Editors Note
1. ‘Time’, ll 1–3, quoted in Word from England, an Anthology of Prose and Poetry compiled for the King’s Forces by Lt Gen Sir Tom Bridges, KCB, KCMG, DSO, English University Press, London, 1940, p. 156.
2. Sir John William McNee FRSE, DSO (1887–1984) received the DSO for his work during the First World War relating to trench fever, gas gangrene, war nephritis and chlorine poisoning, undertaking probably the first autopsies on victims of gas poisoning.
3. BBS to Vice Adm Sir Peter Gretton, 13 Jan 1973, BBS Archives. See Rescue Ships History, by Rescue Ship Officer, Lieut Commander L. F. Martyn, RNVR, submitted to the Flag Officer in Charge, Greenock, 31 Dec 1945. NB this was a government document rather than his personal account.
4. BBS to Capt George Glass, 1 Sep 1966, BBS Archives.
5. BBS to Ministry of Defence, 30 Sep 1967; A. R. Axton to BBS 25 Oct 1967, BBS Archives.
6. Lt Cdr Martyn to BBS, 6 Feb 1967, BBS Archives.
Foreword
1. ‘Convoy Rescue Ships’, Journal of the Royal Naval Medical Service, 1945, Vol. XXXI.
Chapter 1
1. William Whiting ‘Eternal Father, Strong to Save’ (The Navy Hymn) verse 4, ll 2–3.
2. The original Geneva Convention, adopted in 1864, was ratified by 16 states. The UK ratified the treaty on 16 Feb 1865. Additional articles relating to the Condition of the Wounded in War, Geneva, 20 Oct 1868, Article 6.
3. See Convention (X) for the Adaptation to Maritime Warfare of the Principles of the Geneva Convention, The Hague, 18 Oct 1907.
4. A. P. Higgins and C. J. Colombos, The International Law of the Sea, 2nd revised edition, Chapter XX (clause 791), in which the evolution of the laws regarding the right of visit, search, and capture of merchantmen, which date from the 14th century, are discussed. On the outbreak of WWI the German Prize Law contained provisions similar to those quoted above.
5. BBS to Peter Parkin (an O-level (GCSE) History student requesting information for his project on the Russian convoys), 27 Feb 1972, BBS Archives. BBS was Director of Trade Division (Convoys) Mar 1941–Jul 1943.
6. Adm Sir Martin Eric Dunbar-Nasmith, VC, KCB, KCMG (1883–1965) was C-in-C Plymouth/Western Approaches; at the outbreak of war he established the convoy system and kept it running for 6 months without serious loss. But insufficient aircraft and escort vessels meant that, after the fall of France and the close watch kept on Plymouth, it was decided that the route north of Ireland was to be the sole approach and that the HQ of the C-in-C Western Approaches should be in Liverpool. In April 1941 Adm Sir Percy Noble GBE, KCB, CVO (1880–1955) was appointed to this new position. In November 1942 he was succeeded by Adm Sir Max Horton GCB, DSO & two bars, SGM (1883–1951).
7. Sir Gilmour Jenkins, KCB, KBE, MC (1894–1981) to BBS, 31 May 1967, BBS Archives. Jenkins was appointed Second Secretary of the Ministry of Shipping in 1938 and Deputy Director General of the Ministry of War Transport from 1941. Frederick Leathers, 1st Baron Leathers CH, PC (1883–1965). See Winston Churchill, The Second World War, III, The Grand Alliance, Cassell, 1966, p. 132. He came to Churchill’s attention as a director of the P&O Lines and was appointed Minister when the Ministry of War Transport was established on 6 May 1941.
8. Lt Cdr L. F. Martyn (1905–76) to BBS, 28 Sep 1966, BBS Archives.
9. Alan D. Cuthbert, Clyde Shipping Company – a history, privately printed by Robert MacLehose & Co Ltd, University Press, Glasgow, 1956, p. 68. Excerpt, BBS Archives.
