other was 10 feet in diameter and was made of rubberised silk, with a volume of 494 cubic feet and a lift of 35.6lbs. Below the balloons trailed a 300-feet steel cable. The balloons were surprisingly sophisticated and were built with automatic devices to enable them to remain in the air for the desired length of time. To keep them airborne the balloons carried a six-inch-tall cylindrical can which held water and an aneroid device that responded to air pressure. If the balloon descended then water was released and the balloon rose back to the prescribed height. To prevent the balloon from expanding too much, and rising too high, a length of rope with a ball at the end was suspended internally from the top. The ball sat on the opening of the filling tube and prevented the gas from escaping. But, when the balloon expanded the rope was pulled vertically and the ball

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was lifted from the tube opening, thus releasing gas. The balloon would then descend accordingly.4 The balloons rose at a rate of 850 feet per minute to a height of between 20,000 and 30,000 feet, and when the string became taut and the gas released, the balloons descended at a rate of 200 feet per minute until the ball-valve closed again and the balloons started to ascend. Though the effects of the early release programmes could not be known, the great enthusiasm for the operation shown by the BDD quickly manifested itself in a variety of explosive devices it designed that could be carried by the balloons. Though the original intention was simply to disrupt Germany’s electricpower supply network, the BDD took the wording of the inaugural document at face value and began an ‘offensive’ campaign against Germany. The principle behind this idea was that the explosive devices attached to the balloons would be triggered when they landed in Germany or when they were handled by the enemy. Four different devices were used. The first was a simple, small yellow bomb, four inches long and two-and-a-half inches in diameter. It was triggered by a small

cartridge which was fired when banged or pulled. The second was a cylindrical metal canister nine inches long with a diameter of eight-and-a-quarter inches. It was fitted with a lid and held seven or eight short-necked half-pint bottles containing a mixture of phosphorus and benzene which ignited immediately the glass was shattered. The third device was an incendiary sock. This was a bundle of wood-wool soaked in paraffin inside a canvas cover, the whole device measuring twentyseven inches long by ten inches wide and ten inches deep. It was triggered by an electrical igniter which was connected to four fuse cords that were activated by an electrical contact when the device struck the ground. The next variation, the fourth, was a can of incendiary jelly inside a can eleven-anda-half inches by six-and-a-half inches by four inches. At one end of the can was a releasing device mounted on a plate and at the other an impact fuse for igniting the jelly. When the jelly was ignited it erupted over an area of around 20 feet!

DANGEROUS OBJECTS

Each day at 10.00 hours the Director of Boom Defences, or one of the three Royal Navy Commanders present at the

OUTWARD BOUND

Balloon Warfare on German War Effort site, would decide if any balloons were to be released that day. This decision would be based on the following criteria: 1. Suitable wind direction and upper wind speed strong enough to enable the balloons to reach enemy territory one or two hours after dark; 2. Adequate ground wind speed. This had to be ten miles per hour or greater; 3. Absence of heavy cloud formations over enemy territory; 4. Absence of heavy rain or snow and ice. If conditions were suitable for balloon operations, the officer-in-charge would give the time of the first release, the hours between which the releases would take place, the total number of balloons to be released and the time of the fuse setting for the incendiary devices. This information would then be passed on to both the Admiralty and the Air Ministry.5 In July 1942 a second Outward base was established at Old Stairs near Ringwould, Kent, despite continued opposition from the RAF which remained extremely worried about these dangerous objects drifting across the skies. Because of this continued

pressure, it was decreed two hours notice had to be given before any balloons could be released, and all flights had to be undertaken in daylight hours. The last flight would be one hour before sunset. If the RAF had an operation of its own over the likely target area or if it was felt that the balloons might impede the actions of Fighter Command, the Air Ministry had the authority to order the cancellation of all balloon releases.6 Nevertheless, the BDD dispatched anything from 600 to 6,000 balloons every month – a rate it hoped to increase with the opening of a third site, in 1943, at Waxham near Great Yarmouth. A Number of Unfortunate Accidents Over on the Continent, the Germans thought at first that the attacks on their electricity supply network were the result of sabotage from the ground. Then, eventually, when they found lengths of cable and remains of balloons next to the breaks in the lines, they realised what was happening. The Germans took the potential cumulative effect of the balloons very seriously (quite correctly as it turned out) and quickly arranged counter-measures. Fighter planes

were scrambled during daylight hours to shoot down the balloons and antiaircraft batteries were employed to bring them down whenever they were spotted. Incredible though it may seem, on one occasion a force of 200 German fighters were ordered to intercept a flight of balloons. All sightings of balloons had to be reported to the authorities and electrical supply and generation facilities in the path of the balloons were notified in advance so that they could shut down endangered lines.7 Inevitably, not everything went to plan. In April of 1942, claims from the Electricity Commission were made against the Admiralty for War Damage for interruptions to electricity supply in Ipswich ‘caused by operations with a device involving the use of small balloons’.8 A Civil Defence pamphlet was also produced to warn police and ambulance crews of the hazards they might encounter from ‘British Balloon Devices’, particularly the phosphorus bottles and the incendiary canisters.9 Colchester, Harwich and Frinton-onSea all suffered from rogue balloons and, on one occasion, the HarwichFrinton tram service was stopped by them for over twenty-four hours. 

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Balloon Warfare on German War Effort RIGHT: WAAF barrage balloon operators with one of their charges. Women personnel also operated balloons for Operation Outward.

Some balloons drifted in the entirely opposite direction, coming to earth in Bristol, Bournemouth and Dorchester. There were also a number of unfortunate accidents to the Wrens. The balloons were inflated with the hydrogen gas inside green canvas tents which were sprayed with water to prevent static electricity building up. However, when the wind was strong the movement of the balloons against the sides of the tents created friction between the canvas and the rubber envelope. Occasionally this caused the hydrogen to ignite resulting in many of the Wrens suffering burns to exposed flesh and hair.

BELOW: The success of the D-Day landings did not end balloon operations. Here, personnel of No.1 ‘M’ Balloon Unit inflate M-type balloons from cylinders by the roadside at Bunsbeek, Belgium, before loading leaflets for despatch over Germany.

DESTRUCTION OF THE GERMAN HARVEST

(MIRRORPIX)

(IWM CL1963)

The entirely unpredictable nature of Operation Outward resulted in the balloons straying right across Europe. In neutral Switzerland, which adjoins Germany, the effects of the attack were severely felt. Admiralty files, released to the public in the 1970s, disclosed the following: ‘Swiss people were warned of the dangers of a new type of foreignmade balloon which has been found in considerable numbers on Swiss territory. The warning, broadcast by radio, said that the balloons are fitted

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with a metal container holding an inflammable liquid and with a steel cable about 300 feet in length.’ ‘It may happen’, said the announcer, ‘that the cable, trailing near the ground, has come in contact with high-tension wires. It is, therefore, dangerous to touch them. The balloons are filled with hydrogen, and it is dangerous to approach them with a burning match or a cigarette.’10 Remarkably, some balloons even reached Italy (reported in the Press on 27 September 1943) and, on 18 September 1942, Bulgarian Radio was put off-air by incendiary balloons!11 These balloons also had the unexpected effect of destroying woodland and crops. In occupied Belgium grain and flax was burnt in the fields and, in the Indre Department, one incendiary balloon set fire to a granary, causing the loss of 500,000 Francs-worth of grain. Indeed, the ‘Reich Air Defence League’ stated in August 1942 that the primary purpose of the balloons was the destruction of the German harvest.12 Operation Outward continued until September 1944, when the enterprise was wound-down in case the balloons affected Allied forces operating in Europe. By that time 99,142 balloons had been launched,

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Balloon Warfare on German War Effort

of which 45,599 were fitted with just trailing wires - 55,543 carried incendiary devices. It had involved only six Naval and Royal Marine officers, seven W.R.N.S. officers, eighty Marines and 140 Wrens. The entire operation cost a modest £220,000.

OPERATION INCREASED IN INTENSITY

During the campaign, no-one in Britain could possibly know precisely how effective the balloons had been. But what was certain was that frontline German forces were diverted from their main defensive tasks to deal with the balloons and valuable ammunition was expended upon them. Whereas in Britain it was largely second-line, non-combatant personnel used in their deployment. So, even discounting the possible disruptive effects of the balloons striking power lines and the like here in the United Kingdom, Outward was considered to have been at least worth the effort. After the war, the Admiralty was keen to learn how successful Outward

had really been and the man in charge of the operation, the Director of Boom Defences, asked for information to be gathered from the Continent about the disruption to the electrical supply system caused by the balloons. The resultant reports were quite staggering. In German-occupied France the balloons cause eighty-four power failures on the main 220 kV system between September 1942 and June 1944 (almost one a week) and in occupied Belgium during a similar period of time there were 194 failures on the high-voltage network, let alone the low-voltage system. At first the Germans kept detailed records of each incident but, as the operation increased in intensity, the number of power failures was so great that they simply gave up documenting them. The incidents became so frequent that gangs of trained men were kept on stand-by to fix damaged cables and conductors.

The subsequent estimate provided by the British Central Electricity Board, using the evidence gathered by the post-war survey, claimed that the losses to the German electricity companies amounted to £1,152,000. This figure does not include the loss of industrial production caused by the resultant power failures - this is merely the cost of damaged plant and equipment. The total cost to German industry must have been colossal.

ABOVE: Large numbers of Luftwaffe fighters were regularly sent up to intercept the Operation Outward balloons. (1940 MEDIA LTD)

DESTRUCTION OF THE BOHLEN PLANT

The greatest single loss suffered by the Germans was the complete destruction of the power station at Bohlen near Leipzig, which was about the same size as Battersea Power Station. This occurred in July 1942 when a balloon cable short-circuited a 110 kV overhead line running from the plant. The protective circuit-breaker failed to work and the power was fed back to the generators. This led to a mechanical explosion followed by a general fire. 250,000 kV of plant was rendered unserviceable. As a result of the destruction of the Bohlen plant the circuit-breakers used by the German electrical companies were modified to make them more sensitive. Sadly for the Germans, this made them so sensitive that the circuitbreakers were frequently triggered by sudden surges in demand and even by birds when there were no balloons in the sky! The destruction to the Bohlen plant was calculated as having the equivalent effect upon the German 

LEFT: A War Office diagram of an Operation Outward balloon.

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Balloon Warfare on German War Effort RIGHT: Visual proof that Operation Outward worked – the devastation at the generating station at Bohlen, Germany, caused by an incendiary balloon, July 1942. (THE NATIONAL

ARCHIVE, ADM199848)

BELOW: The third and final launching site for Operation Outward was opened, in 1943, on the East Coast at Waxham near Great Yarmouth. The actual open area believed to have been used for the balloon releases is now a camp site.

(VIA AUTHOR)

war effort as the loss of a large warship. A loss achieved by the simple deployment of balloons.13 Lieutenant Commander Edmead, who conducted the post-war research on behalf of the DBD, discovered that even if the balloon cables did not break the power lines on first contact, they would damage them to such an extent that in adverse conditions - such as following a severe snow storm - the lines would break. “The total number of incidents”, Edmead calculated, “must have reached a formidable amount”. Incredibly, the Luftwaffe eventually stopped trying to shoot down the balloons because “the incidents were too frequent and often occurred several times in an hour”.14 Though rarely-reported, and often dismissed as being of little more than nuisance value, Operation Outward was in fact a startling success. Indeed, the Germans were “greatly relieved” that the scale of the attack was not heavier!15 From the statistics complied by the Admiralty, it would appear that almost every week (and sometimes every day) German power supplies across the country - and therefore German industrial units - were being disrupted. To cite an example, in one factory alone, more than 1,000 man-hours were lost in just a single incident.16 It could well be that this comparatively benign enterprise, which aimed principally at destroying plant and equipment rather than killing people, was, for the resources employed and the negligible injuries incurred, the most successful operation conducted by any nation in the entire Second World War. 

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FOOTNOTES: 1. The extract from the 54th Division’s War Diary reads as follows: “The appearance of a number of strange-shaped balloons over Felixstowe (forty was the number) with trailing ropes [sic] to which were attached white metal canisters, caused great curiosity and some trepidation amongst the local population ... in Maidstone Road, Felixstowe, the sight of the balloons caused two women to commence screaming hysterically that the invasion had commenced and Nazi parachutists were coming down. Their uproar was promptly quelled by the local ARP warden”, TNA W0 166/6340. 2. The National Archive (TNA) ADM 199/848, War Cabinet Chiefs of Staff Committee meeting, C.O.S. (40) 872, 26, October 1940, Use of Balloons as an Offensive Weapon. 3. Vera Laughton Mathews, Blue Tapestry, (Hollis & Carter, London 1948), p.226. 4. TNA ADM 1/15627.9. 5. TNA ADM 199/848 262517, Instructions for Operation “Outward”. 6. In May 1944, the RAF asked for Operation Outward to cease altogether. After negotiations between the DBD and the RAF the operation was allowed to continue but only under a trickle release system in which only one balloon was released every six minutes, from each station, and the balloons with wires only one every 500 minutes, ADM 199/848, Report of The Director of Boom Defences, 19 December 1945. 7. TNA ADM 1/1683,27.7.44. 8. Christopher, J. Balloons at War: Gasbags, Flying Bombs & Cold War Secrets (Tempus, Stroud, 2004), pp. 124-5. 9. Civil Defence Training Pamphlet No.2, Objects Dropped from the Air (HMSO 1944). 10. TNA ADM 1/15627. 11. Daily Digest of World Broadcasts, No.l 153, BBC, 13 September 1942. 12. Sheila M. Bywater, typescript memoir Small Part, Big War, in the Imperial War Museum, Department of Documents, Ref. 05/62/1; ADM 1/15627, 28.8.42. 13. TNA ADM 199/848, Report of The Director of Boom Defences, 19 December 1945 14. TNA ADM 199/848, Report of The Director of Boom Defences, 18 December 1945. 15. Ibid. To give some indication of how Operation Outward has been viewed by some historians, the reader should consult J.P. Foynes, privately-published The Battle of the East Coast (Isleworth, 1994), p.211, in which he states that it was a “mere pin-prick to the enemy”. 16. TNA ADM 1/16843, Minute of 8 July 1944.

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SUICIDE, SUBTERFUGE AND SALVAGE Salvaging Graf Spee’s Secrets

Several glass plate negatives were recently discovered in the photographic archive at the Devonport Naval Heritage Centre and investigations by David J B Smith revealed the intriguing background to the twin-barrelled guns depicted in these images. N THE confines of a bland ground level room at the Argentine Naval Arsenal, a large eagle-emblazoned ensign was stretched out across the tiled floor. The room was just so. Everything had its place and everything was in its place, with one exception. Lying prostrate on top of an old German Imperial Navy flag, impeccably dressed in his blue-black serge uniform, was the Kapitän zur See of arguably the most infamous German Panzerschiff of World War Two. A crumpled cigar sat in a well-used ashtray. Several letters and a pipe were neatly placed on a desk, along with an empty glass, still emitting an odour of Scotch. To all intents and purposes it looked much like 45-yearold Hans Wilhelm Langsdorff was sound asleep, but a Mauser automatic pistol lay next to his open right hand. The Captain of the marauding pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee had apparently taken his own life, a neat bullet hole in his right temple indicating the cause of death. One of the aforementioned letters was addressed to the German Ambassador in Buenos Aires. The first paragraph read:

I

MAIN IMAGE: Graf Spee's wreck, taken 2 Feb 1940 by Richard D. Sampson, USS Helena. (US NAVAL HISTORY AND HERITAGE COMMAND (USNHHC))

TOP RIGHT: Langsdorff’s coffin and honour guard.

(DAVID J.B. SMITH)

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Your Excellency, After a long struggle I reached the grave decision to scuttle the Admiral Graf Spee, in order to prevent her from falling into enemy hands. I am still convinced that under the circumstances this decision was the only one left, once I had taken my ship into the trap of Montevideo. For with the ammunition remaining, any attempt to ight my way back to open and deep water was bound to fail. And yet only in deep water could I have scuttled the ship, after having used the remaining ammunition, thus avoiding her falling to the enemy... Just a week prior to Langsdorff’s death, Admiral Graf Spee had been roaming the high seas with near impunity and proved extremely successful in its commerce raiding role. Between 26 September and 13 December 1939 Graf Spee stopped and sank nine Allied merchant vessels, totalling 50,089 tonnes. Langsdorff would allow the merchant crew time to disembark into lifeboats, the vessels were then searched for anything of intelligence value and scuttled or sunk by gunfire, the hapless crews transferred to one of the supply vessels that followed Graf Spee. 

SUICIDE, SUBTERFUGE AND SALVAGE

Salvaging Graf Spee’s Secrets

SUICIDE, SUBTERFUGE AND SALVAGE

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SUICIDE, SUBTERFUGE AND SALVAGE Salvaging Graf Spee’s Secrets

Wounded Battleship

On the morning of 13 December 1939, funnel smoke from the Panzerschif was spotted by warships of Royal Navy Force ‘G’, comprising ships from the South American Cruiser Squadron, HMS Exeter, HMNZS Achilles and HMS Ajax and one of the first great sea battles of the Second World War ensued, becoming known as the Battle of River Plate. Langsdorff was encouraged to fight by the notion that his pocket battleship possessed superior firepower to the combined might of three lesser Royal Navy warships. Graf Spee engaged headlong with Force ‘G’, bringing to bear her arsenal of 28cm guns mounted in two triple turrets, capable of firing 300kg projectiles over 36 nautical miles. Heavy and prolonged exchanges of gunfire ensued. Although damaged, Graf Spee made smoke and escaped, the wounded battleship headed for the port of Montevideo in neutral Uruguay with Langsdorff intending to effect repairs, refuel, and bury 36 members of his crew. On arrival at Montevideo harbour, Graf Spee glided into wind, applied astern propulsion, and stopped dead in the water, letting go her anchor at 00:10 on 14 December. As Graf Spee sat riding at anchor, Langsdorff intently studied the damage reports and requested 15 days in harbour. To extend the 24 hours already granted, Langsdorff petitioned the Foreign Relations LEFT: Graf Spee explosion sequence.

(DAVID J.B. SMITH)

RIGHT: Langsdorff attends the funeral of 36 of his crew in Montevideo.

(DAVID J.B. SMITH)

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Minister of the Uruguayan Republic, via Otto Langman, German minister at Montevideo. However, Uruguay was a neutral country and adhered to articles of the 13th Hague Convention, which laid out the rights and duties of neutral countries in wartime stating that an extension to stay in a neutral harbour may be increased above the statutory 24 hours in exceptional circumstances only. A vessel of a belligerent power could have its time in harbour increased to effect repairs that would make the vessel navigable and safe for sea, but it was declared in no uncertain terms that Graf Spee was not allowed to increase her armed force. To that end Graf Spee was granted 72 hours, after which she would be required to sail from Montevideo on 17 December and be clear of territorial waters by 20:00 – or be interned.

Telephone Talk With Hitler

Langsdorff knew three days was not enough time to get his Panzerschif safe and seaworthy. He reported back to German Naval Headquarters and informed them of his predicament. In dispatch No. 5 of the Admiralty report on the River Plate action, the British Naval Attaché at Buenos Aires, Captain H.W.U. McCall, said: ‘It is known that Langsdorf had a telephone talk with Hitler after his arrival in Buenos Aires and rumour of some reliability says that it was of a most violent nature.’ He was allegedly told to either sail and fight, or scuttle Graf Spee and not

SUICIDE, SUBTERFUGE AND SALVAGE

Salvaging Graf Spee’s Secrets FAR LEFT: Langsdorff’s burial.

(DAVID J.B. SMITH)

LEFT & BELOW: Langsdorff’s coffin. (DAVID J.B. SMITH)

let anything fall into enemy hands. Internment was not an option. After the one-way telephone conversation, Langsdorff’s mind was made up. To compound his situation, stocks of ammunition were much depleted. Ultimately, Graf Spee’s fate was sealed and over the next 48 hours, the crew worked tirelessly, preparing her for scuttling by rigging explosives. Any secret equipment, instrumentation and documentation were rendered useless or destroyed. Over this period the majority of her crew were disembarked, the men transferred to the sympathetic German Bremen-Lloyd Line steamship Tacoma, also anchored in the harbour. At 17:10 on Sunday 17 December, the pocket battleship weighed anchor and transited the channel leading out of the harbour, followed by Tacoma 15 minutes later. Graf Spee’s starboard anchor was made ready for letting go.

Initially, the battleship was heading in a south-easterly direction. Only one of her four sets of diesel engines was operational, the remaining engines were disabled on sailing and after being started were deliberately not injected with lubrication. Total engine seizure swiftly followed.

Ploughing Into Soft Mud

As she made headway, many of her portholes were opened and working parts of her smaller weapons were ditched overboard along with all small arms from the armoury. After a few cables she turned westward towards the mouth of the channel leading to Buenos Aires where Langsdorff first stopped Graf Spee Spee. The majority of the skeleton crew disembarked for the last time, climbing down a pilot ladder into waiting boats. Once the small craft were clear to starboard, revolutions were rung on the telegraph

and the vessel moved off. Only 11 men, including Langsdorff, remained on board. The Panzerschif was around six nautical miles south-west of Montevideo when at 20:15 Langsdorff gave the helmsmen an order to alter course west. As the vessel left the deep channel and entered shallow water, the order to stop the remaining engine was passed. Graf Spee glided to a halt, her stem ploughing into the soft mud causing her to come to a stop with a shudder. Out of respect for neutral Uruguay, and so as not to block busy commercial shipping lanes, Langsdorff deliberately ran his ship aground clear of the deep water channel. The battleship’s starboard anchor was let go to prevent the powerless vessel from drifting back into the shipping lanes and was specifically chosen because it could not be seen from the shore. Final checks were carried 

www.britainatwar.com 83

SUICIDE, SUBTERFUGE AND SALVAGE Salvaging Graf Spee’s Secrets

SPREAD: Graf Spee’s only salvaged twin-barrelled L65 C33 10.5cm anti-aircraft gun. Photographs all taken at Devonport Naval Dockyard England - 14 July 1942. (COURTESY

OF THE DEVONPORT NAVAL HERITAGE CENTRE)

out on the scuttling charges. Lastly, the swastika-adorned Kreigsmarine ensign was lowered. The remaining crewmen climbed down and boarded the waiting Captain’s launch. Kapitän zur See Langsdorff was the last man to disembark Admiral Graf Spee. The carefully placed explosive charges were linked to a selection of different detonation timers, all individually powered by 12-volt batteries. These timers had been liberated from several of the merchant vessels stopped and sunk by Graf Spee. The charges were strategically placed in specific areas to cause maximum damage; next to the torpedo warheads and in ammunition magazines forward and aft. At 20:54 the skyline erupted in a series of brilliant flashes. The sound of the seemingly silent explosion far out at sea only took a matter of seconds to travel across the water and hit the shoreside spectators. The charges placed at the stern of the vessel

obliterated her aft turret and almost ripped her stern clean off, causing her to settle, stern first. The charges in the forward 28cm magazine failed to detonate. This caused the ship to settle aft on the seabed, with a 30⁰ list to starboard.

Clandestine Salvage Operation

The destruction of the battleship kickstarted a chain of events requiring quick thinking, subterfuge and a degree of luck on the part of British Naval Intelligence and the Director of the Signal Department (DSD). The Admiralty were anxious to discover all they could about the battleship and a clandestine salvage operation was mounted, documented as ‘Case 6160’. This would eventually see a specific item from Graf Spee’s revolutionary weapons systems salvaged, analysed and unceremoniously left on a cluttered jetty at Devonport. Prior to Graf Spee embarking on her wartime activities, every member of her ship’s company was presented with a photograph of the ship and shortly after her arrival at Montevideo, one of these was obtained by a Royal Navy officer in the port and sent to the Naval Intelligence Division (NID). Carefully examined, a fitting on the masthead could not be identified and was not present in other photographs of the vessel. It was not known for sure in 1939 if Graf Spee carried Radio Detecting and Finding equipment (RDF), the precursor to Radio Detection and Ranging (RADAR) but news of the scuttling was telegraphed around the world with photographs published by various US news agencies

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SUICIDE, SUBTERFUGE AND SALVAGE

Salvaging Graf Spee’s Secrets

and coming to the attention of NID. Several photographs showed a mattress-shaped antenna mounted on a rotating foretop rangefinder. The Admiralty wanted to know what this device was and also wanted samples of the armoured plating and details of the construction and thickness of her electrically welded hull. For the Admiralty, getting people from Britain to survey the wreck became a priority.

The New Owner of Graf Spee

It is thought Langsdorff attempted to scuttle Graf Spee in international waters so she could be salvaged legitimately by Germany. On 19 January 1940 a report filed by C.G. Jarratt, Head of the Military Branch, said ‘…the wreck would still be German property even if Uruguayan jurisdiction were

admitted over the waters in which it lies’. From the outset there was a possibility that even if the German government could not logistically salvage the wreck, they may have attempted to sell her to a salvage company in Uruguay under the proviso that German experts would oversee the process and ensure the ‘disappearance’ of any remaining military secrets. Luckily for the British, a real mistrust and hatred for the Nazi regime existed in Uruguay, making a British purchase of the wreck eminently possible. The eventual transaction was very much the brainchild of the British Minister to Uruguay, Mr Millington-Drake who was fortuitously acquainted with a Uruguayan businessman called Senor Don Julio VegaHelguera and under the impression that the textile exporter Vega was trustworthy. This may have been far from the truth. British intelligence in Montevideo had discovered that 32-year-old Vega was known to be a thoroughly untrustworthy character, dabbling in anything that would show a reasonable profit. He did, however, have the ear of many Uruguayan ministers and could arrange practically anything although he was also a very close friend of the German Minister in Uruguay. Julio Vega successfully negotiated unconditional rights to the wreck of Graf Spee and on 23 February 1940 purchased the entire sunken vessel for a princely sum equivalent to £14,000. Unknown to the Germans and Uruguayan government, the purchase had been instigated and paid for by the British government. As far as the salvage company and

outside world knew, Vega was the new owner of Graf Spee. Secretly, he became a go-between with the British government and Uruguayan salvage company commissioned to carry out the work. On his final bill to the Admiralty he wrote: ‘I have done this for love of the good cause which England is defending and out of personal friendship for the British Minister, Mr Millington-Drake.’

Pro-Nazi

The salvage company of choice was Regusci and Voulminot, the biggest and most capable engineering firm in Uruguay. Senor Voulminot was of French extraction and his company refused categorically to carry out any repair work on Graf Spee after she first entered Montevideo although Voulminot’s company did supply 

BOTTOM: Graf Spee's No.2 10.5cm/65 twin anti-aircraft gun mount (port side, amidships) which would eventually end up in Devonport. Here photographed on board her wreck on 2 February 1940 by Richard D. Sampson of the USS Helena. (USNHHC)

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SUICIDE, SUBTERFUGE AND SALVAGE Salvaging Graf Spee’s Secrets

ABOVE: Graf Spee's Seetakt radar antenna and 15cm broadside guns. (USNHHC) TOP RIGHT: The Ship's starboard (No.1) 10.5cm/65 AA mount, partially collapsed smokestack (R) with a siren on its upper face, and 20mm cannon mount (centre) on the searchlight platform. Taken by Richard Sampson.

materials for emergency repairs to Exeter as she lay in the Falkland Islands after The Battle of River Plate. Once the wreck was sold, it was guarded by the Uruguayan navy and only permitted people allowed to approach or board the ship and because scientists at the Air Ministry were in the process of developing RDF it was decided to send an expert to survey the wreck. Consequently, Scientific Officer Mr Labouchere Bainbridge-Bell, one of the inventors of RADAR, was sent to Uruguay. In order to keep the real reason for his visit secret, and not to offend or embarrass the Uruguayan government, Bainbridge-Bell was to pose as a

(USNHHC)

FAR RIGHT: Graf Spee at anchor in Montevideo. (USNHHC)

RIGHT: Graf Spee anchored off Montevideo. (USNHHC)

86 www.britainatwar.com

salvage expert. It was suggested, as a ruse, that Great Britain was interested in purchasing the wreck for its scrap metal. Graf Spee was listing heavily to starboard when Bainbridge-Bell finally arrived, and he had to use all his strength climbing the tilting foremast to inspect the object of NID’s interest. Although the Germans had attempted to do a thorough job in sabotaging the vessel, the scientist recognised components required for an RDF system; definite proof that Germany had developed an early RADAR-type capability. Over the duration of his first visit, Bainbridge-Bell removed several items of interest for further analysis and placed them on the sloping deck, wedged against fittings to prevent them rolling overboard. On his return to the location where he had left the items he was aghast to find they had disappeared. Asking what had happened to them, he was told they had slid over the side! This was the moment Bainbridge-Bell realised that his escort was, in fact, pro-Nazi but he continued to study the wreck over the course of several visits, eventually salvaged many items and making numerous notes and sketches

of Graf Spee’s RADAR system and its components when compiling his report. In his suitcases Bainbridge-Bell also brought back various pieces of the new RADAR outfit, all of this valuable intelligence backed up by photographs and diagrams of Graf Spee’s internal RADAR office. It is not known if Bainbridge-Bell’s discoveries altered or advanced British development of RADAR in any way, but it proved the German Navy was more advanced than the British had first thought. The Royal Navy would have no gun-laying RADAR capability until 1941 and it was the experimental Seetakt (Seetaktisch) FuMO 22 fitted to her foretop rangefinder cupola that enabled Graf Spee to locate and accurately fire on Royal Navy warships in 1939.

Construction and Armament

Keeping up the pretence of actually salvaging metal from the wreck, NID instructed representatives from a real British salvage firm, Messrs. Thomas W. Ward and Co., to travel to Uruguay and survey Graf Spee for scrap. The two representatives from

SUICIDE, SUBTERFUGE AND SALVAGE

Salvaging Graf Spee’s Secrets

the company, Mr F.A. Smith and Mr S.J. Dyal, arrived in Buenos Aires on 5 April 1940. Unfortunately, Smith had died just before arrival from a burst ulcer, with Dyall managing to gain access to the wreck on 6 April. Many of his visits were severely hampered by bad weather, making the wreck difficult to board and unsafe to investigate. Mr Dyal’s initial report was cabled to the Director of Naval Intelligence (DNI) on 9 April 1940. Dyal had found the wreck lying in 9 metres of water and listing 10⁰ to starboard, all decks under water and the ship partially buried to a depth of 3 metres in mud. Approximately 300 of her portholes were wide open and she continued to sink further. Next to arrive in the country were two men from the Admiralty, also said to be representing T.W. Ward and Co. However, they were in fact sent undercover. Mr M K Purvis and Lt C P Kilroy travelled from Britain to New York on board the soon-to-be ill-fated Cunard cruise liner RMS Lancastria and then on to Montevideo. Purvis was from the Royal Corps of Naval Constructors (RCNC), representing the Director of Naval Construction (DNC) and the Director of Naval Ordnance (DNO). The fastidious notes made by Purvis allow the salvage story of Graf Spee to be recounted today. Kilroy, meanwhile, was torpedo officer on the staff of RAML and was sent out to investigate aspects of Graf Spee’s degaussing, anti-mining, fire control and torpedo capabilities. Over a period of several days Purvis and Kilroy visited the wreck many times, investigating her construction and armament. To facilitate the removal of parts, an ex-Royal Navy seaman was

employed locally by MillingtonDrake. Mr Deakin, who was living in the country, was appointed charge-hand overseeing a small team removing items which interested the Admiralty, including: two whole pieces of armour plate from the top of the main gun turrets; two pieces of side armour from the conning tower; a set of twin 4cm guns; a stabilised director complete with base; six instruments from the lower control position; a set of twin 10.5cm guns with mounting; one 15cm gun with mounting; sundry small samples and instruments; samples of plates; samples of welding; and one or more of the 28cm gun barrels from the forward turret, the barrels estimated at 50 tons each. The list was pretty exhaustive, although it is not known if all requested items were actually recovered.

‘A Ship We Should Not Imitate’

The removal of items was a very dangerous affair, the wreck continually shifting and a likelihood of further explosions. Nevertheless, a key item on the Admiralty’s list was one of the six twin-barrelled L65 C33 10.5cm anti-aircraft guns, but the forward starboard gun was submerged. The only salvageable unit being the port forward mounting. This weapon had been put out of action by Exeter when a shell had entered the gun magazine feed. Deakin and his team removed the securing bolts, a crane was provided by Voulminot and the larger items, including this 20-ton gun, were removed, boxed, and kept at Voulminot’s yard for onward transit. Purvis, Kilroy and Dyal took hundreds of photographs and compiled detailed reports prior to departing 

ABOVE: Another shot of the Graf Spee in Montevideo harbour. (USNHHC) BELOW: Spee's port bow, taken in Montevideo harbour following the Battle of the River Plate. Note the ship's badge mounted just forward of her anchors and hawse pipes, false bow wave 'moustache' camouflage, and shell damage in the upper hull side (right). (USNHHC)

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SUICIDE, SUBTERFUGE AND SALVAGE Salvaging Graf Spee’s Secrets

ABOVE: Graf Spee moored in harbour, circa 1936-1937. Note the ship's coat of arms. (USNHHC) RIGHT: Graf Spee's port bow while in Montevideo, Crew are working over the side to repair damage from an eightinch shell fired by the British heavy cruiser Exeter. The notation 'The "Moustache"' refers to the false bow wave painted her bows. The original photo came from Rear Admiral Samuel Eliot Morison's World War II history project working files. (USNHHC)

Montevideo, Dyal and Purvis sailing for Great Britain on 2 May 1940, on board the Dunster Grange, with Kilroy remaining behind to supervise continued removal and secure storage of items from Graf Spee. Merchant vessels regularly transited between Montevideo and Great Britain, carrying meat, grain and other essential supplies and Graf Spee’s port anti-aircraft gun was duly loaded on board the Houlder Line steamship, Princesa, bound for Liverpool from Montevideo via Free Town, South Africa, as part of convoy SL34. The convoy had to cross the dangerous expanse of the Atlantic, a prolific hunting ground for German U-boats. During the crossing, two vessels, Barbara Marie and Willowbank, were sunk by U-46. Princesa was detached from the convoy on 16 June 1940 and made her way towards Plymouth Sound to berth at No.7 Wharf, Devonport Dockyard. Her special cargo was unloaded and inspected with the armoured plating of the antiaircraft gun taken away for further

88 www.britainatwar.com

analysis, leaving the two barrels and the weapon’s splinter box framework along with all internal workings. As time passed, the Graf Spee gun was moved to a jetty at the bow end of No.8 Dry Dock. Here, in July 1942, these photographs were taken. For years, Graf Spee’s gun remained forlorn and ignored but had the historic importance of this weapon been identified earlier, the only existing twin-barrelled heavy antiaircraft gun from Graf Spee may

not have been cut up and scrapped in the 1970s. These photographs are probably the only remaining record proving that a gun from the Panzerschif Admiral Graf Spee was actually landed on British soil. The general conclusion of the inspection and salvage of Graf Spee, written by M.K. Purvis in his report to the Admiralty read: ‘The River Plate action and the ensuing inspection of the wreck of “Graf Spee” show this type of ship to be one that we should not imitate…’ 

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IMAGE OF WAR

TARGET ENGLAND! Summer of 1940

A Dornier 17-Z of 8./KG3 prepares to take off from its base at St Trond, Belgium, during the summer of 1940, at the height of the Battle of Britain, for a sortie attacking RAF airfields in South East England. The Dornier 17-Z was one of the Luftwaffe's mainstay bombers during 1940, its operating units and aircrews suffering severe losses during air operationsover the British Isles in attacks on both military targets and against British cities. (1940 MEDIA LTD)

90 www.britainatwar.com

www.britainatwar.com 91

The sequel to...

CHAPTERS INCLUDE: • FEDERAL PREPPER: The United States Government prepares for alien invasion • SARAH JANE WAYNE: a Girl Scout troops arms itself and takes to the hills • ORTHODOX COLD: A rural town in Kentucky hunkers down for a long, cold winter, and gets some uninvited city guests • THE BATTLE OF CERES-EUROPA: The Indian Space Navy attacks alien bases in the solar system

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The Britain at War team scout out the latest items of interest

| RECONNAISSANCE REPORT

Evasion & Escape Devices

Produced by MI9, MIS-X and SOE in World War II Phil Froom

Publisher: Schiffer Military History www.schifferbooks.com ISBN: 978 0 7643 4839 6 Hardback: 384 pages RRP: $69.99 (USD)

B

THE QUALITY and content of books produced in the famed Schiffer Military History series is positively beyond compare in terms of the standard of production and the undoubted knowledge and capability of Schiffer’s specialist authors – particularly in what are often rather niche interest areas. More often than not with Schiffer’s specialist books, the topics covered reflect a life’s interest and study by the author, with that dedication having frequently added a great deal of detail to specific areas of military history that might otherwise have been lost. Nevertheless, and despite the ‘niche’ subject matter of this book, the scale and depth of what is covered in this title makes this, undoubtedly, the veritable and absolute last-word on the subject. Never before has such a wealth of material been brought together on this topic in one single volume and this will consequently be a book that is a sought-after source of reference for both researchers, militaria traders and collectors as well as those interested in the escape and evasion of allied airmen across the decades. Doubtless it will also be a ‘must-

have’ for the reference libraries of most military museums around the world, and particularly those with an aviation specialism. In his magnum opus, author Phil Froom has expertly presented the detailed history of the evolution of escape and evasion equipment in use by Allied troops during the Second World War and following the fall of mainland Europe hostile action against the enemy were largely conducted in the form of air attacks. As a consequence of this, considerable numbers of Allied airmen were downed over Occupied Europe and a decision was taken to equip fliers with all manner of equipment to aid their evasion. Additionally, elaborate plans were laid to smuggle escape equipment to POWs, hidden inside such innocuous items as shaving kits, board games and even gramophone records etc. The lead in producing and supplying this equipment was taken by Britain’s MI9 and the US organisation, MIS-X. Much of the equipment was breath-taking in its simplicity and in the covert concealment of the various items in question and, as a result of the issue of such equipment, thousands of airmen were able to evade capture or else were aided in their attempts to escape from POW camps.

Phil Froom’s study presents a concise history of how these items evolved and were developed and he provides us with a lavishly and beautifully illustrated book depicting just about every escape aid that was ever produced – and there were certainly very many hundreds of them! Apart from obvious escape and evasion objects such as maps and compasses, less obvious pieces of equipment like a snakebite lancet with potassium permanganate capsule for operations over jungle terrain or a multi-tool knife, can opener and magnifying glass for starting fires are amongst the fascinating objects described in minute detail. Of all the pieces of secret equipment, perhaps the simplest was the fly-button compass. This allowed one apparently innocent metal fly button to be balanced on top of another, the magnetised top button rotating on the lower one and having north and south compass points marked on them. Often, devices like the fly button were hidden in plain sight – like the RAF escape boots which were standard flying boots which allowed the upper portions to be removed thus leaving a black leather shoe which would

not give away the escapee as an airman! Similarly, ‘replacement’ RAF tunics were sent into POW camps that were fully reversible and could be turned inside-out to become ‘civilian’ jackets. Other RAF tunics were made in such a way that they resembled Luftwaffe tunics – right down to the exact colour and type of material used. By simply removing the British badges and emblems, and replacing them with German ones, the wearer could pass easily as a Luftwaffe officer. Such was the subterfuge and cunning of those at MI9 and MIS-X who were, literally, escape artists! The author has certainly produced a truly wonderful book. Slightly quirky and ‘niche’, perhaps, but a truly amazing work of art in its own right and certainly an extremely valuable addition to our knowledge of a littleknown aspect of Second World War Allied air operations. In every respect, this is certainly a heavyweight book and Britain at War certainly has no hesitation in putting this forward as Book of the Month. Indeed, if we ran a Book of the Year then this would be up there as a prominent contender. REVIEWED BY ANDY SAUNDERS.

Illustrations  References/Notes Appendices  Index 



ABOVE & BELOW: A selection of the ingenious hidden escape aids provided to assist Allied airmen trapped in enemy territory.

www.britainatwar.com 93

RECONNAISSANCE REPORT |

The Britain at War team scout out the latest items of interest

Fritz and Forever Tommy Vigilant

OCTOBER 2016 ISSUE

ON SALE FROM 29 SEPTEMBER 2016

Naval 8/208 Sqn From Across the Barbed Wire 1916-2016 Peter Doyle and Graham Pitchfork       Robin Schäfer

Publisher: Publisher: The GrubHistory Street Press www.thehistorypress.co.uk ISBN 978-1-910690-14-7 ISBN: 978-0-7509-5684-0 Hardback: 224 pages Hardback: RRP: £25 288 pages RRP: £20.00

B

IN A period with many RAF squadrons celebrating centenaries there have been welcome publications of the history of some of them, the latest being that of 208 Sqn. Written by a former CO, now a wellrespected aviation writer, the story of this very distinguished squadron over 100 years is very well told. Beginning life in the RNAS, ‘Naval 8’ flew Triplanes and Camels over the Western Front, becoming 208 Sqn RAF on 1 April 1918. Retained in the small post-war airforce, 208 Sqn served mainly in the Middle East where it flew on policing operations through the inter war years, its sphinx and ‘eye of Horus’ badges dating from this period. On the outbreak of war, it was flying Lysanders, seeing action in Egypt and Libya and the ill fasted expedition to Greece. Re-equipped with Hurricanes, later Spitfires, 208 Sqn specialised in tactical reconnaissance work, and with particular distinction during the difficult campaign in Italy where it drew praise from the 8th Army. After the war, 208 Sqn was based in Palestine and became embroiled

The Last Flight of the L31 The True Story of The Potters Bar Zeppelin R L Rimmel

AUTHOR RAY Rimmel is one of those experts in his specialist field that leaves one in no doubt that his work will be well researched and well written. Such is the case with his booklet on the downing of the airship L31 at Potters Bar in 1916 and is a publication packed with astonishing detail, photographs, diagrams and artwork. At just 25 pages this is a compact little book,

94

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in fighting between Israel and Egypt, losing several aircraft, and in turn shooting down several Egyptian Spitfires attacking its base. Ironically, 208 Sqn was also flying Spitfires! It remained in the Middle East flying Meteors, Venoms and Hunters until withdrawing from Bahrain in 1971. Reformed in the UK with Buccaneers in a strike/attack role it later switched to anti-shipping work but conducted aerial policing over Lebanon in 1984 and in 1991 flew with distinction during the Gulf War. With the retirement of the Buccaneer in 1994, 208 Sqn became an advanced flying and weapons training unit flying the Hawk. Sadly, as this book was published, 208 Sqn made its final flight on 13 April 2016 and disbanded soon afterwards. The combination of Graham Pitchfork and Grub St has produced a superb history of this particularly fine squadron.

A CENTURY OF TANKS

To mark 100 years since the very first use of tanks on the Somme, we look at different aspects of the history of the tank in British service by various writers – from eye witness accounts of First World War ‘tankers’ to an examination of tank specialist Percy Hobart in our ongoing Reputations series, right up to a view from Challenger II driver-crewman Steve Saunders' perspective as he compares the Army’s modern battle tank with the tank of 1916.

THE POETRY AND THE PITY

‘It was mud and blood and shelling and cries of wounded men…’ So wrote Terence Algernon Kilbee ‘TAK’ Cubitt about his bloody baptism of fire on the Somme in the rain-drenched autumn of 1916. A century on, Steve Snelling charts the brave and tragically short life of a little-known soldier-poet on the western front.

REVIEWED BY ANDREW THOMAS

Illustrations  References/Notes Appendices  Index 



but contains every last detail of this remarkable First World War episode highly recommended for those with a thirst for knowledge of the first air war waged against Britain. (Note: It joins an equally praiseworthy title by the same author: The Last Flight of the L32: The True Story of The Billericay Zeppelin) Publisher: Albatros Productions Ltd www.windsockdatafilespecials.co.uk ISBN: 978 1 906798 47 5 Softback: 25 pages RRP: £10.00

BANFF STRIKE WING

Made up of multi-national crewed Mosquito squadrons, this Scottish-based Wing wreaked havoc against German shipping in Norwegian waters and harbours, denying vital iron ore for the German armament industry. Cannon fire and rocket barrages ensured that few vessels slipped through, but spirited flak and fighter defencesIllustrations took a heavy toll of aircraft   References/Notes Appendices  Index  and crews as David Smith explains.

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08/08/2016 15:13

GUNNERS AT TOBRUK: 1941

Desert Life with the South Notts Hussars

GUNNERS AT

TOBRUK:

1941 For the men of the South Nottinghamshire Hussars life in a beseiged Tobruk was Hell on Earth as Imperial War Museum historian Peter Hart explains.

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GUNNERS AT TOBRUK: 1941

Desert Life with the South Notts Hussars

I

N THE second of this threepart series, Imperial War Museum historian Peter Hart takes a look at life in besieged Tobruk during 1941, as seen through the eyes of men who were there. The 107 Regiment, (South Notts Hussars), Royal Horse Artillery had been rushed to bolster the artillery of the Tobruk garrison – just before it was cut off by Rommel’s onrushing Afrika Corps. Once they arrived on the night of the 9/10 April 1941, they were immediately thrust into action to fend off a series of German tank and infantry attacks, culminating in a big effort on 14 April. In the days that followed there was a bit of a lull, gaiving the SNH gunners time to try and get proper gun pits carved out of the rockhard ground to shelter their

25-pounders. Supervising them was Sergeant George Pearson (425 Bty). ‘You dug yourself a gun pit, digging down maybe a foot and a half, couple of feet if you could. Then you put a sandbag wall, two or three sandbags high round the front so that you had a certain amount of protection for the gun crew and the ammunition which you piled in the gun pit. They were set out not four guns in a line, but two forward and the wing guns back a little bit, so that if you were attacked by tanks you could always bring two guns to bear even if it was attacking from the flank.’ During the opening battles, the German Stukas had made their first attacks, but had barely been noticed amongst the general mayhem. Soon, the Nottinghamshire gunners had a grandstand view of tremendous Stuka attacks on the vital port facilities of Tobruk. Then, as RAF fighter cover was eroded, the Stukas began

to concentrate on the artillery that had caused so many casualties during recent ground attacks. There is no doubt that there was an extra dimension to the Stuka raids that rattled almost all of the men - the screaming noise was almost unbearable. Gunner Ted Holmes (425 Bty) shared the grudging admiration for the skill of the Stuka pilots. ‘They were really good. They came so low they nearly scraped the floor by the time they pulled out of the dive. They aimed the Stuka at the target, just let the bomb go at the last minute and machine gunned you as well. With this fixed undercarriage there used to be a saying that you don’t know you’ve been ‘Stukad’ till you’ve got tread marks on your back!’

MAIN IMAGE: An advanced Italian gun position outside of Tobruk. The gun in the foreground is a licence built version of the Skoda vz 14/19. The 100mm peice was considered obselete by 1941 but was still in widespread use. (HISTORIC

MILITARY PRESS)

STUKA ATTACKS

As the raids proliferated it was essential to hide the regiment’s position. As Lance Bombardier



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GUNNERS AT TOBRUK: 1941

Desert Life with the South Notts Hussars which wasn’t a very nice sensation. It’s the most naked feeling in the world and really all we did was to get as far into the ground as we possibly could.’ Yet familiarity was no defence as Sergeant George Pearson (425 Bty) found on one raid. ‘I dived into a slit trench and another young chappie called Phil Collihole dived on top of me. When the bombs had finished exploding and the aircraft were going away I said, “Come on, get up, Phil!” He

ABOVE: A Marmon Herrington Mk II, with a captured 20mm Breda cannon, 80 of these cars served at Tobruk or in its relief, with the 1st Kings Dragoon Guards. (IWM) BELOW: A British soldier hides from falling bombs.

Ted Whittaker (425 Bty) wondered – the question was how? ‘They brought us these reconnaissance photos taken by a high flying Hurricane. There were our positions - beautifully visible. Four little black dots, white lines leading to the command post which wasn’t quite as visible, lines leading up to the latrines. It stood out like a sore thumb. We went to work with bits of scrub thorn and tried to obliterate the tracks and the pattern.’

(IWM)

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Gradually men like Sergeant Bob Foulds, (425 Bty) got almost accustomed to the Stukas. ‘You saw the bombs leave the plane, you could see them coming at you through the air. We began to learn that if the bombs appeared to be coming straight at you, then they were going to go overhead, and hit something behind you. But if they appeared to be coming down in front of you, then they were going to drop on you or very, very close to you

GUNNERS AT TOBRUK: 1941

Desert Life with the South Notts Hussars didn’t move and I got up and he sort of flopped over on his back. I said, “What’s the matter, are you hit?” I couldn’t see a mark on him, but he was obviously out and he was in fact dead. A small piece of shrapnel had gone into the back of his neck and must have severed the spinal column - killed him just like that.’

A WILD LOT

These Stuka raids marked the beginning of a second attempt by Rommel to remove the Tobruk

garrison from the flank of his Afrika Korps to concentrate on his real objective - the Nile Delta. On 30 April a massed German infantry attack supported by artillery was launched and managed to make some progress forming a salient protruding into the perimeter area. But they still could not break through. Once more the lines stabilised – leaving stalemate. As the focus of Rommel’s attention moved away, German units were largely replaced with Italian formations. The SNH Observation Post (OP) teams would liaise closely with the Australian units in the front line to ensure that the guns responded quickly to any developing threat. The Australians seemed a wild lot from the British perspective, Halfnaked most of the time they had a refreshing irreverence towards figures of authority which endeared them men like Bombardier Ray Ellis. ‘I liked being with the Australians in the front line position, they were friendly and they had a certain casual way about them. For instance, the Battery Commander, Major Peter Birkin, had red sandy hair. When he

got into the trench a private soldier would refer to him, “Hi-yah, Red! How yah doing?” Which I thought was fantastic - whereas we would say, “Good morning, Sir!” The observation officer and his specialist OP assistant would send situation reports of anything they sighted - opening fire if necessary. Ammunition was limited outside of big battles, but when a worthy target had been identified the OP would get into contact with the gun positions. Ray Ellis describes the process. ‘You first of all identified the target, you would just say, “Troop target!” Then you gave the type of ammunition that was to be fired, the gun which was going to range, your line left - or right - of the zero line, if there was any angle of sight you would give that! Then the estimated range! All that would be passed to the guns. They would say, “Ready, Fire!” The shell would come over your head, land and you’d make the necessary corrections.’

ABOVE: The iconic Stuka dive bomber. (1940 MEDIA LTD)

MIDDLE: Men of the SNH relax in the lull between bombing raids. (ALL IMAGES BY

AUTHOR UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED.)

ORDER TO FIRE

Back at the guns, specialist assistants surveyed in the guns, placing the  www.britainatwar.com 99

GUNNERS AT TOBRUK: 1941

Desert Life with the South Notts Hussars

ABOVE: A preserved Cannone da 149/35A, the aging gun identified by Capt Laborde. (JOHANN JARITZ)

BELOW: A gunner washes, being sure to use as little water as possible.

guns, OPs and target on the ‘map’, working out any corrections before orders were passed to the gun sergeants - such as Lance Sergeant John Walker (425 Bty). They had a key role. ‘He was in charge of everything to do with the gun and to see it was effective in every respect: supervise the work of the layer, see that the ammunition was there, organize the gun tower and the driver, all the

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gun numbers. He was responsible if anything went wrong he was to blame! Physically on the gun he had to put his shoulder to everything else that was happening. If the gun wanted moving round from one line to another he helped as much as he could. Basically he was there to see that everybody else did their job. And he gave the order to fire.’ The next most important member of the gun team was the gun layer, who made required adjustments to lateral and vertical angles, laying the gun on target. Then, the rest of the gun team swung into action as Ray Ellis describes. ‘You put in the shell which is rammed, then you put in the cartridge which is really bags of cordite. You close the breech and pull the firing lever. A pin strikes the percussion cap which explodes the cordite. The cordite burns with great rapidity causing gases to project the shell. If you’re putting bags of cordite into a gun that is red hot you don’t need to pull the firing lever it explodes itself. If you’re not quick and you don’t get the breech closed in time, then it will blow the breech back and the gun blows up. So you mustn’t jam the breech by getting the cartridge in at a wrong angle. You have to have people who work as a team very well. In goes the shell,

rammed in, the man loading the cartridge has got to be very adept and the man closing the breech has got to follow his hand so that it closes quickly. Very often before the layer had time to pull the firing lever it would fire itself!’

HUGE SHELL BURST

There was a desperate need for artillery at Tobruk, so the SNH formed an extra troop with spare 4.5” howitzers. Another means of enhancing available firepower was through the use of captured Italian guns close to the 426 Bty gun positions. Captain Charles Laborde soon pressed them into use. ‘They must have been 150 millimetres, real first war veterans. They had huge slatted wheels, wooden flaps round the outside of the wheel. They had no dial sights of course, but we used to point them roughly in the right direction of the El Adem aerodrome. When you’d lined the gun a lanyard was tied on to it and you retired. You pulled the trigger with this very long lanyard made of signal wire. There was a colossal bang: off goes the shell! Marvellous sight - you could see the shell going away - then there would be this lovely ‘WHHUUMPHH!’ in the distance, a great cloud, a huge shell burst.’

GUNNERS AT TOBRUK: 1941

Desert Life with the South Notts Hussars

The Australian infantry soon became keen amateur gunners, crewing these abandoned guns - the ad hoc gun teams collectively known as the ‘bush artillery’. As the siege wore on and the days became weeks, and then months, the men of the SNH endured a miserable existence dogged by a nasty combination of danger and boredom. Although Tobruk itself was a sizeable town, most of the defensive perimeter was out in the Western

Desert, with all the discomforts that this entailed. Signal Sergeant Fred Langford (425 By) remembered the filth. ‘You couldn’t get away from the dust - the grime round your eyes, your mouth, your nose. The khamsin, the hot blast of wind, means you’re sweating like fury. The dust, the filth in the atmosphere sticking to your sweat. You can’t move your eyelids, you try to breathe, you can’t blow your nose -

it’s a nasty sensation.’ The fauna of the desert was varied, too, but almost uniformly unfriendly. Scorpions and poisonous centipedes made it imperative to check the bed roll before sleeping. More prosaically, troops suffered from plagues of lice and fleas. Sergeant George Pearson remembered a spectacularly dangerous method of delousing. ‘Your clothes do get lice in them and we used to get a half petrol tin, put petrol in it and soak your overalls or shirt in petrol. You’d then put that over a low petrol fire so that the petrol heated up and that seemed to get rid of these lice. Then you let your shirt dry out and washed it in such water as you could get! It sounds so ridiculous now!’ The desert was, above all, the domain of the fly, although Sergeant Bob Foulds (425 Bty) could not understand how they came to be there. ‘You could drive into totally empty desert, miles from civilization, and stop. While the truck was moving there was no sign of life, but the moment you stopped, flies would settle on you. Where they came from, what they lived on and how they existed, I’ve no idea. But they were an absolute menace.’ 

ABOVE: Lt. J. BlairYuill (centre) poses with his ingenious water purifier constructed for the defenders of Tobruk. (WW2 IMAGES)

BELOW: Indian soldiers unload supplies on one of Tobruk's quayside in Tobruk. (WW2 IMAGES)

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GUNNERS AT TOBRUK: 1941

Desert Life with the South Notts Hussars RIGHT: A South Notts gun crewman poses at his 25Pdr gun.

the chaps wouldn’t like it. Then you would mix some of your meat and vegetable ration with your bully beef to get a certain amount of vegetables inside a stew. We did meat pies on tin plates. You put your bully beef and vegetables on the plate, put a bit of pastry on the top and push it in the oven. The cave was reasonably cool and we were able, to a degree, to cut the bully beef so therefore we were able to make bully beef fritters, which were very popular. Make a flour and water batter, cut a slice of bully beef, drop it in the batter, fry it in a pan for 2 or 3 minutes.’ Although other types of food were occasionally available, the basic diet was unrelenting and dietary diseases

MIDDLE: Of course, the general monotony of the seige could be broken suddenly with a lethal burst of violence, possibly catching troops unawares. BELOW: The ever reliable Vickers Machine Gun, dug in and well camouflaged, could be a potent adversary. (IWM)

PRIMITIVE CONDITIONS

Tobruk was besieged, and the SNH found their food supplies extremely limited. Cook Sergeant Ted Hayward (425 Bty) had set up his cooking equipment up in a cave and tried his best. ‘We were on very simple rations: six days a week corn beef and one day a week tinned M & V - meat and vegetable - ration. No such a thing as menu planning - you went off the cuff - what was there! If we had curry powder, we used to make a curry stew of bully beef with a bowl of rice - not too hot because most of

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GUNNERS AT TOBRUK: 1941

Desert Life with the South Notts Hussars were a real threat in the absence of fruit so the men were given ascorbic acid tablets to prevent scurvy, a further trial for the garrison being a constant shortage of water. Gunner Ted Holmes found it a torment. ‘We had half a gallon of water a day and a good portion of that went to the cookhouse. We used to have our water bottle, which holds about a pint and a half, filled every other day. It was very bad, our lips were all swollen up, split and bleeding. Like you see with these pictures of anyone what’s got lost in the desert. We used to dream about putting your head under the tap at home.’ The same water would be used many times over as Fred Langford ruefully recalled. ‘It was a matter of real economy of priorities really and truly. Drink first of all. Any water that was left over that would be a matter of washing your shirt. Maybe, before it got too thick, you’d have a shave and when it was really no good at all - that was the time to wash your socks!’ At one point in the siege the men were promised the blessed relief of a beer ration! Lance Bombardier Ted Whittaker remembered their excitement. ‘They announced, rather rashly, that somebody had paid for a whole consignment of beer. There would

ABOVE: As morale hung in the balance, field newspapers could provide a little escapism. (HISTORIC

MILITARY PRESS)

BELOW: The ships in Tobruk's vital harbour were often easy targets for the Luftwaffe.

be one bottle of beer per man for the whole garrison. And they said when it was coming. The day the ship arrived, in daylight, the Stukas came over as it got into the harbour. All we ever saw was this big plume of smoke. I drew this cartoon with two chaps talking and a big column of smoke in the background just saying, “Oooh! I see the beer ship’s come!” Illness aside, boredom was almost as much an enemy to the men as the Germans, the desert and the flies. Ordinary conversation centred on their lives back home and that chewed away some of the empty hours. The men also played cards

and read books from an improvised library. The grinding boredom even prompted activities reminiscent of a second childhood. For Ray Ellis it was all about amusement and releasing stress. ‘We actually sometimes played ‘Cowboys and Indians’ around the gun pits! Once we were doing this and I was an Indian with a stick which was supposed to be a tomahawk charging across. This is ridiculous - this is men in action! Jim Hardy, the Sergeant Major, was a cowboy he came charging up and, in the excitement of the thing, he forgot, drew his revolver and fired 

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GUNNERS AT TOBRUK: 1941

Desert Life with the South Notts Hussars RIGHT: Men of the SNH rest around one of their command vehicles. BELOW: Australian infantrymen shelter from the Luftwaffe in a cave. (IWM)

and nearly put a bullet through me! That sobered us down a bit!’

SURELY HEROES

The SNH endured the whole siege of Tobruk until it was relieved in lateNovember 1941. Throughout there was no real escape from danger, as every part of the Tobruk area was continually under threat of fire. Ray Ellis was typical in his response to the stress. ‘A man could walk up, one shot could be fired and he would be killed. We thought about this a lot actually. You looked for all sorts of omens – I can remember looking for omens in the sky - shapes of clouds which would suggest good things. Your mind was involved in this sort of thing. What were the omens or the chances? But I never thought of being killed - it was always the other man who was going to die. You had this feeling that – yes - you would survive! At the back of your mind you realized you were kidding yourself.’ A few men broke, and tried to get away by means of trickery - as Ray Ellis and his gun team noticed with one NCO. ‘His act was that he was becoming mentally unsound and he was doing all sorts of peculiar things; but we noticed that he always did it when

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there was an officer present. He would put his head in front of the barrel of the gun and say, “Fire!” We were very tempted to do so! He referred to himself as ‘Bubbles’. All sort of silly nonsense. It could be that he was becoming mentally unstable under pressure, but we honestly thought that he was working his ticket.’ Such conduct was the exception, with most officers and NCOs holding up well under pressure. The only respectable way of leaving the unit in action was with a ‘Blighty’ wound.

Everyone dreamed of the marvellous painless wound that didn’t inflict permanent injury, but got them safely home. Until that miracle, they just endured it as best they could. Fred Langford summed it up: ‘Generally speaking, it was a matter of doing your duty. I don’t believe in the slightest that there’s any such thing as a hero. I think the average bloke just did his duty.’ From our perspective, some 75-years later we may perhaps beg to differ. These men were surely heroes.

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11/08/2016 15:47

FIELD POST

Our Letter of the Month is sponsored by Pen & Sword Books

'Britain at War' Magazine, PO Box 380, Hastings, East Sussex, TN34 9JA | [email protected]

LETTER OF THE MONTH

Cuckmere Cairn Mystery

Dear Sir - In the July 2016 edition of Britain at War magazine, reader Peter Jeffery enquired about the story behind the cairn at Cuckmere Haven commemorating three un-named Canadian soldiers apparently killed during a strafing attack by two Messerschmitts during 1940. This is an incident that I had earlier researched in the hope of getting to the bottom of the story and I think I can give the answer. Or, at least, the RAF Friston Operations Record Book in The National Archives, Kew, provided the clues to help me unlock the mystery and find what I believe to be the answer. An entry in the Friston Operations Record Book for 9 July 1942 reads: ‘At 6.05 hours two ME 109Es appeared without prior warning and dropped two 500lb bombs on the aerodrome which they

then proceeded to strafe with cannon fire and machine-gun fire. The bombs fell on the edge of the north-south runway and did superficial damage to the aerodrome surface but the blast caused damage to the buildings of the SHQ (Gayles Farm) and one Nissen hut used as a barrack stores. Cannon fire damaged the blister hangar which had only been erected the day before. Several of the personnel had narrow escapes. The ground defences had little opportunity of retaliating against such a sudden, low-flying attack and both aircraft got away safely under the cover of low cloud which was present at the time.’ So, and whilst that might perhaps only tenuously ‘link’ the incidents to the statements of Corporal Leslie Edwards, the Home Guard farm worker who had initially recounted the story, it provides no absolute connection since it

makes no mention of the deaths of any Canadian soldiers. The clue, though, rests in the date and for 9 July 1942 I found three Canadian servicemen who had all been killed on that day. All of them lie buried in the CWGC Cemetery at Brookwood, Surrey. Lt Robert Clifford Craufurd, aged 29 years, 18 Field Company, Royal Canadian Engineers, from Robson, British Columbia, was occupying the middle coastguard cottage at Cuckmere Haven and was shaving at the time when a shell went through the wall holding his mirror and killed him outright. Also killed as they camped nearby were Private James Daniel Mahoney aged 27 years, Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps, from Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada and Sapper Reginald McNally, also of the Royal Canadian Engineers. I have concluded that these must almost certainly be the three men

commemorated on the Cuckmere Haven cairn and that Leslie Edwards’ recollection of a date in 1940 must be incorrect. Whilst the deaths of these men are not recorded in the RAF Friston Operations Record Book entry which reported on the attack, this is almost certainly due to the fact that these Canadian soldiers were not part of the establishment at Friston, albeit that they died just a short distance from the periphery of the airfield itself. Of course, many of the locally based Canadian troops were involved in the ill-fated Operation Jubilee raid to Dieppe just a little over one month later. I hope that this interpretation of events is of interest, both to Mr Jeffery and to the wider readership of your excellent magazine. Peter Longstaff-Tyrell (Sussex Military History Society) By email.

BELOW: Lt Craufurd was killed by a German cannon shell as he stood shaving in the middle of these Coastguard Cottages at Cuckmere Haven, East Sussex, on 9 July 1942.

The author of the Letter of the Month may select a book of their choice (maximum value £25) from the extensive range of titles available at www.pen-and-sword.co.uk 106 www.britainatwar.com

The author of the Letter of the Month may select a book of their choice (maximum value £25) from the extensive range of titles available at www.pen-and-sword.co.uk

FIELD POST

'Britain at War' Magazine, PO Box 380, Hastings, East Sussex, TN34 9JA | [email protected]

The ‘Other’ Douglas Bader Dear Sir - Your piece on Douglas Bader (Britain at War, August 2016) was a truly fascinating read, but I wonder how many people realise that there was another RAF Spitfire pilot who had no legs and who also ended up being downed over France and taken POW? He was Colin ‘Hoppy’ Hodgkinson. Colin Hodgkinson was born in Wells, Somerset, and was accepted in 1938 for pilot training as Midshipman in the Fleet Air Arm. During his training, his aircraft was involved in a mid-air collision; grievously injured, Hodgkinson had to have both legs amputated. During the long period in hospital, Sir Archibald McIndoe operated on one of his damaged eye sockets. As a

Dear Sir - Your excellent ‘Somme Special’ (Britain at War July 2016) dropped onto my doormat shortly before I acquired the attached photograph which I thought would be of interest to your readers. Hopefully somebody might also be able to throw some light on the background story to this image. Although it is clearly not Somme related, the inscription on the reverse gives us some clues and tells us that it depicts a scene involving 2 Komp Inf Rgt, 27 Inf Div, and gives the date 3 June 1916. It would appear that Infantry

result, Hodgkinson subsequently became a member of the Guinea Pig Club. Inspired by Douglas Bader, he was determined to return to flying and to fly the Spitfire, managing to obtain a transfer from the Royal Navy (where he was then a Sub Lt) to the RAF, initially serving as Pilot Officer. After training on Spitfires, Hodgkinson was posted on 7 December 1942 to No 131 Squadron at Westhampnett, Sussex. When his squadron left, he obtained permission to remain in the Tangmere Wing and joined No 610 Squadron (OC ‘Johnnie’ Johnson). In April 1943 he shot down a Fw 190 that crashed into the sea off Brighton Pier. Hodgkinson was later posted to No 611 Squadron at Biggin Hill, equipped with Spifire Mk IXs. In August, when flying from Coltishall, Norfolk, Hodgkinson was escorting American B-26 Marauders bombing Bernay airfield when his squadron came under attack by more than 50 Fw 190s. The Wing turned for home and the in a furious dog-fight he shot down a Fw 190 that was about to attack his wing leader, ‘Laddie’ Lucas.

ABOVE: Colin Hodgkinson (right) chats with fellow Spitfire pilots.

Hodgkinson then joined No 501 Sqn as a Flight Commander but on 24 November 1943, during a highaltitude weather reconnaissance detail, his oxygen supply failed and he crashed his Spitfire, MJ117, into a French field east of Hardelot. Badly injured, and minus one of his metal legs, he was dragged from his blazing Spitfire by two farm workers. Captured and placed in a POW camp, he was repatriated ten months later. After returning to Britain he was again treated for his injuries by McIndoe. He resumed flying towards the end of the war as a

ferry pilot at Filton aerodrome. He was released from the RAF in 1946 but returned to military flying three years later, flying de Havilland Vampires with 501 and 604 Royal Auxiliary Air Force squadrons until the early 1950s. He later wrote an autobiography, ‘Best Foot Forward’, and although not as famous or universally as well-known as Bader, he should be remembered as the other front-line RAF fighter pilot who overcame disability and flew into battle with artificial legs. William J Pond, Cardiff. By email.

Hill 60 Crater?

Regiment 120 were involved in the battle for Hill 60 as part of the 4th Army during June 1916 and I am presuming that this image depicts the scene there, with the 120 Regiment occupying what appear to be two adjacent water-filled mine craters. I think that these craters were blown in April 1915 and that the 120th defended them between 4 and 13 June 1916 before they were re-taken by the British in 1917. I’m wondering if any readers can confirm that my deductions are correct or else fill in any further details? Chris Goss, Berkshire. By email.

ABOVE: The mine crater photographed on 3 June 1916. www.britainatwar.com 107

GREAT WAR GALLANTRY

September 1916

GREAT WAR GALLANTRY September 1916 Throughout the First World War, the many announcements of British and Commonwealth gallantry awards appeared in the various issues of The London Gazette. As part of our major monthly series covering the period of the Great War commemorations, we examine some of the actions involved and summarise all of the awards announced in September 1916.

RIGHT: Lady Dorothie Mary Evelyn Feilding pictured at the end of October 1914 in the courtyard of a school in Veurne (Furnes) which was turned into a military hospital. (ALL IMAGES HISTORIC MILITARY PRESS UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE)

W

ITH THE Battle of the Somme still raging, September 1916 saw one of the largest batches of gallantry awards announced so far in the First World War – as well as the biggest monthly tally of Victoria Crosses yet seen. William Frederick ‘Billy’ McFadzean, a Private in the 14th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles was 20-years-old when he was killed in his VC action. His was the first VC of the Battle of the Somme. Born in Lurgan, County Armagh, on 9 October 1895, McFadzean had enlisted in the Royal Irish Rifles as a private on 22 September 1914. He sailed to France with his battalion in October 1915.

In the lead-up to Zero Hour, as the men of the 14th (Service) Battalion (Young Citizens) RIR, stood waiting in the assembly trenches at Elgin Avenue, which ran roughly southwest to north-east through the middle of Thiepval Wood, they came under heavy German shell-fire, the ‘calm’, as it was referred to in the battalion War Diary, being broken at 03.00 hours. ‘The shells were falling all around and the candles in the Battalion HQ kept going out,’ the diarist noted. By 06.15 hours, ‘our intense bombardment has opened and shells of all sizes, including the big trench mortars are raining upon the Hun lines which are covered with smoke and dust. It is marvellous how anything can live under such a hail

BELOW: Standing on the Somme battlefield not far from the Thiepval Memorial, the Ulster Tower commemorates the men of the 36th (Ulster) Division. Officially opened on 19 November 1921, the memorial is a copy of Helen’s Tower which stands in the grounds of the Clandeboye Estate in County, Down. Many in the division trained on the estate before departing on their journey to the Western Front. It was in the surrounding area that two of the Victoria Cross holders announced in September 1916 – Private William ‘Billy’ McFadzean and Lieutenant Geoffrey St. George Shillington Cather – gave their lives.

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GREAT WAR GALLANTRY September 1916

Born on 11 October 1890, at Streatham Hill south-west London, Geoffrey St. George Shillington Cather was just 25-years-old when he was killed. The 9th Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers left its reserve positions early on the morning of 1 July 1916, and along with the rest of the 36th Division assembled in Thiepval Wood. At 07.30 hours the whistles blew along the line and the first attack of the first day of the Battle of the Somme began. At first, things went relatively well for the Ulstermen despite heavy losses from the withering German machine-gun fire which tore into the advancing infantrymen. A few men were reported to have made it through to the battalion’s  of shells.’ Less than an hour later, it was noted that the ‘enemy returns our artillery fire and the wood is getting uncomfortable’. Whilst German shells sought out the Ulstermen’s position, McFadzean was involved with the distribution of bombs. He picked up a box of grenades and, using a knife, cut the cord around it. The announcement of the award of his Victoria Cross describes what happened next: ‘While in a concentration trench and opening a box of bombs for distribution prior to an attack, the box slipped down into the trench, which was crowded with men, and two of the safety pins fell out. Private McFadzean, instantly realizing the danger to his comrades, with heroic courage threw himself on the top of the bombs. The bombs exploded blowing him to pieces, but only one other man was injured. He well knew his danger, being himself a bomber, but without a moment’s hesitation he gave his life for his comrades.’

McFadzean smothered the bomb blasts and two (not one as stated in The London Gazette) of his comrades were wounded, one of whom, Private George Gillespie had to have a leg amputated. McFadzean was quite literally blown to bits and some accounts say that when his remains were later carried away on a stretcher, despite the barrage of German shells falling around them, the men removed their helmets in salute to their brave colleague. Less than a mile away to the west, and some twenty-four hours later, another member of the the 36th (Ulster) Division also earned a Victoria Cross for his actions – an award that was also announced in September 1916.

BELOW: A view looking northwards from Ancre British Cemetery towards Beaucourt Station. Constructed on the area of the front line on 1 July 1916, the fields in this view are those over which the men of the 9th Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers attacked that day. It is also the area in which Lieutenant Geoffrey St. George Shillington Cather won the Victoria Cross.

LEFT: A drawing depicting the moment that Private William ‘Billy’ McFadzean was killed on 1 July 1916. His Victoria Cross is displayed at The Royal Ulster Rifles Museum, Belfast, Northern Ireland. BELOW: An artist’s depiction of Lieutenant Geoffrey St. George Shillington Cather during the actions for which he was awarded the VC. His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Regimental Museum of The Royal Irish Fusiliers, Armagh, Northern Ireland.

GALLANTRY AWARDS GAZETTED IN SEPTEMBER 1916 Victoria Cross Distinguished Service Order Distinguished Service Cross Military Cross Distinguished Flying Cross* Air Force Cross* Distinguished Conduct Medal Conspicuous Gallantry Medal Distinguished Service Medal Military Medal Distinguished Flying Medal* Air Force Medal* Total

36 131 22 547 484 14 206 3150 4590

* Indicates an award that has not yet been instituted. Mentions in Despatches are not included.

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GREAT WAR GALLANTRY

September 1916

RUNNING TOTAL OF

GALLANTRY AWARDS AS OF THE END OF SEPTEMBER 1916 Victoria Cross Distinguished Service Order Distinguished Service Cross Military Cross Distinguished Flying Cross Air Force Cross Distinguished Conduct Medal Conspicuous Gallantry Medal Distinguished Service Medal Military Medal Distinguished Flying Medal Air Force Medal Total RIGHT: One of the many pilots who intercepted a large airship attack on the night of 2/3 September 1916 was Lt. William Leefe Robinson. During the sortie, Robinson downed the Schütte-Lanz airship SL.11, this being the first airship destroyed over Britain. Leefe Robinson’s award of the VC was gazetted on 5 September 1916.

215 2202 326 4970 7191 52 1263 6225 22444

objective, Beaucourt Station, and in doing so enabled the 36th Division to claim to be the only one in X Corps to have reached its objective that day. However, they were unable to hold onto their gains against fierce German pressure and the remains of battalion were eventually withdrawn to their start positions. The cost, though, was high. At roll-call at the end of the day, of more than 600 men who had started off, just over 500 were either killed, missing or wounded. Search parties were organised that evening to go back over No Man’s Land to look for their missing comrades. As battalion adjutant, Lieutenant Geoffrey St. George Shillington Cather led one of the parties. He went out at 19.00 hours and continued until midnight searching the area under constant machine-gun and artillery

fire for his wounded comrades. The announcement of his award of the Victoria Cross provides an insight into his actions: ‘From 7 p.m. till midnight he searched No Man’s Land, and brought in three wounded men. Next morning at 8 a.m. he continued his search, brought in another wounded man, and gave water to others, arranging for their rescue later. Finally, at 10.30 a.m., he took out water to another man, and was proceeding further on when he was himself killed. All this was carried out in full view of the enemy, and under direct machine-gun fire and intermittent artillery fire. He set a splendid example of courage and self-sacrifice.’ Cather was buried where he fell. Like so many others, his body was never identified or recovered from the battlefield. Another major battle from 1916 was represented in the VCs announced in September 1916 – Jutland. Jack Travis Cornwell was born in 1900 in Leyton, Essex. His father, a tram-driver, was a former soldier who had seen service in Egypt and South Africa. When Jack was ten, his family moved to Ilford. He had an older brother, a younger sister, and two younger brothers, one of whom would stand-in for him in portraits painted after his death. His other younger brother was also to die in the First World War, as was their father, who had returned to the army in 1914 and died in France a month after his son. Jack left school at the age of 13, working first for the tea firm Brooke Bond and, a year later, for the brewer Whitbread. When he turned 15, he volunteered for the Royal Navy, as a ‘Boy Second-Class’. On 27 July 1915, he became Boy Seaman, First Class. After training as a Sight Setter or Gun Layer, Jack joined his first ship, the

Town-class light cruiser HMS Chester, on 24 April, 1916. Just a month later, HMS Chester was involved in the Battle of Jutland. On 31 May 1916, she had been scouting ahead of the 3rd Battlecruiser Squadron when she came under fire from four German cruisers. Three of HMS Chester’s four turrets were knocked out; Jack’s ‘A’ turret was the first to be hit. Surrounded by the dead and the dying, for only two of the men in the turret were unharmed, and even though the turret could not fire, Jack, despite his own intestinal wounds, stayed at his post. In addition to his duties as gun-layer, he was also responsible for passing orders to the turret crew. In the absence of orders, he nevertheless awaited them, as was his duty. He was eventually found, still by his gun, by a first aid party. Thirty-five men, of whom six were ‘Boy Seamen’, were killed or mortally wounded that day on HMS Chester – the cruiser having been hit by seventeen 150mm shells. As well as the dead, there were forty-nine wounded, many of whom lost legs because the open backed gun-shields did not reach the deck and give adequate protection. One of the most seriously injured was Boy 1st Class John Cornwell. After the action, the ship’s medics found Cornwell to be the sole survivor at his gun, shards

ABOVE: One of the Royal Navy’s Lion-class battlecruisers which fought at the Battle of Jutland, HMS Princess Royal. It was on the lead ship of the class that another VC was won at Jutland. At one point in the battle a heavy shell struck HMS Lion’s Q-turret, entered the gun-house, burst over the left gun, and killed nearly the whole of the guns’ crews. It was only the presence of mind and devotion of the officer of the turret, Major Francis Harvey, RMLI, which saved the warship from sudden destruction; in spite of both his legs being shot off he was able to pass the word down to close the magazine doors and flood the magazines. Harvey thus prevented the fire which started from reaching the ammunition, and so saved the ship, an action for which he was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, this also being announced on 15 September 1915. (US LIBRARY OF CONGRESS)

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GREAT WAR GALLANTRY September 1916 of steel penetrating his chest, looking at the gun sights and still waiting for orders. Being incapable of further action, HMS Chester was ordered to the port of Immingham. There Cornwell was transferred to Grimsby General Hospital where he died on the morning of 2 June 1916. HMS Chester’s skipper, Captain Lawson, wrote the following to Cornwell’s mother after the battle: ‘I know you would wish to hear of the splendid fortitude and courage shown by your son during the action of 31 May. His devotion to duty was an example to all of us. The wounds which resulted in his death within a short time were received in the first few minutes of the action.

‘He remained steadily at his most exposed post on the gun, waiting for orders. His gun would not bear on the enemy; all but two of the ten crew were killed or wounded, and he was the only one who was in such an exposed position. But he felt he might be needed and indeed he might have been; so he stayed there, standing and waiting, under heavy fire, with just his own brave heart, and God’s help to support him.’ Despite initial Admiralty reluctance, a recommendation was eventually made that Cornwell be awarded the Victoria Cross. Admiralty Beatty wrote: ‘The instance of devotion to duty by Boy (1st Class) John Travers

Cornwell who was mortally wounded early in the action, but nevertheless remained standing alone at a most exposed post, quietly awaiting orders till the end of the action, with the gun’s crew dead and wounded around him … I regret that he has since died, but I recommend his case for special recognition in justice to his memory and as an acknowledgement of the high example set by him.’ On 16 November 1916, Cornwell’s mother Alice duly received her son’s Victoria Cross from King George V at Buckingham Palace. Jack’s medals, including his VC with its blue ribbon, marking a pre-1918 naval award, were placed with the Imperial War Museum by his sister in 1968. Cornwell is the third-youngest recipient of the Victoria Cross, and the youngest of the First World War. (See also ‘Britain at War’ May 2016) Another development in September 1916 was the announcement of the first awards of the Military Medal to women. The scene for this had been set a few weeks earlier when a supplementary warrant ‘providing for the award of the Military Medal to women’ had been published in The London Gazette during June. It stated: ‘It is Our Will and Pleasure, and We do hereby Ordain that The Military Medal may, under exceptional circumstances, on the special recommendation of a Commander-in-Chief in the Field, be

awarded to women, whether subjects or foreign persons, who have shown bravery and devotion under fire.’ The six women listed for the MM included Sister Miss Beatrice Alice Allsop. She had enlisted in the Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Nursing Service (Reserve) as Sister in August 1914, embarking for France the following week. Her MM was awarded for her actions when the military hospitals around Béthune were shelled in August 1916. Another of the six was Lady Dorothie Mary Evelyn Feilding. The second daughter of the ninth earl of Denbigh, Feilding, who was serving with a Red Cross unit, the Monro Motor Ambulance, is described as one of the most decorated ambulance drivers of the First World War; she was awarded the British Military Medal, the French Croix de Guerre and was made a Knight of the Belgian Order of Leopold II. 

ABOVE: The very 5.5in gun manned by Cornwell at Jutland. It is displayed in the Imperial War Museum. LEFT: Drummer Walter Ritchie during his VC action, Beaumont Hamel, 1 July 1916. Without orders, Ritchie ‘stood on the parapet of an enemy trench and, under heavy machinegun fire and bomb attacks, repeatedly sounded the “Charge”.' This rallied wavering and leaderless units. He also ran messages over fire-swept ground. LEFT: 2nd Lt Donald Simpson Bell recieved the VC for his actions on 5 July 1916. Under heavy fire, he led two men through open ground, rushing a machine gun with revolver and bombs. This memorial marks the spot where he died, at Bell’s Redoubt, five days later.

www.britainatwar.com 111

LORD ASHCROFT'S "HERO OF THE MONTH"

Captain Angus Buchanan VC MC

Captain LORD ASHCROFT'S "HERO OF THE MONTH"

Angus Buchanan

VC, MC

BOLDNESS

AGGRESSION • INITIATIVE LEADERSHIP • SACRIFICE SKILL • ENDURANCE The many Victoria Crosses and George Crosses in the Lord Ashcroft Gallery at the Imperial War Museum in London are displayed under one of seven different qualities of bravery. Captain Angus Buchanan's award is part of the collection and Lord Ashcroft feels that it falls within the category of boldness: “At certain times people take a calculated risk. With audacity, dash and daring, much can be achieved. In simple terms, who dares wins. Boldness combines force with creative thinking. It is impetuous and often completed before anyone knows what is going on.” RIGHT: Captain Angus Buchanan VC (left) being assisted by a comrade as he walks away from the presentation platform after receiving his Victoria Cross and Military Cross from King George V, in Bristol, November 1916. (IWM)

RIGHT: The South Wales Borderers' unit badge.

A

NGUS BUCHANAN, was born in Coleford, Gloucestershire, on 11 August 1894. His father, Peter, a doctor, had served as a major and company commander in the Glosters. Educated locally, at St John’s Boys School in Coleford and Monmouth Grammar School in Gwent, Angus Buchanan was a talented sportsman and captained his school rugby team. He won a classical scholarship to Jesus College, Oxford, and played for the university’s A team during the 1913-14 season. However, after the outbreak of the First World War, he was commissioned as a temporary second

112 www.britainatwar.com

lieutenant in the 4th Battalion, South Wales Borderers, in November 1914. Buchanan left for Gallipoli on 28 June 1915 and was promoted to lieutenant on the same day. However, he was wounded soon after B Company landed at Suvla Bay on August 7 and sent to a hospital in Cairo, Egypt. In early December 1915, and having been made a temporary captain, he returned to the peninsula and was awarded the Military Cross (MC) for his bravery in command of B

Company, in trenches east of Gully Ravine on 7 January 1917. He was also twice Mentioned in Despatches for his services in the Gallipoli operations. Buchanan arrived in Mesopotamia (now Iraq) on 4 March 1916 and it was there, on 5 April, that he took part in an action for which he received the VC, courageously saving two wounded comrades from no-man’s land. Buchanan, however, was wounded in the arm during the fighting against the Turks later on 5 April, the very day of his VC action.

LORD ASHCROFT'S "HERO OF THE MONTH" Captain Angus Buchanan VC MC

Once again, Buchanan made a good recovery from his injuries, this time in India, only to be wounded a third time during fighting on 24 September 1916. This wound came only two days before the official announcement of his VC in the London Gazette when the citation for his decoration read: “For most conspicuous bravery. During an attack an officer was lying out in the open severely wounded about 150 yards from cover. Two men went to his assistance and one of them was hit at once. Captain Buchanan, on seeing this, immediately went out and, with the help of the other man, carried the wounded officer to cover under heavy machine gun fire. He then returned and brought in the wounded man, again under heavy fire.” The news was warmly received in his home town in Coleford: the bell in the church tower rang out in tribute and the announcement relating to his VC was also flashed up on the screen of his local cinema during a screening of the recently released film, The Battle of the Somme. However, on 13 February 1917, Buchanan was wounded for a fourth time – on this occasion far more seriously than previously. A sniper’s bullet hit his head and he lost the sight in both his eyes. On 2 September 1917, as a result of his serious injuries,

he relinquished his commission but retained his rank of captain. He was also Mentioned in Despatches a third time and awarded the Russian Order of Vladimir, 4th Class, with swords. Buchanan received his VC on 8 November 1917 at Durdham Down, Bristol. Thousands had gathered for the investiture by King George V of 127 recipients of gallantry medals and other honours. At the investiture, Buchanan, then 23, had both his VC and MC pinned on his chest by the King. After shaking the King’s hand and saluting him, Buchanan was led down the steps and away from the Royal Dais by his guide, to loud cheering from the crowd. After returning from the war, Buchanan attended St Dunstan’s hospital, supported by the charity Blind Veterans UK, where he learnt Braille and typewriting, and where a fundraising postcard, costing 1d and bearing a drawing of him sporting his VC, was issued in his honour. Next, Buchanan returned to Oxford where, despite still being blind, he studied for a degree in law and became a member of his college rowing eight. In those days, text books were not in Braille so they all had to be read to him by tutors and fellow students. After qualifying as a solicitor, he started a practice in his home town with another solicitor though eventually he ran it on his own. Because of his disability, he did not accept criminal work and instead specialised in conveyancing and estate work. He also enjoyed accompanied walking holidays throughout the UK, Gilbert and Sullivan operas, and he was vice chairman of Coleford British Legion. Buchanan’s friends said that he never complained abut his disability and remained both cheerful and determined to lead as normal a life as possible. He was considered to be the best salmon

VICTORIA CROSS HEROES Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC is a businessman, philanthropist, author and pollster. His five books on gallantry include Victoria Cross Heroes. For more information, please visit: www.victoriacrossheroes.com Lord Ashcroft’s VC and GC collection is on public display at Imperial War Museum, London. For more information visit: www.iwm.org. uk/heroes. For details about his VC collection, visit: www. lordashcroftmedals.com For more information on Lord Ashcroft’s work, visit: www.lordashcroft.com. Follow him on Twitter: @LordAshcroft

fisherman in the area and had a detailed knowledge of the River Wye. He also played bridge, even though he was unable to see the cards. Buchanan died in Gloucester Royal Infirmary on 1 March 1 1944, aged 49. He was buried, with full military honours, at Coleford Church. His gravestone said he “died of old wounds”, having never recovered from his war-time injuries. Two days after his death, an “obituary letter” appeared in The Times that began: “Few men have faced adversity with greater cheerfulness and patience than Angus Buchanan, the ‘blind VC’.” Buchanan is commemorated at several locations: his name is listed at Harvard Chapel, Brecon Cathedral, Wales; there is a memorial tablet at St John’s Church, Coleford; the Buchanan Memorial recreation ground, purchased in 1919 as a tribute to the town’s hero, is named after him; and Buchanan Close in Monmouth, Gwent, is also named in his honour. I purchased Buchanan’s medal group privately in 2013. I feel privileged to be the custodian of the gallantry and service medals belonging to such a courageous and spirited man. 

TOP: Gully Ravine, Gallipoli, where Buchanan won his Military Cross. (IWM)

BELOW LEFT: Captain Buchanan's medal group.

(LORD ASHCROFT GALLERY AT IWM LONDON)

www.britainatwar.com 113

The First W

rld War in Objects

NATIONAL

NO.26

REGISTRATION ACT

CERTIFICATE

AS THE war continued, it became increasingly clear that the United Kingdom was going to suffer a manpower shortage to one extent or another. Voluntary recruitment was not going to provide the numbers of men required for the continued prosecution of the war, both for the armed forces and in industry. As a result, the Government passed the National Registration Act on Thursday, 15 July 1915, as a step towards stimulating recruitment and to discover, for example, how many men between the ages of 15 and 65 who were not in the armed forces were engaged in each trade. The central registration authority was the Registrar General acting under the direction of the Local Government Board, while the Councils of Metropolitan and Municipal boroughs and all Urban and Rural Districts were the local registration authorities. The information supplied under the Act provided manpower statistics and also enabled the military authorities to discriminate between persons who should be called up for military service and those who should, in the national interest, be retained in their existing employment. On Registration Day, 15 August 1915, everyone within the specified age group was to complete a form giving their name, age, nationality, marital status and employment details. There were two forms, a green one for men and a pink one for women. The registration was undertaken in a similar way to a census, though unlike a census the head of a household was not responsible for completing the form and instead each person who came under the act would complete their own. Some 29 million forms were issued. In England, the forms were organised locally and filed first by occupational group and then alphabetically by name within each occupation.  But in Scotland, where the Registrar General set up his own system, all forms were held centrally in Edinburgh, and were organised alphabetically, rather than by occupation. The results of this census became available by mid-September 1915.

ABOVE: A National Registration Act Certificate.

ABOVE: The inside of the National Registration Act Certificate issued to one Harry Solly of Whitstable, Kent. Solly gave his occupation as carpenter/joiner. On the right a female’s National Registration Act Certificate. (ALL IMAGES HISTORIC MILITARY PRESS)

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Having amassed all this data a number of main committees were set up. The first of these was the National Registration Committee. It was an advisory body which, under the chairmanship of Cyril Jackson, was appointed in July 1915 to consider the use of the information obtained by the National Register. This was followed by the setting up of the National Register Committee (under the Chairmanship of the Marquess of Lansdowne) which was formed in September 1915 by the Prime Minister to advise the Government on the best method by which the National Register could be utilised for the successful prosecution of the war. On 17 May 1917 the National Registration Committee under the chairmanship of the Right Honourable W. Hayes Fisher MP, was appointed to consider the question of registration of the population for administrative and other national purposes, as well as what changes, if any, were desirable in the system for the registration of births, deaths and marriages in England and Wales. Those who registered were issued a National Registration Act Certificate, such as those seen here. National registration was discontinued after the Armistice, but re-introduced during the Second World War.

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Available on PC, Mac, Blackberry, Windows 10 and kindle fire from

Requirements for app: registered iTunes account on Apple iPhone 3G, 3GS, 4S, 5, 6, 6s, iPod Touch or iPad 1, 2, 3 or 4, iPad Air, iPad Mini. Internet connection required for initial download. Published by Key Publishing Ltd. The entire contents of these titles are © copyright 2016. All rights reserved. App prices subject to change. 761/16

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