ROYAL NAVAL ASSOCIATION
Relentless hunt for old shipmates
FORMED at the end of last year, the HMS Relentless Association aims to reunite old shipmates and foster friendships from all commissions of the R-class destroyer and Type 15 frigate. Relentless had three distinct periods of service. First were the wartime commissions from 1942, then she underwent conversion to the Type 15 class in 1951 until 1956, and the final phase was from 1964 until she was paid off in 1968. More than 40 members have been recruited through the website (www.hmsrelentless.co.uk) but more are welcome. Among those who have already joined is one who went on to greater prominence – former Chancellor of the Exchequer Nigel Lawson, now Lord Lawson of Blaby, who served in Relentless as a sub lieutenant during his National Service. A reunion is planned in Chatham at the end of November. See the website, Facebook page, call 023 9259 9640 or write to the Secretary, HMS Relentless Association, c/o 73 Redwing Road, Clanfield, Hampshire PO8 0NG for more details.
Search for lost trophy
DERBYSHIRE Submariners have put out an appeal for a missing trophy which was created in memory of a wartime deep. The shield was commissioned in memory of Stoker 1st Class Tommy Appleby, and had the words ‘Submariners Association (Derbyshire)’ and ‘TS Kenya’ inscribed on scrolls on its face. The trophy was presented to a suitable recipient from the local Sea Cadet unit, but in recent years one of the recipients left the area and the unit, and the Association, have been unable to trace it. If anyone knows where the shield is now, please contact S/M Terry Hall at nobbyderbysa@ yahoo.co.uk or ring 07979 424680. Any postage and packing will be refunded, or it can be collected if that is possible.
Morecambe Bay items on display
l Former Wren Beth Hutchinson and Lt Cdr Polly Hatchard in front of a Swordfish at Yeovilton Picture: LA(Phot) Caroline Davies
Gallant Beth dragged man from wreckage A HEROINE of World War 2 visited RN Air Station Yeovilton to take a trip down memory lane – though the memories were by no means all pleasant.
Beth Hutchinson was a driver with the Fleet Air Arm when she was awarded a gallantry medal in 1944 – believed to be the first to be awarded to a female in the Royal Navy. With complete disregard for her own safety,Wren Booth (as she was then), a driver with the Fleet Air Arm, dragged an Observer from a crashed Swordfish aircraft in the Kintyre peninsula in Scotland on the night of November 18 1943.
£50 PRIZE PUZZLE
THE mystery ship in our February edition (right) was HMS Venturer, previously known as the Suffolk Harvester, and Mr M Beeby, of Devon, wins the £50 prize. This month’s mystery ship (above) was a Fleet replenishment tanker, built at the Hawthorn Leslie yard at Hebburn on Tyneside and launched at the end of 1962. She saw service in Cod Wars, on the Beira Patrol and – while on her way to new owners – was diverted to play a role in reclaiming the Falkland Islands in 1982. She was subsequently released to join a South American navy as planned in August of that year. (1) What was the name of the oiler when in the RFA, and (2) what was the name given to her by her new owners? We have removed her pennant number from the image. Complete the coupon and send
She removed his smouldering clothing with her bare hands, beating out the flames while explosions in the aircraft scattered debris over them. She then drove the Observer nine miles for urgent medical treatment but, by the time she arrived, he had died. Beth, now 92, was awarded the British Empire Medal (Military) for her act of outstanding bravery near RN Air Station Machrihanish at the age of 23. Of her actions that night Beth said: “Gosh, it was nothing – I don’t know what all the fuss is about. “I’m nothing special – anyone would have done the same in my position. We just got on with it.” When Beth arrived at Buckingham Palace to receive her medal from King George VI in May 1944 she was the only woman amongst nearly 300 men. “I didn’t know how to curtsey,” Beth confessed. “So I had all these men outside the throne room of Buckingham Palace showing me how to curtsey – you wouldn’t believe it. “It was such good fun and we did laugh. There were certainly
more good bits than bad bits.” Beth’s story was told some years later in two publications, Blue for a Girl and Women of Glory, each recognising her act of gallantry. Blue for a Girl describes Beth’s visit to the Palace and how the King “pinned the medal to her proudly heaving breast”, adding her vital statistics (“35, 23, 36”) – a sign of the times and how they have changed. Beth, now a great-grandmother living near Bath reminisced with Lt Cdr Polly Hatchard, the Royal Navy’s first female air engineering officer, about her life as a Wren in World War 2. Polly is currently the senior air engineering officer for the Lynx Wildcat Maritime Force – the Navy’s next generation of helicopter. Polly said: “I have always been interested in engineering and studied mechanical engineering at Bristol University. “My maternal grandfather was a Naval Commander, my paternal grandfather one of the few surviving Battle of Britain pilots and my father is also a civilian pilot. “I joined principally because of
these role models.” Polly’s achievement is not the first time she has written her name into the Royal Navy’s annals – she was also the first RN female to reach the South Pole. Her career has not stopped Polly from enjoying family life, either, as she has two children under the age of five – “something that would have been unheard of back in my day,” observed Beth “You had to leave the Navy to get married and have a family in those days.” As part of her day at Yeovilton Beth shared coffee with the Commanding Officer, Cdre Jock Alexander, after which Polly took her to the Royal Naval Historic Flight, home to the only airworthy Swordfish aircraft in the world – the type of aircraft from which Beth dragged the injured Observer. Polly said: “Beth is an absolute inspiration. “Seventy years ago she got stuck in and went into life-saving mode without a consideration for her own personal safety. “It has been such a pleasure to meet a lady who has paved the way for women in the Royal Navy today.”
VETERANS from HMS Belfast were joined by sailors of the 21st Century to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the cruiser. Belfast was built at Harland and Wolff in her namesake city and launched by Mrs Neville Chamberlain on March 17 – St Patrick’s Day – 1938. Although she was badly damaged by a mine early in the war, she returned to the Fleet a more powerful ship and saw extensive action on Arctic convoys, supported the Normandy landings and later patrolled extensively in the Korean War. She is the last surviving Royal Navy ship of her type, and has been a familiar sight on the Thames between Tower Bridge and London Bridge for the past 40 years, where she is now part of the Imperial War Museum. Type 23 HMS Westminster was alongside the veteran warship when she celebrated her birthday, and members of the frigate’s ship’s company joined sailors of earlier generations and Sea Cadets to
mark the occasion. The Lord Mayor of Belfast, Alderman Gavin Robinson, and the Deputy Mayor of London, Victoria Borwick, broke a bottle of champagne over the ship’s side. The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “HMS Belfast is an iconic monument to Britain’s naval history, which sits proudly on the Thames. “It is a reminder of one of the most momentous periods in our history and has become an important, tangible legacy to help educate our children, as well as being an important attraction for visitors from the UK and overseas. “Here’s to many more years of this great ship watching over our city.” Visitors to the ship are given a vivid glimpse of what life was like for the 800-900 or so souls on board during her active service, with recreations of the scene inside a gun turret during the Battle of the North Cape at Christmas 1943, the operations room and the engine room.
l Sailors from the past and present await birthday ceremonies on the fo’c’sle of HMS Belfast in London Picture: LA(Phot) Guy Pool
London plans are discussed
PLANS are being laid by the Falkland Islands Association for a service of remembrance at the Cenotaph in December 2014. The FIA currently holds a joint service every year that covers both the 1914 battle and the 1982 Conflict but is keen to see what interest there is in an enhanced service. Organisers would like to hear from ship’s associations of vessels which took part in both campaigns, and for relatives of those who served in the 1914 battle, when von Spee’s cruiser squadron, which had been victorious weeks earlier at Coronel, was routed by Doveton Sturdee’s superior force. Ship associations could bring their Colour and lay a wreath, with a get-together afterwards. Robin Wager (ex-HMS Protector and Northwood 1982) would welcome suggestions at robin@relativem.co.uk
Happy birthday to Belfast
it to Mystery Picture, Navy News, HMS Nelson, Portsmouth PO1 3HH. Coupons giving the correct answers will go into a prize draw to establish a winner. Closing date for entries is May 10. More than one entry can be submitted but photocopies cannot be accepted. Do not include anything else in your envelope: no correspondence can be entered into and no entry returned. The winner will be announced in our June edition. The competition is not open to Navy News employees or their families.
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A MODEL of HMS Morecambe Bay and her White Ensign are on display alongside the ship’s bell at Morecambe Town Hall. S/M Doug Turk, Chairman of the HMS Morecambe Bay Association, contacted Lancaster City Council last year offering the model of the Bay-class frigate to the council for display at the town hall together with other memorabilia, including the ensign flown by the ship whilst in action during the Korean War. The radio-controlled model was constructed in 2003 by a member of the association who served on board during the 1952 conflict. The model, flag and other items are now in a case alongside the bell on the first floor landing at the Town Hall. Doug said: “It is with great pleasure that the HMS Morecambe Bay Association is able to hand over memorabilia of the ship for display. “There are very few of the ship’s company left now, and those of us that are still here are well into our 80s. “It is therefore reassuring for us to know that items we have treasured are now in safe hands and will provide an excellent historical record of the ship for visitors to Morecambe Town Hall for many years to come.” Cllr Sheila Denwood, Mayor of Lancaster, said: “I am sure the collection will provide a fitting tribute to all those who bravely served their country on HMS Morecambe Bay for many years to come.”
APRIL 2013 : 27