10. Carley floats were small invertible life-rafts designed by American inventor Horace Carley (1838–1918).
11. Lt Cdr L. F. Martyn to BBS, 28 Sep 1966, BBS Archives.
12. Horace Bell, (d.1980), a veteran of the First World War, was Chief Radio (Wireless) Operator, Copeland 1941–3; he then served in the Zamalek. Horace Bell to BBS, 14 Dec 1966, BBS Archives.
13. Jürgen Rohwer, review of The Rescue Ships, in Marine Rundschau, Apr 1969.
14. Sir John McNee to BBS, 31 Mar 1967, BBS Archives.
15. Lt Cdr L. F. Martyn to BBS, 28 Sep 1966, BBS Archives.
16. Formerly the British and Foreign Sailors’ Society, now the Sailors’ Society, was founded in 1818 when ‘a determined group of preachers and laymen pledged to “alleviate the worldly woes” of distressed sailors in London. Their passion for this cause saw the beginnings of the oldest Christian maritime charity in the world.’ https://www.sailors-society.org/history. In 2021 this sum would equate to just over £1 million; Lt Cdr L. F. Martyn, Rescue Ships History, ADM 199/2150, TNA.
17. Janet Evelyn McEuen, Chairman, Ajax Club, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Nov 1940, Jul 1941, BBS Archives.
18. John Masefield, ‘For All Seafarers’, written for the publication Merchantmen at War, 1944, p. 5, v.1. Verses 2,3,4,5,7 are at the end of chapters 2,3,4,7,8 respectively.
Chapter 2
1. Sir Gilmour Jenkins to BBS, 31 May 1967, BBS Archives.
2. As Arnold Hague (1930–2006), in Convoy Rescue Ships 1940–1945 (World Ship Society, Gravesend, 1998), p. 9, points out, because she was lost in January 1941 and very few records remain, she is frequently omitted from the lists of Rescue Ships. Lt Cdr L. F. Martyn does not list the Beachy in the Rescue Ships History in his description of their activities but does list her as one of the Rescue Ships lost. A note signed by the Director of Sea Transport on 5 December 1940 headed ‘Rescue Ships’ describes the Beachy as replacing the Rathlin and so the intention was obviously to requisition the Rathlin (requisitioned in July 1941) but instead the Beachy was chosen. See RS Beachy, Rescue Ships Masters Reports, 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2151. The Clyde Shipping Company’s general secretary said she was ‘never a rescue ship’, to BBS, 1 Mar 1967, but it is possible he did not know. BBS Archives. See also Ch. 3.
3. Alan D. Cuthbert, Clyde Shipping Company – a history. Capt Adam Shearer to BBS, 1 May 1967, BBS Archives.
4. Sir Gilmour Jenkins to BBS, 31 May 1967, BBS Archives.
5. Capt George K. Hudson (1897-43) was posthumously awarded the King’s Commendation (C) in November 1943. He was in command of the Toward 12 Jan–15 Jun, 4 Jul–1 Sep & 23 Sep 1941–8 Feb 1942 & 2 Apr 1942–7 Feb 1943.
6. Arnold Hague, Convoy Rescue Ships, p. 41, says that she was called Olympier, although Lt Cdr L. F. Martyn, Rescue Ships History, ADM 199/2150, calls her the Olympos. Not to be confused with another Greek ship Mount Olympus sunk in May 1942 off Port Said.
7. Dr W. H. C. M. Hamilton, notes dictated over the telephone to his secretary, 11 Nov 1966. All subsequent quotations by Hamilton are from this source. Cdr Bernard Moloney, DSO, DSC, RNR, 1901–41. 121 survivors were rescued, the remainder being picked up by the escort ship, HMS Harvester. In August 1940 the Crispin was acquired by the RN for use as an ‘ocean boarding vessel’ (OBV) – merchant ships with guns added to enforce wartime naval blockades and to board foreign vessels. In a secondary role, they were used as anti-aircraft ships to help protect convoys. The website blogger Remo Salta, http://navalwarfare.blogspot.com/2014/03/hms-crispin.html describes HMS Crispin as a Q Ship – but she does not appear as such in other records. Q ships (with their weapons hidden) were deployed as decoys in order to attract German aircraft and surfaced submarines. The programme was abandoned due to lack of success of their mission.
8. Capt John McKellar OBE was in command of Copeland, 27 Jan–21 Jul 1941; 21 Aug 1941–11 Aug 1942; Rathlin 9 Dec 1942–15 Jun 1943; Fastnet 20 Sep 1943–6 Jun 1944; 26 Jun–24 Nov 1944; 12 Jun–30 Jun 1945.
9. Horace Bell to BBS, 17 Jan 1967 & 14 Dec 1966, BBS Archives.
10. Adm Sir Maurice Mansergh, KCB, CBE (1896–1966) was Director of Trade Division 1939–41.
11. Dr W. H. McCallum to BBS, 28 Aug 1966, BBS Archives. He entered the RN in December 1939 as an RNVSR Surgeon Lieutenant.
12. Dr Gillies MacBain to BBS, 24 Aug 1966, BBS Archives.
13. Dr W. H. McCallum to BBS 28 Aug 1966, BBS Archives.
14. Capt Owen C. Morris, DSO (1905–71) to BBS, 4 Mar 1968, BBS Archives.
15. Horace Bell, ‘Rescue Ships – Personalities’, to BBS, 14 Dec 1966, BBS Archives.
16. Capt Charles K. McGowan, DSC and Lloyd’s Medal (1903?–43).
17. Lt Cdr L. F. Martyn to BBS, 28 Sep 1966, BBS Archives.
18. Dr W. H. McCallum to BBS, 28 Aug 1966, BBS Archives. This incident obviously took place after the Rescue Ships were able to cross the Atlantic.
19. Lt Cdr L. F. Martyn, Rescue Ships History, RS Zamalek, ADM 199/2150, TNA.
20. Commodore (Capt) Edward Glyn de Sytrap Jukes-Hughes, CBE (1883–1966).
21. Lt Cdr L. F. Martyn to BBS, 8 Dec 1966 & 6 Feb 1967, BBS Archives. Subsequent quotations come from these sources.
22. Capt Owen Morris, DSO to BBS, 4 Mar 1968, BBS Archives.
23. Paul Lund & Harry Ludlam, PQ 17 Convoy to Hell, p. 31.
24. After being in command of the Beachy, Capt Augustus Banning DSO & Lloyd’s Medal was in command of RS Copeland from 22 Jul–20 Aug 1941; RS Rathlin 20 Sep 1941–3 Dec 1942; RS Goodwin 31 Jan–5 May 1943 and RS Eddystone 6 Nov 1943–6 Jun 1945. Capt Adam Shearer to BBS, 29 Apr 1967; Harvey L. Haw. ‘Veteran memories of the North Russian convoys’, Sunday Telegraph, 5 Nov 1972, BBS Archives.
Chapter 3
1. Capt Arthur J. Knell DSC was in command of the Toward 2–22 Sep 1941 & 9 Feb–1 Apr 1942.
2. Report of interview with the master, Capt A. J. Knell, Rescue Ship SS Toward, Convoy ON 67, 26 Mar 1942, Rescue Ships Masters Reports, 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2153, TNA.
3. Dr T. S. Eimerl, DSC, VRD, MD, RNVR, ‘Rescue Ship Gothland’, enclosed in a letter to BBS, 24 Apr 1967, BBS Archives. ‘These notes are for your eyes, and to make what use of them that will be helpful to your purpose.’ See Ch. 9 for a fuller description of Captain James Hadden.
4. Dr W. H. C. M. Hamilton to BBS, 11 Nov 1966, BBS Archives.
5. Capt Laurie E. Brown, OBE to BBS, 13 Jan 1967, BBS Archives.
6. Lloyd’s state that all 46 members of the crew were saved, Arnold Hague, Convoy Rescue Ships, p. 19.
7. See Arnold Hague, Convoy Rescue Ships, p. 19.
8. Capt Thomas Ernest Fea (1903?-43). Voyage No. 6, RS ‘Stockport’, Rescue Ships Masters Reports, 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2153, TNA; Lt Cdr L. F. Martyn, Rescue Ships History, RS Stockport, ADM 199/2150, TNA. Confusingly in Fea’s report of Voyage No. 7, he describes picking up survivors from the Empire Breeze. ‘The Master of her at first thought she might continue her voyage as she was loaded with lumber. I stood by for a considerable time to assist in saving the ship. Ultimately the Master decided that the Empire Breeze must be abandoned and we picked up the crew.’ This is not corroborated by other sources.
9. R.S. Gothland, Jas M. Hadden, Master, undated report of homeward voyage 4, 6–21 Oct 1942, Rescue Ships Masters Reports. 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2152. See also Lt Cdr L. F. Martyn, Rescue Ships History, RS Gothland, ADM 199/2150, TNA.
10. The hurricane season officially lasted from mid-June to the end of October 1942, with winds of over 50 mph (85 km/h).
11. Report of Master of Rescue Ship Bury on passage from UK to St John’s Newfoundland, Voyage No. 7, ON 137, Rescue Ships Masters Reports. 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2151.
12. Report of Master of Rescue Ship Bury on passage from UK to St John’s Newfoundland, Voyage No. 7, ON 137, Rescue Ships Masters Reports. 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2151.
13. Capt L. E. Brown, to The American Consul, or the USN Office I/C, St John’s Newfoundland, 23 Oct 1942, Rescue Ships Masters Reports, 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2151. See also John Bunker (1913–2003), ‘The Seafarers in World War II’ (booklet), 1951. See Seafarers Logs, Seafarers International Union; https://www.seafarers.org/seafarerslogs/2020/09/heroic-seafarers-delivered-in-wwii/; Heroes in Dungarees, The Story of the American Merchant Marine in World War II, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, 1995, Ch.5.
14. R.S. Stockport, Voyage No. 7, Rescue Ships Masters Reports. 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2153, TNA.
15. See Arnold Hague, Convoy Rescue Ships, p. 40.
17. Capt Ambrose Williamson, OBE replaced Capt Keith Williamson, OBE in Jul 1942, remaining in command of the Perth until Jun 1945; after handing over command of the Perth, Keith Williamson helped fitting out the Dundee and Aboyne as Rescue Ships. Having also served in the First World War, he was considered too old for further command and spent the rest of the war attending to the Rescue Ships in port in Glasgow.
18. R.S. Perth, Voyage 17, ONS 144, Rescue Ships Masters Reports, 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2153, TNA.
19. R.S. Perth, Voyage 17, ONS 144, Rescue Ships Masters Reports, ADM 199/2153. See also Lt Cdr L. F. Martyn, Rescue Ships History, R.S. Perth, ADM 199/2150, TNA.
20. Commodore James Kenneth Brook (1889–1976); Capt Patrick Dove (1896–1957) had been in command of the MV Africa Shell when she was captured and sunk by the German battleship, Admiral Graf Spee, in the Mozambique Channel off the coast of Portuguese East Africa; after the Battle of the River Plate in December 1939, during which the Graf Spee sustained damages, the prisoners on board including Dove were released and he returned to Britain.
21. R.S. Perth, Voyage 17, HX 217, Rescue Ships Masters Reports, 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2153. See also Lt. Cdr L. F. Martyn, Rescue Ships History, R.S. Perth, ADM 199/2150, TNA.
22. Diégo Emmanuel Canoz (1912–78) Born in Spain he had joined the Free French in July 1940. The Charles L.D. was a French ship operated by the Vichy until its capture between Mauritius and Madagascar by HMNZS Leander in March 1941; it was later taken over by the Ministry of War Transport.
1. See B. B. Schofield, The Russian Convoys, Batsford, 1964, p.25 & p.24.
2. Ed note. The prefix ‘PQ’ was believed to have been taken from the initials of Cdr Philip Quellyn Roberts, Operations Officer in the Admiralty, formerly in command of the submarine HMS Porpoise.
3. See also B. B. Schofield, The Russian Convoys, p. 75 and B. B. Schofield, The Arctic Convoys, p.48.
4. Paul Lund & Harry Ludlam, PQ 17 Convoy to Hell, The Survivor’s Story, W.Foulsham & Co. Ltd, 1968, p. 31. Capt John ( Jack) Egerton Broome, DSC (1901–85). Paul Lund, Harry Ludlam & Capt Broome went to visit BBS in 1968 to discuss their forthcoming book. Lund to BBS, 20 Apr 1982, BBS Archives.
5. See B. B. Schofield, The Arctic Convoys, p. 49. Adm Louis H.K. Hamilton, KCB, DSO* (1890-1957); Adm of the Fleet John ( Jack) Cronyn Tovey, 1st Baron Tovey, GCB, KBE, DSO (1885–1971).
6. B. B. Schofield, The Russian Convoys, p. 77. See ‘The Fighting Instructions’, Section XX Convoy Defence, clause 634, ADM 239/261, TNA. The British called the Deutschland-class heavy cruisers ‘pocket’ because of their heavy armament (six 11” guns) and lighter weight. Adm Sir Dudley Pound, GCB, OM, GCVO (1877–1943).
7. See B. B. Schofield, The Russian Convoys, p. 77.
8. Commodore J. C. K. ( Jack) Dowding, CBE, DSO (1891–1965).
9. Adm Arseni Golovko (1906–62), Commander of the Soviet Northern Fleet 1940–6, With the Red Fleet: The War Memoirs of the late Admiral Arseni G. Golovko, tr. from the Russian by Peter Broomfield, Putnam, 1965, 2 Jul 1942, p.97.
10. During its return QP 13 lost 5 of its 35 ships in a British minefield. See B. B. Schofield, The Arctic Convoys, p. 64.
11. Paul Lund & Harry Ludlam, PQ 17 Convoy to Hell, p. 46.
12. Permission to use excerpts of his report given by Dr Wilkins, FRCS to BBS, 30 Jan 1967; subsequent quotations by Dr Wilkins are from this source. Dr G. MacBain’s description of Dr Wilkins in Notes on Ch 4, to BBS, 21 Feb 1967, BBS Archives.
13. ‘Capt Jack Broome’s own Story of P 17’, The Sunday Express, 22 Feb 1970.
14. Paul Lund & Harry Ludlam, PQ 17 Convoy to Hell, p. 48.
15. Paul Lund & Harry Ludlam, PQ 17 Convoy to Hell, pp. 48–9.
16. ‘Captain Jack Broome’s own Story of P 17’, The Sunday Express, 22 Feb 1970.
17. Dr Gillies MacBain, Surgeon Lt on the Zaafaran; Random Notes & Notes on Ch 4, to BBS, 21 Feb 1967. Unless otherwise stated, all subsequent quotations from MacBain are from this source.
18. Dr W. H. McCallum to BBS, 28 Aug 1966.
19. Paul Lund & Harry Ludlam, PQ 17 Convoy to Hell, p. 63.
20. Statistics differ. Lt Cdr L. F. Martyn, Rescue Ships History, ADM 199/2150 lists 63 survivors from the William Hooper, the statistical report 44; Lloyd’s states there was a crew of 45 and 3 were lost, Arnold Hague, Convoy Rescue Ships, p. 35.
21. See ‘Captain Jack Broome’s own Story of P 17’, The Sunday Express, 22 Feb 1970. A few minutes before receiving the order to ‘scatter’ he wrote in his diary ‘that the convoy, PQ 17, was going like a train, and that if the ack-ack ammunition (which to date had been sprayed rather extravagantly) lasted out, I reckoned that we could get anywhere.’ In 1970 he was awarded £40,000 in damages for what were judged to be defamatory comments about his actions in David Irving’s book The Destruction of PQ 17.
22. Adm E.L.S. King, CB, MVO (1889–1971) to BBS 16 Feb 1963, BBS Archives. As Director of Trade Division, BBS was working in the Admiralty but he was not present at the meeting; when researching The Russian Convoys in 1963 he wrote to three men who had been present: Rear Adm E. L. S. King, Adm Sir Patrick Brind and Adm Sir Henry Moore (VCNS).
23. Adm Sir Henry Moore to John Barry, ‘PQ17 How the decision was made,’ Sunday Times, 1 Mar 1970, BBS Archives.
24. Adm E. L. S. King to BBS, 11 Sep 1963, BBS Archives.
25. See B. B. Schofield, The Russian Convoys, p. 83.
26. Admiralty Message 2111B, 2123B, 2136B, Since the first and third messages were prefixed ‘Most Immediate’ they were deciphered before the second message, prefixed ‘Immediate’; Adm Tovey to Adm Sir Percy Noble, 12 Jul 1942, PQ 17, ADM 237/168, TNA.
27. Cdr Humphrys Archdale, DSC, RN (1896-1972) to BBS 17 Aug 1967, BBS Archives.
28. See John Barry, The Sunday Times, 1 Mar 1970. ‘The Tirpitz waiting for his [Hitler’s] approval of the operation, had to linger in Altenfiord for 24 hours.’
29. Dr Wilkins as recollected by Dr Gillies MacBain, Random Notes, to BBS, 21 Feb 1967.
30. Report of an interview with the Master, Capt McGowan, RS Zaafaran, 10 Sep 1942, Rescue Ships Masters Reports. 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2153.
31. Paul Lund & Harry Ludlam, PQ 17 Convoy to Hell, p. 87; Report of an interview with the Master, Capt McGowan, SS Zaafaran, 10 Sep 1942, Rescue Ships Masters Reports. 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2153.
32. Lt Cdr Martyn to BBS, 28 Sep 1966, BBS Archives. For full account see Master’s Report, Zamalek, to The Principal Sea Transport Officer, West of Scotland, 11 Jul 1942, Rescue Ships Masters Reports, 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2153, TNA.
33. Dr Gillies MacBain, Notes on Ch 4, to BBS, 21 Feb 1967.
34. Master’s Report, Zamalek, to The Principal Sea Transport Officer, West of Scotland, 11 July 1942, Rescue Ships Masters Reports, ADM 199/2153, TNA. The Third Engineer was Donald Morrison. See his son’s website: https://www.murdomorrison.com. On 27 Jul 42 Donald wrote to his mother: ‘I am well & safe. We had a terrible time getting here … it was “hell” let loose.’
35. Dr Gillies MacBain, Random Notes, to BBS, 21 Feb 1967.
36. Paul Lund & Harry Ludlam, PQ 17 Convoy to Hell, pp. 105–6.
37. Paul Lund, & Harry Ludlam, PQ 17 Convoy to Hell, p. 117.
38. Capt Morris’s Report to PSTO, Zamalek, 9 Jul 42, Rescue Ships Masters Reports, 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2153, TNA.
39. Capt Morris’s Report to PSTO, Zamalek, 11 Jul 1942, Rescue Ships Masters Reports, 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2153, TNA. See also PQ 17, ADM 237/168, TNA which contains Commodore Dowding’s Report.
40. Capt S. W. Roskill, The War at Sea 1939–45, Vol II, ‘The Period of Balance,’Table 11, HMSO, 1956, p. 143.
41. B. B. Schofield, The Arctic Convoys, p. 62.
42. Cdr Humphrys Archdale to BBS, 17 Aug 1967, BBS Archives.
43. Capt John Lichfield (who was considering writing Pound’s biography and had served in PQ 17 in HMS Norfolk) to BBS, 11 Feb 1972, BBS Archives. See David Kenyon, Arctic Convoys, Bletchley Park and the War for the Seas, Yale University Press, 2023, for an analysis of the decision to scatter and the intelligence on which the order was based, pp. 143–50.
44. Cdr Humphrys Archdale to BBS, 15 Aug 1967, BBS Archives.
45. Adm Sir Patrick Brind, GBE, KCB (1892–1963) Assistant Chief of Naval Staff 1942–4, to BBS, ‘Background to the decision by CNS to order PQ 17 to scatter’, enclosed in letter to BBS, 1 Mar 1963, BBS Archives.
46. BBS addendum to the German edition of The Arctic Convoys, 1980, BBS Archives. When he was researching and writing The Russian Convoys and The Rescue Ships in the mid-1960s, Ultra transcripts had not been released; following the lifting of the ban in the UK in 1974, BBS had extensive correspondence with Patrick Beesly (1913–86), author of Very Special Intelligence (Hamish Hamilton, 1977), BBS Archives. See also Patrick Beesly, Convoy PQ 17, A study in intelligence and decision making, Hamish Hamilton, 1986. Ultra was officially declassified in 1989.
47. Adm Sir Patrick Brind, to BBS, 1 Mar 1963, BBS Archives.
48. Adm of the Fleet Bruce Fraser, 1st Baron Fraser of North Cape, GCB, KBE (1888–1981) to BBS, 18 Apr 1964. He was C-in-C Home Fleet 1943.
49. Adm Sir John Tovey to Adm Sir Percy Noble, 12 Jul 1942, PQ 17, ADM 237/168, TNA.
50. Capt S. W. Roskill, The War at Sea 1939–45, Vol II, ‘The Period of Balance,’ pp. 139–40.
51. Adm Sir Henry Moore, GCB, CVO, DSO (1886–1978), Vice Chief of the Naval Staff 1941-43; to BBS 16 Jul [1963]. When interviewed by journalist John Barry, Moore stated: ‘The decision to scatter the convoy was made on the assumption that the Tirpitz was already out,’ Sunday Times, 1 Mar 1970.
52. See B. B. Schofield, The Russian Convoys, pp. 83–4.
53. Ben Bentley, ex-Jun 3rd Officer, North Russian Convoy, Rescue Ship Rathlin, 1941–5, ‘PQ 17 – and the fatal order,’ The Sunday Telegraph, 29 Oct 1972.
54. John Beardmore, Navigating Officer, HM Corvette Poppy. Sunday Telegraph, 5 Nov 1972.
Chapter 5
1. C. H. Yonge quoting extracts from his brother’s journal, Arthur George Twining Yonge, North Russian Convoy, Rescue Ship Rathlin in Letters to the Editor, ‘PQ 17 - and the fatal order,’ The Sunday Telegraph, 29 Oct 1972. ‘Yonge came through safely but went down on his very next voyage in the Atlantic.’ This was in the Stockport in Feb 1943. Yonge’s name is on the Tower Hill Memorial.
2. Harvey L. Haw, Letters to the Editor, ‘Veteran memories of the North Russian convoys’, Sunday Telegraph, 5 Nov 1972.
3. C. H. Yonge quoting extracts from his brother’s journal, A.G.T. Yonge, as above.
4. Capt Guy Oakley Maund, DSO, RN (1891-1969). For his service in the USSR he received the Order of the Red Star, Order of St Olav. He had retired as a Cdr in 1931 but came back on the active list during the Second World War.
5. Rear Adm Samuel B. Frankel (1905-96) was Assistant Naval Attaché, Moscow, and Assistant Naval Attaché for Air, Murmansk-Archangel – service in connection with Lend-Lease shipments to the USSR.
6. This was probably the co-pilot Georgi Filippovich Baidukov (1907-1994) The pilot, Valery Chkalov (1904-38) had already died. The navigator was Alexander Vasilyevich Belyakov (1897-1984).
7. Report of an interview with the Master, Capt McGowan, RS Zaafaran, 10 Sep 1942, Rescue Ships Masters Reports, 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2153. McGowan says 1,287 survivors of whom 270 were suffering from frostbite and exposure.
8. Information for this chapter came mainly from the reports of Drs MacBain, McCallum and Wilkins, BBS to the Reverend F. H. Outram (1907–72), 3 Jun 1967, BBS Archives. Dr Gillies MacBain to BBS, 21 Feb 1967, BBS Archives. