Newsletter 1/2003 january
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- Navigate this page:
- Membership Matters Edna Doring
- Lt. Cdr. R.C. Maynard, RNVR
- Rear Admiral A. Davies, CB, CVO
- Invincible - Treasures from the Deep
- Reunion - General matters
- PETER DAY ROYAL NAVY 1938 - 1967 (Part 2)
- Continues with Part 3 in the next newsletter when Peter Day joins HM S/M Taku
| NEWSLETTER 1/2003 - JANUARY
It seemed very strange to be sitting writing a welcome you into the New Year when in reality it was still only mid-December. Since Margaret and I were going to be spending Christmas and the New Year a bit further south and, hopefully, a bit warmer in Spain, I was trying to get a lap ahead to make sure that you all get your reunion details and booking forms in plenty of time. However, now it is back to real time and on behalf of the President, George Toomey, and myself, your Secretary, may I wish you all a very happy and prosperous New Year. But before proceeding further, a word from our President. Shipmates, Once again we are heading towards our reunion at the Burlington Hotel and, as always, the organising group have been working hard to ensure that all is in place for you on the day. Many thanks to them, especially for turning out on a very cold 11th January for our meeting at the Burlington. I would like though to specifically thank some members for the effort they put in for the Association over the past year. First, to George Bye, Alan Edinborough, Peter Hampstead, Doug MacQuillin, Brian Lambie, Lobby Lunn, George Philpott, Philip Remnant and Les Taylor who turned out to represent the Association at the Remembrance Day Parade at the Cenotaph on 10th November. They braved very cold and wet weather, including standing around for many hours waiting for the start. Next, David Hawkes, an Associate Member, for his effort in making sure, late at night, that all the items belonging to the Association or left to the Association by the late Alf Price were recovered from Alf's flat before it was cleared. Not easy to carry a four foot model of HMS Cossack in a glass case down to his car in the dark. To Eddy Gillam who cleared his garage, again lat at night, to store the model etc. and is looking after them until we can make other arrangements. And last for the moment, Brian Hibbert who, as far as possible, has always been there with the Cossack standard, wherever in the country, to represent us at a Shipmate's funeral service. Well done Brian. Back to the reunion. With this newsletter you will receive the necessary forms to book your rooms at the hotel, dinner tickets, etc. Please send your booking form off to the hotel as soon as possible. It would be appreciated too if the Payment Form (to be sent to Peter Harrison) could be used to purchase your Cash Prize Raffle tickets rather than leaving it until the reunion. It will save you time, save me time and will allow the sellers to concentrate on sales of tickets for the main draw of donated items. You will still be able to buy more tickets at the reunion though as I shall have a fixed sales desk near the bar which I will man at various times on both Friday and Saturday. The annual subscription will fall due on 1st May and it would help a great deal if those could be sent in with the Payment form too, rather than queuing up to pay them at the reunion. A proposal will be put to the AGM in April that our remaining few members who served in L03 should be given free Life Membership. This proposal had already been agreed by the organising group so, in anticipation of approval by the members, L03 shipmates should not send in subscriptions. I will again be in the car park to repel locals from taking your spaces - but no I will not be selling you raffle tickets in the car park. Can I please make a plea to all of you who attend other functions, to try to find others who served in the Cossacks. We need to find as many new members as possible, particularly those younger ones who served in the later commissions. If you do find anyone, please pass their details to me or to Peter Harrison so that we can contact them. Finally, please continue to send in your stories and items of interest for the newsletter. Without your help it can be very hard going. Oh. Nearly forgot. I think Peter has mentioned later in this newsletter about tips for the Burlington staff. All of them work hard in their own way to make our stay a happy time. The lower deck of the restaurant, kitchen and reception are taken care of by a very good tip given by the Association to the Manager for distribution. However, the bedroom staff rely upon you personally so please remember them when you leave. You are at their mercy for tea bags, sugar, etc.! I look forward to meeting you at the reunion for a chat. George _____________________________________________________________________ Membership Matters Edna Doring Edna Doring died peacefully on Sunday 15th December. As you will remember we lost her husband Reg in September 2001. Edna, his wife, had always been a member of the Association in her own right and remained as such after Reg's death. Soon after though she had a return of cancer and also suffered a broken pelvis. She spent some time in hospital and, although she returned home briefly, she was unable to take care of herself and moved into a nursing home. She had lived for Reg and had little interest in life after he had gone. Let us hope that they are now together again. Edna's funeral took place at Chelmsford Crematorium on 30th December 2002, with a nearly full chapel of friends and relatives to say farewell. Keith Batchelor attended and represented our Association. Lt. Cdr. R.C. Maynard, RNVR We had gathered at the Burlington Hotel for our meeting when a phone call from Ron Maynard's long time companion, Kit Pugh told us that we had lost yet another of our dwindling band of members who had served in HMS Cossack (L03). Evidently, Ron's son John had tried to contact me previously but I had of course been away. Ronald Caleb Maynard joined HMS Cossack as an Ordinary Signalman, RNVR in October 1939 and was a C.W. candidate, ie earmarked for a commission. He was aboard during both the Altmark Incident and the 2nd Battle of Narvik, after which he left to do his courses for promotion to Paymaster Sub-Lieutenant, RNVR. After the war, during which he was promoted to Paymaster Lt. Cdr., he returned to his studies and qualified as a Solicitor, the profession which he subsequently followed for the remainder of his working life. Ron passed away on 27th December 2002 after suffering a probable heart attack following a fall. Ron has acted as the Association's Welfare Officer for a number of years and in that capacity has given free advice to many and has written many, many letters of condolence to the widows of members we have lost. He was a very compassionate and understanding man. Ron was a man of many parts. He was a gifted organist, a member of the Guild of Church Musicians and served as its Secretary for many years as well as being their Honorary Solicitor. He was a Freeman of the City of London, and, resulting from another of his passions - cricket, was a member of the MCC and a member of Middlesex Cricket Club The funeral took place at Ruislip Crematorium on Monday 13th January and was attended by a large number of his family, including his son John and a daughter. The coffin was covered by our White Ensign and Shipmates Peter Harrison and Peter Marchant and Peter's wife Sheila attended and also represented the Association. Rear Admiral A. Davies, CB, CVO Anthony Davies who died on Tuesday 14th January at the age of 90 served in the Royal Navy from January 1926 until January 1963 and rose from Cadet to Rear Admiral. Specialising in Gunnery, the ships in which he served included BARHAM, DANAE, DESPATCH, DUNCAN, REPULSE, COSSACK, INDEFATIGABLE, TRIUMPH and PELICAN. He spent various spells at HMS EXCELLENT, the Gunnery School, where he was at one time the Commander and, for a short period, the Captain (C.O.). Other appointments he held were Fleet Gunnery Officer, Mediterranean Fleet, Deputy Director of the RN Staff College, Greenwich, Captain of the Fleet, Far East, Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence and, his last RN appointment, as Head of the British Defence Liaison Staff, Canberra, Australia. As a Lieutenant he survived the sinking of HMS COSSACK in October 1941 sustaining only minor burns and injuries and concussion. He always spoke fondly of his time in Cossack and, from its inception, attended all the Cossack Association reunions until prevented from doing so by ill health. Anthony Davies is survived by two sons, Michael and James, and a daughter Joanna. He will be cremated at Swindon Crematorium after a family service in the chapel there on the morning of Wednesday 22nd January and a service of thanksgiving will then be held in St. Michael's Church, Aldbourne at 2 pm. The thanksgiving service will be attended by members from the Swindon Branch RNA, of which he was the President for many years, and by members of the Cossack Association. MAY THEY REST IN PEACE _____________________________________________________________________ We have lost two members but, since the last news letter, have gained two new members. They are: Shipmate F.W. Cooper D57 1955 - 1956 L(M)E Shipmate A.J. Childs D57 1955 - 1956 Ldg. Sea. We have much pleasure in welcoming them aboard and to seeing them at the reunion. Our total membership now stands at 258, made up of 24 full members who served in L03 (including 1 Life member) 165 full members who served in D57 (including 2 Life members) 66 Associate members 3 Honorary members Items for the agenda for the AGM which will be held during our reunion in April 2003 should be sent to me, the Secretary, as soon as possible. As mentioned previously, a proposal will be put forward at the AGM for all those members who served in Cossack L03 to be given free life membership. Since not all our members are able to get to the AGM it would be appreciated if those who are against this proposal would let the Secretary know by the 15th March.
___________________________________________________________________________________ Remembrance Day Parade We were rather disappointed by the TV coverage of our Cossack contingent in the Remembrance Day parade at the Cenotaph. We had a contingent of 9 and, although at the request of the BBC we gave details of the two ships which our Association represents and of those taking part, there was no mention by the commentator. According to Alan Edinborough, as they went past the commentary position the assistant who was supposed to give the commentator the details was in a right old mess. Consequently, Dimbleby just said "There are too many ships to name them all". Had it not been for a lanky George Bye holding our poppy wreath in a prominent way to make sure the ship's badge was seen, I would probably have missed them all together. However, on a re-run I was then able to identify Alan Edinborough, Lobby Lunn and George Philpott as well. 
Well done all of you who took part and thank you for representing us. Incidentally, we have already been asked whether there will be a Cossack contingent in the Remembrance Day parade in 2003. This really depends on whether we get enough support. We didn’t actually make the 10 we needed for a separate contingent. It is obvious that if we want to get ourselves mentioned we would have to have a much larger contingent. Please let the Secretary, Peter Harrison, know if you want to march. S/M Lunn has asked if we can get any information about attending the Remembrance Service, etc. which is held at the Albert Hall. Are any others interested? Please tell the Secretary. ___________________________________________________________________________________ Wartime Service A notice appeared in the December issue of the Navy News as follows: The BBC is producing a series on the Navy, and one programme will look at the record of HMS Ark Royal. Anyone serving in the carrier, ship's company or air crew, or anyone in Force H, the Malta Convoys, Gibraltar, the Norway campaign and the action against Bismarck, should write to White Ensign, Room 4150, BBC White City, 201 Wood Lane, London W12 7TS or ring 010 8752 6741, or e-mail mike.rossiter@bbc.co.uk Over to you! ___________________________________________________________________________________ Service Pals In the last newsletter we brought to your attention the fact that there was an item on Channel 4 Teletext page 173 called Service Pals. Those of you who tried probably didn't have much success. Just about the same time as our newsletter went out the TV company changed things around. Service Pals is now on Channel 4 page 462. ___________________________________________________________________________________ Explosion! Lots going on at Explosion! The Museum of Naval Firepower at Priddy's Hard, Gosport, not least of all at the RN Submarine Museum. From April 2003 there will be a new temporary exhibition Invincible - Treasures from the Deep, an exhibition of underwater archaeology revealing the secrets of HMS Invincible the battleship which foundered in the Solent in 1758. From May until October 2003 there will also be a special photographic exhibition on The Battle of the Atlantic. ___________________________________________________________________________________ If the shoe fits, get another one like it ___________________________________________________________________________________ Reunion 2003 The next reunion will be held at the Burlington Hotel, Eastbourne on 4th, 5th and 6th April 2003. Booking forms for the hotel are enclosed with this newsletter. The Manager would obviously appreciate it if you would send your bookings off to the hotel as soon as possible. Numbers booking for the Friday night as well as Saturday last year were lower than expected and as a result we shall not have the hotel exclusively to our Association on the Friday. There will be some Wallace Arnold guests in the hotel too although they will be departing on the Saturday morning, leaving the hotel for our exclusive use on the Saturday. This may have a knock-on effect in that rooms may not be ready for those arriving early that day. Please bear with it and, if necessary, stow your cases somewhere and make sure you attend the AGM. As you will see from the hotel booking form, the prices for this reunion are slightly up on those for the last. The prices are as follows: Three nights (Friday, Saturday & Sunday) £83.90 Two nights (Friday & Saturday or Saturday & Sunday) £66.50 One night (Saturday only) £31.50
b) £10.00 per person for the banquet dinner if not staying at the hotel on one of the standard packages. The surcharge at (a) above in included in the £10.00. (c) Cash Prize raffle tickets. As required - £1 per ticket. (d) £5.00 Membership annual subscription for 2002/2003. The payment form should be sent back as soon as possible to Peter Harrison, Secretary, HMS Cossack Association, 31 Wood Lane, Fleet, Hants. GU51 3EA, cheques being made payable to HMS Cossack Association. Remember, the detail on the payment form is used to prepare the seating plan for the banquet dinner so please make sure guest details are filled in. Membership subscriptions for the year 2002/2003 will fall due on 1st May 2002. It may therefore be convenient for you include them on the payment form with one cheque and save queuing up at the reunion or sending them separately later. Those of you who have already paid for next year will find their new membership card attached to the payment form. Please detach it before sending the payment form back. Those who pay their subscription with this payment form will receive their membership card with their dinner tickets if they are attending the reunion, or separately if not. Each dinner ticket will entitle the holder to entry into the draw for the Door Prize. The tickets, which will be individually numbered, will be sent out on receipt of payment forms and cheques but must be produced as proof on the night to collect the prize. So, don't leave them at home. The very successful Cash Prize Raffle will be run again this year. The First Prize will as usual be £100, the Second Prize £50 and there will be four Third Prizes of £25 each. The raffle tickets for this draw will cost £1 each. Tickets will be on sale at the reunion for several fixed periods only so why not stake your claim by ordering them on the payment form. This raffle is open to you whether you will be attending the reunion or not and it is worth remembering that as many prizes have been won over the last two years by those not attending as those that did. The draw will take place on the Saturday evening after dinner. Winners present will be paid by cheque there and then and winners not attending will be sent theirs by post. I hope that the prospect of the free raffle tickets for purchasing the dinner ticket will not discourage you from purchasing some. Think of it as adding to your chances! Tickets for the main raffle of donated items, to be drawn on the Saturday evening will only be on sale at the reunion, although the sellers will be after your money from early Friday evening onwards. The appropriate number of winning tickets (depending upon the number of donated items) will be drawn in one go in the ballroom and the winning numbers will be posted on a board in the foyer immediately afterwards. Check your tickets against the board and, if you are a winner, collect your prize from either Les or Jean Taylor. Please ensure that you check yours. Last year some prizes were not claimed and these will now be included in this one. The programme for the weekend will be as follows Friday 4th April A busy day for settling in, setting up and, of course, for renewing old friendships. Our local members, Eddie Gillam and Dave Hawkes, will no doubt have done a great deal towards getting set up before we get there but willing hands are sure to be welcome to help during the afternoon. Please make your number with George Toomey, Alan Edinborough, Keith Batchelor or Peter Marchant and one of them will advise how you can help. Arrangements will have been made for Reception to take charge of donated raffle prizes. These are very much appreciated and enable us to raise funds which then allow us to keep the annual subscription down so that the less well off can afford to remain as members. For those staying at the hotel, dinner will be served in the dining room and those partaking should be seated between 19.00 and 19.30. If you are likely to be late arriving and will miss dinner, please let reception know and they will arrange for something (probably sandwiches) to be available for you. The bar will be open of course and music for dancing and, with luck, easy listening throughout the evening. Take the time to relax and catch up on old times and latest happenings with your friends in the comfortable surroundings of the Burlington lounge. Thanks to Keith Batchelor the display boards with our photographic and other memorabilia will be available for browsing and I'm sure that Les & Jean Taylor will be in the same room with their slops items displayed for you to make your purchases. There may be some new items on sale this year so please take a look. Please take time too to look at the Seating Plan for Saturday's banquet dinner to see where you will be sitting. The board will be displayed in the foyer. The bar will remain open as long as required. There will not be a Happy Hour this year but the hotel will have a promotion with beer being sold at a special reduced price. Saturday 5th April The main day of course, and we hope that we shall be as lucky with the weather as we have in previous years. After breakfast take advantage of the prom to blow the cobwebs away, have a look at the pier or the lifeboat museum but make sure you are back in time for the AGM at 11.30. Up Spirits will be piped on completion of the AGM. Wine will be available for the ladies. Snack lunches may then be ordered at the bar or, of course, you can take advantage of the delights of the many eating places in Eastbourne. The afternoon will be free of organised events but no doubt those of you who will have your partners with you will be organised, with your wallets, to keep Eastbourne's shopping economy going. Members and their guests should assemble in the bar lounge for pre-dinner drinks at 18.30 and take their places at table in the dining room at 18.55. The President will process in with our special guest(s) for the evening to take their positions at the top table. All should remain standing until grace has been said. Dinner will then be served. Wine will be provided with the dinner on the basis of three bottles (2 white 1 red) for each 12 persons. Additional bottles of wine, etc. may be purchased from the wine waiter, those staying at the hotel will be able to sign for it as a charge to their room. Remember to have sufficient left for the Loyal Toast at the end of dinner. The Loyal Toast will be taken standing (not seated as is allowed in HM ships). The loyal toast will be taken after coffee has been served and will then be followed by a (short?) speech from our President followed by our special guest, who this year will be Mr. J.F. Allaway, the Editor of the Navy News. On conclusion of the speeches the guest will be asked to draw the winning ticket for the special door prize. The President will then escort the special guest(s) to the lounge followed by others from the top table. Other members and their guests should then leave the dining room. Music for dancing and/or easy listening will be available in the ballroom area and during the course of the evening the Cash Prize raffle draw and the main raffle of donated items will take place. The beer promotion should still be running with its reduced price. The bar will remain open until midnight as long as there are customers. The menu for your dinner, agreed by the organising group, will be as follows: Prawn Cocktail or Fruit Juice Cream of Asparagus Soup Breast of Chicken in a white wine sauce served with a selection of vegetables and potatoes Strawberries & Cream (or Ice Cream) Fresh filtered coffee & after dinner mints There will be a vegetarian alternative to the main course. Any one who has a problem with any of the items on the menu and wishes to request either the vegetarian alternative or a specific replacement must do so by writing their requirements on the back of the booking form. The hotel reception cannot accept such requests by telephone. Sunday 6th April Those who will not be staying on for another night in the hotel are requested to clear their rooms after breakfast and before leaving for church. Should you need to retain the room in order to change before departing later, please ensure that you clear this with reception. The church service at Holy Trinity will commence at 10.30 and, as usual, we shall be joining with them in their normal family service. Attendance is of course entirely voluntary. A bus will be provided to take those with walking difficulties to the church and will leave the hotel at 10.15. The bus will not wait after 10.15 so if you require a lift, please make sure you are aboard before that. On completion of the service, those members taking part in the parade should make their way to the Lifeboat Museum from where the march will begin. There will be a bus laid on to take the standard bearers from the church to the assembly point and it will also take disabled members from the church back to the hotel. The parade will take place along the promenade, from the Lifeboat Museum to the Pier, with a saluting base set up opposite the Burlington Hotel. The Eastbourne Scottish Pipe Band will lead the parade, with the standards, our platoon and some Sea Cadets also taking part. It is hoped that those disabled members who are unable to march in the parade will take positions at the saluting base too. As those who took part in 2002 will know we were able to arrange for two policeman to control the pelican crossing, near the pier, so that we could march across after the salute has been taken. It is hoped that the same arrangements can be made although it can't be guaranteed. It will obviously have to be played by ear on the day and it may well be that we shall have to fall out in front of the pier and make our way independently. In the event of bad weather and the Parade having to be cancelled, it is expected that the Eastbourne Scottish Pipe Band will give a demonstration in the hotel ballroom. The bar will be open in the hotel on our return and the buffet lunch will be laid out, probably on tables on the dance floor. There will be no organised Association activity for the remainder of the day. Dinner will be served in the dining room at 19.00 and there will be the usual entertainment put on by the hotel in the ballroom/lounge area during the evening. The bar will be open of course. Reunion - General matters Getting there. A map of Eastbourne has printed in previous newsletter and the majority of you who will be attending will have been before and will know the way well. However, should anyone who has not attended previously require a map please write a note to that effect on the Payment Form and one will be sent to you with your dinner tickets. Car Parking. The hotel has a small car park situated on the other side of the small road which runs behind the hotel. Please be aware that the road is one-way and can only be entered from its west end, ie from Terminus Road which is on the left of the hotel. Providing cars are parked properly there should be enough room for most of ours. Please remember when leaving the car park that Burlington Road is one-way and you must turn left. Please beware too of traffic from the left on reaching the junction with Cavendish Place. Other car parking is available in the local area if none is left in the hotel car park when you arrive. Dress. The accepted dress for the banquet dinner will be blazer and flannels, or lounge suit. Ties are expected. As stated previously, medals may be worn. For the parade on Sunday those who wish to march in the platoon should, if possible, wear blazer, flannels, tie and beret. However, this is not mandatory although we would like the platoon to be well turned out and smart. Tips. The Association will as usual be giving a good tip to the hotel to be shared amongst the Dining Room and Kitchen staff. Individuals will be responsible for gratuities to those who take care of their rooms. Checking out. The hotel management would appreciate it if those who are leaving on the Sunday would settle their bills and, if possible, vacate their rooms before leaving for church. If you wish to retain your room in order to change before leaving please clear this with Reception. ____________________ I hope that has covered everything. If not, I'm sure you'll let us know. See you all in April. Remember - the success of the reunion depends on you being there. ___________________________________________________________________________________ It was recently discovered that research causes cancer in rates. ___________________________________________________________________________________ We left Peter Day story about his life in the R.N. with him having just completed the third part of his Sub-Lieutenant's courses, Gunnery and Parade Drill at Whale Island. Now on with the story. PETER DAY ROYAL NAVY 1938 - 1967 (Part 2) 
When we reached our Torpedo Course in April 1941, H.M.S Vernon at Portsmouth being no longer operational, we were almost the first course to be appointed to Roedean School for our Torpedo and Electrical Course. This was, and still is, a very well known school for Girls (the girls had been evacuated before we, and the sailors, had arrived!!). I am therefore a Roedean Old Boy. I gather there were some 31,000 Naval Officers and Men who did either a short or long course there between 1941 and 1945. I have a book about the history of Roedean which includes the time when it was taken over by the Royal Navy. A true story is that when the Navy took over the school early in April 1941, above every girls bed in the dormitories there was a bell push and a notice beside it which said “Press the button if you need a mistress for any reason during the night”. Obviously these notices should have been removed when the girls left and before the sailors arrived. It is questionable whether another story is completely true or not. Anyway it struck me as being rather amusing. When the Navy arrived to take over the establishment, there were a few sixth form girls still in the school. The R.N. Captain insisted that these girls should leave before his sailors arrived. The Mistress in charge said, tapping her forehead, “Don’t worry, Sir, my girls will be alright, they’ve got it up here”. His reply was “Madam, it matters not where your girls have it, rest assured my sailors will find it”. Whether or not it’s true, it’s a nice story. While we were at Roedean, just outside Brighten on the Sussex Downs, we 13 Sub Lieuts on course lived just up the road in a single flat of a block called Marine Gate Flats, and walked to the school for our instruction and meals. I’m sure we must have learnt something about Torpedoes and Electrics but what I remember most vividly is all 13 of us going one evening to the Brighton Hippodrome where we saw a revue called “Black Vanities”, on tour before it went to London. In the show were Flanagan and Allen and Zoe Gail whose main song was “When the lights go up in London”. Anyway we (I don’t remember which one of us was ‘we’) invited the three stars back to our flat. We had a rollicking good evening even if we didn’t feel too much like work the next day. At the end of this course I was appointed as Acting Sub Lieut to H.M.S. Cossack, a Tribal Class Destroyer and joined at Dartmouth on 16th May 1941. Duly arriving by train in Dartmouth in the afternoon I was informed that the ship would arrive sometime that evening, so I sat on the jetty, with my ‘bag and ‘ammick’ to wait for her. I didn’t really know what I was expecting - I remembered hearing about ‘Vian of the Cossack’ and some connection with the Altmark affair back in 1940, but my knowledge was limited by my cruising in small or large circles round the South Atlantic in H.M.S. Cumberland since the war started. The ship came in alongside, almost opposite where I was sitting and I made my way onboard. By the Officer of the Watch I was handed on to the First lieutenant (Lieut Bill Rose) who said that as it was nearly supper time I’d better make myself at home and see the Captain in the morning. My cabin was small but pleasant, below the upper deck aft and whereas up to this point at sea I’d always slept in a hammock, here was a bunk of my very own. The next morning I was wheeled in to meet the skipper, Captain Philip Vian, a fearsome man if ever there was one, yet the entire ship’s company would have gone through hell fire with him. I started off with a Rocket - ‘When did you arrive onboard?’- “Last evening, Sir” - ‘Why didn’t I see you then?’. At that point I handed over the answers to the First Lieut. Anyway thereafter we got on quite well together one very new Acting Sub Lieut and one very fiery four ring Captain. Cossack was Leader of the 4th Destroyer Flotilla, eight ships though most of the time we were just four ships working together - Cossack, Sikh, Zulu , Maori and occasionally the Polish destroyer Piorun. As we were (D) we had onboard something like 10 Lieutenants (including the extra Flotilla staff) but only one Sub Lieut ( me ) We all had quite a full life for the five months I was in the ship, taking part in a number of U.K to Gibraltar convoys, two Gibraltar to Malta convoys, a bombardment of the Island of Sardinia, the sinking of the German battleship Bismarck and finally our own sinking. All these events have been written about many times so I won’t add yet another version of these stories. Except that when we were quite close, between 4000 and 6000 yards ( 2 - 3 miles ) to the Bismarck carrying out a torpedo attack, jet black night and a violent sea running, a 15 inch shell from her shot away our wireless aerials. I have first hand knowledge of this because my Action Station was at the after end of the Bridge in charge of searchlight and starshell . These aerials could not have been much more that 10 feet above my head and if you have a 15 inch shell wizzing past your head about 10 feet away you are fully aware of it. Bismarck was finally sunk by a salve of torpedoes from the cruiser Dorsetshire, a ship similar to the Cumberland that I was in before as a midshipman. This episode was followed by two convoys to Malta (code named Operations Substance and Halberd ) both ‘hairy affairs’. The passage from Gibraltar to Malta, rather over 1000 miles, was Action Stations practically the whole time. For almost all the voyage the convoy and escort were attacked in the daytime by Dive Bombers from Sicily and, particularly at night, by ‘E’ Boats (German or Italian Motor Torpedo Boats) from the Island of Pantalleria. After all these fun and games, Captain Vian was promoted Rear Admiral and was relieved of his command. Captain E.L.Berthon DSC took over as Captain (D) of the 4th Destroyer Flotilla and as Commanding Officer of Cossack. We are now in October 1941 and we sailed from Gibraltar about teatime on the 22nd. The previous evening we had been berthed alongside H.M.S Legion, an ‘L’ class destroyer slightly more modern than us. I have an account of the sinking of Cossack from the Navigating Officer of Legion (a young Lieut B.G. O’Neill later Cdr OBE RN Retd) and I quote his words. “The night before sailing from Gib. (21st Oct) the wardrooms of Cossack and Legion had a convivial party together in Cossack under the overall direction of Lieut Bill Rose (No 1 of Cossack) a remarkably charming and competent Officer. It was Trafalgar Night so we drank a toast to the Immortal Memory of Lord Nelson and got to know one another. This was only too poignant as little did we know that two nights later we would be picking up survivors among the very heavy casualties Cossack suffered.” I was at my usual place for Special Sea Dutymen on leaving harbour as O.O.W on the Bridge. This is the last I remember for twelve days and the rest of this story is all hearsay, second or third hand. We joined a slow convoy back to the U.K. ( HG 75 ) as escort with Legion and a number of corvettes, and I understand that at 2337 or so on the 23rd we were torpedoed for’ard of the bridge by the German submarine U 563. We had been at Action Stations and had just stood down to two watch Defence Stations. Both for’ard 4.7 inch magazines for’A’ and ‘B’ turrets blew up together with the Small Arms magazine. We lost most of the personnel on the Bridge, ‘A’ and ‘B’ guns crews and everyone for’ard on the upper deck and below. 158 including the Captain and 4 Officers out of a total of about 250 complement. I was still at my Action Station at the after end of the Bridge. Very fortunately I was thrown aft, not for’ard into the fire, nor to port or starboard overboard, but down on to the upper deck. Realising that the ship would very likely sink, the order was given to abandon ship and this was duly carried out, everyone for himself. I apparently was left lying on a red hot deck by the break of the foc’s’le port side. As the ship did not sink for another two days, a party came back on board early in the morning of the 24th and found me lying where I was, I’m told very close to the new waterline where the ship was bows down. By this time the entire foc’s’le, from the bridge forward, had dropped off and the ship was kept afloat by the engine and boiler room bulkheads. I was picked up unconscious, (maybe someone in the rescue party tripped over me and I said ‘Ouch’ or perhaps a much stronger word,) and suffering from a broken leg (presumably when I had taken off from my position on the bridge), a fractured skull and concussion (probably when I landed on the upper deck) and multiple burns from lying on a red hot deck for some while). I was a lucky fellow. I was transferred to the Legion for some days, helping amongst many other wounded to make a real mess of their nice blue Wardroom carpet. The Wardroom became the Sick Bay and I gather we were all laid out in rows round the deck. 1 believe this carpet eventually went to the bottom of the ocean when Legion was sunk later in Malta Dockyard in March 1942. I would like to put on record my sincere thanks and congratulations to the young Doctor of Legion, Surg. Lieut E. James RNVR and his small sick bay staff who coped with us all and looked after us so well. We had about five days at sea before Legion was able to return to Gibraltar when I and many others were transferred to the R.N Hospital there. I must have woken up after arriving in Gibraltar because I remember being in a Neil Robertson stretcher and being hauled up from a boat on to the jetty. Obviously I was lashed in the stretcher very tightly and I came to with a severe pain in my back, probably only a minute or less but I remember it. After that again a complete blank. Though I have 12 days complete loss of memory, I still have my wound certificate which I signed, rather shakily, on 3 rd Nov 1941. I spent 2 months in RNH Gibraltar then was brought home in the fast minelayer Manxman in the company of Paymaster Lieutenant Geoffey Craven DSC RNVR. He had been awarded his DSC as a German linguist as part of the Altmark boarding party in 1940 and was now suffering from a wound to his foot after we were torpedoed. We were now to spend a further 2 months in Barrow Gumey Hospital near Bristol. This for me was followed by 1 month’s Sick Leave and then three months shore service spent at R.N. Camp, Glenholt (an ex Butlins Holiday camp ) near Plymouth. I must have been slightly crazy for while at Glenholt I volunteered for service in Submarines. Presumably I thought I could get my own back at THEM. I was accepted for a submarine course and from July to September 1942 was appointed to Blyth (Northumberland) and H. M. S. Dolphin (Gosport). Up in Blyth part of our training took place in the submarine H.34 , a very small boat rather like those of the E Class from the First World War. Two months didn’t seem very long to learn all about submarines - in fact it seemed mighty short. On the 9th Oct 1942 I flew out British Overseas Aircraft Corporation (B.O.A.C.) in a Sunderland Flying Boat to join H.M.S/M Taku at Beirut. H.M.S. Medway - the Submarine Depot Ship at Alexandria had recently been sunk on passage by an enemy submarine and the 1st Submarine Flotilla had moved up hurriedly to Beirut. Continues with Part 3 in the next newsletter when Peter Day joins HM S/M Taku ___________________________________________________________________________________ The Pope Meets His Maker The Pope dies of old age and suddenly he finds himself at the gates of Heaven - it's 0300 hours. He knocks on the gate and a very sleepy-eyed angel opens the gate and asks, "Can I help you?" He replies, "I'm the recently deceased Pope and have done 63 years of godly works and thought I should check in here." The angel checks his clipboard and says, "I haven't got a message for you to be here. You seem to be early. Just bring in your stuff and we'll sort this out in the morning. In the meantime, we'll put you up in transit accommodation." They go to an old World War II "H" hut-style barracks. The Pope is shown an open bay on the 3rd floor. All the bottom bunks are taken and all empty lockers have no doors. The Pope frowns, stows his gear under a bunk, climbs into an upper bunk, and drops off to sleep. The next morning he awakens to sounds of blaring trumpets, cheering and clapping. He goes to the window and sees a flashy Jaguar convertible parading down the clouds from a mansion. The cloud walks are lined with saints and angels cheering and tossing confetti. In the back seat sits a Fleet Chief Master-at-Arms, his medals glistening on his chest, a cigar in his mouth, a can of beer in one hand, and his other arm around a voluptuous blonde Angel with magnificent halos. This really disturbs the Pope and he runs downstairs to an archangel and says, "Hey, what gives? You put me, the Pope, with 63 years of godly deeds, in an open bay barracks, while this Fleet Chief who must've committed every sin known and unknown to man is staying in a mansion on the hill and getting a hero's welcome. How can this be?" The archangel calmly looks up and says, "We get a Pope up here every 40 or 50 years, but we've never had a Fleet Chief Master-at-Arms before." ___________________________________________________________________________________
Some while ago the late Alf Price showed me a diary that he had kept as a young boy about his travels with his mother to join his father where ever he travelled in HMS Cossack after her commissioning in 1938. I suggested that he should put it together with some information about his mother and father with a view to it being published in our newsletter. Alf thought though that he could raise some money for the King George's Fund for Sailors by selling copies. In the event, I put it together for him and printed a number of copies. You may have seen them on sale with a collecting box beside them at our reunions. Maybe you bought a copy. What struck me about it was what an indominitable woman his mother was. Few people had travelled much before WW2 but what she did in 1939 was amazing. The story brought tears to my eyes as I typed it for Alf. I apologise to those of you who bought a copy but I think it's a story worth re-telling to a wider audience. Remember, this was written by a young lad and no attempt has been made to correct his spelling or grammar. It will probably take several issues of the newsletter to cover it but here is the first part. MY DIARY The Childhood Memories of Alfred Price 1938 - 1941 
Alf age 4 Alf, age 14 Alf Price, age 4 
Alf and his mother Petty Officer Charles Price In June 1938 my Father, serving in the Royal Navy, was sent to Malta on a Commission aboard H.M.S. COSSACK. Mum went to make a home for him and I was sent to a boarding school near Gloucester. The grounds of the school were lovely and we could play football or cricket. In the evenings we went for walks along the country lanes and played games in the woods. On the golf course there was an ancient iron circular table and seat. There was also a quarry. The boys told me a Knight had killed a dragon and put it in a hole in the quarry years ago. St. Marys Church where I used to go on Sundays had their annual outing to Hereford. We all went in a bus and had a long ride. We went to a picture house to see George Formby in "I See Ice" and then we had tea in the Cafe and another ride back to the school. In the village is a large Hall where Exhibitions of the work done at our school are given. We also had a flower show there. The school gave a concert and I was chosen to be in one of the plays. The one I was in was held at Malvern in Wales so we had a long ride in a bus. When the concert finished we had some refreshments and it was eleven o'clock at night when we returned to the school. We had had a good time and were tired. I stayed at the school for a year and then my Mum came home from Malta to take me back with her. I was so excited and soon had my clothes packed. One of the older boys saw me safely in the train at Stroud for London and, although it was a two hour ride to Paddington, I enjoyed it as Mum was there to meet me. We had a few weeks wait while arrangements were made for the journey back to Malta so we visited relatives and friends. First we went to see my Grandma at Greenwich. My Cousin John took me into the park to see the Observatory where the time is made. My Aunt Mary took me to the museum where there were painted pictures of historical people. I also saw the clothes that Lord Nelson wore and some models of H.M.S. VICTORY. We stayed at Greenwich for a week, then we went to see my other Grandma at St. Albans. From King's Cross coach station we went as far as St. Albans on the Luton Bus. On the way I saw the place where Dick Turpin hid with his horse on his way from London to York when the Bow Street Runners were after him for robbing stage coaches. I am sure he was very brave. I am now nine years old. When I was six I went to school at St. Albans which is an old Roman city. It was so named after the first British martyr who was beheaded there and a cathedral was built with the ruins of the Roman city in memory of St. Alban. The old city was known as Verulanium, the river is called the Ver. There are woods near and an old boat house the Monks used. I have been told that there is a subterranean passage from the boat house to the old Jail and from there to the Curlew Tower in the centre of the Market Place. It is now known as the Clock Tower. There is also a fountain in front of the Tower erected in the memory of Queen Eleanor. My Mum and Dad were married at the Abbey Cathedral in February 1928. I did not want to stay at St. Albans very long as I was anxious to start my journey to Malta and see my Mum and Dad and the ships and lots of other things. It was my turn for adventure. However, we went to Portsmouth where the final arrangements had to be made. Of course we had many friends to say goodbye to as I used to go to school in Southsea, at Cottage Grove. Mum had one special friend whose name was Mangion and her husband was serving on board H.M.S. HOOD. The ship was at Portsmouth at the time so I was looking forward to seeing it and going aboard if there was a chance. We used to go down to Southsea common to play miniature golf. Mum and Dad are keen on golf and I wish I could play on a big course too. Well at last we were invited for lunch on board H.M.S. HOOD so my chance had come to go on the worlds most heavily armed battleship. Our friends called for us in their car and we drove into the Dockyard and to the side of the ship. At last I was going to see the big guns. It was exciting but I did not see half the things I wanted to see. The sailors told me when I am older I can join the Royal Navy and then I will be able to see anything I want on the ships. H.M.S. HOOD was in dry dock and looked enormous. We had lunch on board with Mum's friends and I almost forgot I was on a battleship. We went on deck and had to climb up steel ladders after we had a look round below decks. There were many other big ships in the harbour and tugs and also barges being towed along. As it was a Sunday many of the sailors were having a sleep on deck. I had another look at the guns before we went ashore again. They were very interesting and I thoroughly enjoyed my time onboard. I left hoping to go again. A few days later the King and Queen sailed from Portsmouth aboard the EMPRESS OF AUSTRALIA for Canada. First they drove through some of the main streets of Southsea and Portsmouth. The streets were crowded with people. The Princesses and other members of the Royal Family were waiting to bid their Majesties Bon Voyage. The ship was escorted by H.M.S. GLASGOW and REPULSE. My Mother and I walked along Southsea promenade and watched the ship sailing away down the Solent. We could see the King and Queen waving to us. We had some very happy times at Portsmouth before we finally left for Malta. There were still friends to see. Then at last we were off. We were to go overland via Folkestone, Boulogne and Marseilles. We went to London from Portsmouth to get the boat train. At Folkestone we went aboard the Channel steamer Maid-of-Orleans. The Channel was clear and calm and we were soon across to France where the Paris Express was waiting at the landing stage. We had sleeping berths because we had to spend the night in the train and we reached Paris in six hours. Then we went on to Marseilles but as we went in the Express I did not see much from the train. We reached Marseilles in twenty three hours from London. The railway station La Gare St. Charles was crowded with people. I did not see much of Marseilles either as we went in a taxi to the harbour and aboard the S.S. Mohammed Aly-El-Khebir, the that we were going to Malta on. As we sailed out of the harbour I noticed a very small Island and was told that was the Island where Monte Cristo was imprisoned. There was an iron grating I could see and I expect that was where the prisoner escaped. I was not feeling very well at first but when I got used to the ship moving I was alright and enjoyed games with other passengers on deck. We were two and a half days getting to Malta. The ship did not go alongside the landing stage so we had to go ashore in a little boat called a Dhiasa, nice brightly coloured and the boatmen were very dark skinned. Our luggage had to be examined at the Customs, then Mums friends took us in their car to our house in Amery St. at Sliema. We passed through Pieta, Ham-Run, Miseda and along Rue-de-Argens up Savoy Hill. We passed Holy Trinity the English Church. I noticed many funny looking mules pulling two wheeled carts. The buildings were all very white and so were the roads. Mum gave me some sun glasses to wear as I could not see much without them. We expected to see my Dad when we arrived but found his ship H.M.S. COSSACK had gone on Spanish Patrol so we had to wait for it to return before I could see my Dad and tell him all about my journey from England. My Mum had been to Malta twice before so she knew many people and places to show me to pass the time until my Dad came back. The Governor of Malta Sir Charles Bonham Carter was in residence at his Palace in San-Antonio. We had friends there so we went there to tea. The gardens were beautiful, all the trees had coloured flowers. There were hundreds of Orange trees, breadfruit and lemon trees. There were trees in the gardens that I had never seen before and flowers, beautiful palms and pretty coloured creepers. Inside the Palace is a very Ancient Church. There are no windows that I could see. There was a door to enter from the courtyard and another to enter from the Palace. It was very cool inside the Church and everything was very old. I intend to spend more time inside the Church when I go again. The Governor had a private garden I was permitted to go inside one day. There was a bathing pool, tennis courts and a huge orange grove. The flowers were marvellous. I had never seen such large Chrysanthemums, sweet peas, gladiolias and geraniums but they had very little smell, so I prefer the English flowers. I did think how nice it would be if we English people could go out into our own gardens at home each morning and pick oranges or grapefruit for breakfast, but of course I realised the climate was different from ours. The official residence of the Governor is in Valletta. There is a large square opposite and the Army band plays there most Sunday evenings and on special occasions the Retreat is played. The Maltese people always crowd round the square to hear the band and every Sunday they parade up and down the main street, Strada Reale, from the Palace Square to the Port-de-Bombe which is at the entrance to the City of Valletta. Buses are not allowed in Valletta at all. They run to all the little villages on the Island, having to start and finish their journey outside the City or at the Castile. There is a fine view from the Barracha Gardens overlooking the Grand Harbour and a lift, a kind of cage affair, to take passengers down 150 ft. to the customs office and landing stage. The lift saves a twenty minute journey by road. It is very interesting to sit high up above the harbour in the Barracha Gardens and watch the tourists disembark from the Liners, and to see the Warships go out with the Sailors all lined up round the deck of their ship looking very happy to be going somewhere on a cruise. My Mum and Dad sang in the choir at St. Pauls in Valletta so as I liked singing I joined the Choir too. It was always a treat for me to go to choir practice. We had to go from Sliema where we lived on a ferry across Sliema creek where the flotilla of Destroyers usually tie up when they are at Malta. H.M.S. COSSACK tied up there too when in harbour and that was always interesting to me as that was the ship my Dad was on and I wanted to go onboard every time we passed on the Ferry boat. I wanted to see her guns but of course I did not get the chance. When we arrived the other side of the Ferry at Marsa Muschetto we had to go either through a tunnel or up a winding road and about a hundred stone steps to the Church. The Choir master was very kind to the boys. It was very difficult to get boys for the Choir. That was why so many Ladies joined. Most of the English people lived at Sliema and the boys did not like the long journey as the attractions. I did not mind going because my Mum went too even when my Dad was away in the ship on a cruise. As I said before, My Dad had gone on a cruise when we arrived at Malta, and I had done quite a lot of exciting things before he came back. I was looking forward to his coming as I knew he too would come and sing in the choir. The Admiral of the Fleet Sir Dudley Pound had a son aboard H.M.S. COSSACK and there was a good deal of excitement among the members of the Choir as the son was to be married at St. Pauls on the 12th of November. My Mum says she never could imagine a more charming wedding or more brilliant scene. The Church was full of Naval Officers and their Wives, there were beautiful flowers and a full choir. The members of the choir wear a white Surplice and a blue Cassock. The boys also wear a white frill round their neck. Every Sunday morning the Governor comes to the Church and it is always full. He is very popular everywhere and of course the Service people go too. I went to the Dockyard School, as it was summer and we only had to go in the mornings, but we had to get up early and get there by seven o'clock. We had a special school bus and most of us were picked up at our own door. We had about three miles to go in the bus and were home again in Sliema just after mid-day. I liked that very much because we could go for a swim and stay on the rocky beach to sun bathe as long as we liked. It never seemed to get dark until very late at night and the sky always seemed to be blue like the sea and I could never tell where the sky joined the sea. The Naval ships that were in Malta used to have yacht races nearly every evening and there always seemed to be ships of different kinds coming in at all times. So there was always lots to see on the beach, or from the roof of our house. My difficulty was that I could not swim, so could only go in the children's' bathing pool, because the water was very deep at Sliema side of the Island , but Mum knew a bay at the other side of the Island near the Seaplane base at Calafrana where there was a sandy beach and we could walk a long way out. This place was called Burze-bugia and was about eight miles from Sliema so we always had a long ride there and back. We used to go in the evenings and take sandwiches and coffee, then came home about ten o'clock, but when my Dad came we stayed later. The Maltese were very keen on water-polo and played every evening during the summer. As Malta is a Naval Base there are lots of sports grounds and always games for us to watch. My Dad plays football and water polo for his ship, and he goes sailing with his friends. There are also a number of clubs, and I sometimes go to the P.O.s Club at the Queens Hall where they have ships concerts and Tombola. Everywhere there seems to be whist drives at night but I am not allowed to go to them but I like to watch cards played very much. I went to a children's party. It was a Maltese Party really but there were a few English chums of mine invited too so it was great fun. We had games before tea and lovely thick chocolate ices. We did not sit down to tea like we always do at home. We walked round and round the table and were helped to anything we fancied from the table. There were all kinds of marzipan sweets and nutty fruit cakes and more pretty coloured ices. There were iced minerals to drink but no tea at all to drink. After tea we sang lots of songs and an English girl dances for us. We were all very late home that night, but nobody seems to go to bed early in Malta. We had a garden and orange and lemon trees, also a grape vine and a fig tree and flowers, called passion flowers. There were also quite a lot of lizards and cockroaches in the garden. They would sit for quite a long time without moving. One day I saw a two foot long snake in the garden but it slithered away when anyone went near it. We had to be very careful not to leave any crumbs of food about or stale water. There were always mosquitoes and millions of ants about. They come in from the garden and they follow each others trail. On the stone floor they looked at first glance just like a thick black line all around the floor. Sometimes the ants go up the wall in just the same way. The floors never seemed to get dirty as they are all tiled but whenever I touch the floor it always feels as if it is gritty and covered with a white powder. The only time it is not dusty is early in the morning after the woman has scrubbed out. She always puts paraffin in the water. She told me the paraffin makes it shine and is to keep the ants out too, but we found it made no difference. It is the mosquitoes that I did not like and the cockroaches, they were awful, some of them are as big as a small bird. I was told the brown ones that fly are quite blind, and really believe it is so because one day, when it was just getting dusk, one caught me in my face and they fly indoors if we leave the shutters open in the evening. My Mum could not bear cockroaches of any kind and the mosquitoes always bite her and make big lumps, but they never bite me at all. A Lady we used to know in Portsmouth came out to Malta and had a flat in Milner St. just near our flat at Sliema. She had a top flat so she could see the ships coming into the harbour from anywhere in her flat. When I knew that my Dads ship was coming I used to go round to her and wait for it to pass the breakwater and then come back home and go up on to our roof as we could see right inside the dockyard, also the Creeks where the Destroyers tie up. When Dads ship was tied up safely I went with Mum to meet my Dad as He always comes home at night when the ship is in port. I had been in Malta nearly ten weeks when my Dad went to Turkey on his ship and as we knew he would go to or call at Alexandria on the way back, it was decided that Mum and I should go to Alexandria and wait for him if we could get a passage on a troopship. We were lucky as the troopship Dorsetshire was going to Haifa with troops onboard. Of course I was very excited to be going on a troopship and with troops too. We hired a Dhiasa and went out to Dads ship to tell him we were leaving a few hours after him and would see him as arranged at Alexandria. Then, as his ship was already under way, we stayed in the Dhiasa and escorted the ship H.M.S. COSSACK as far as the breakwater. Then we went back to the landing pier and in a taxi to our flat to finish our packing. We only wanted a few clothes as we were only going to Alexandria for a holiday. The flat was tidied up and locked up and then we took the key to a friend so that she could look after our things should there be a War before we were able to get back. 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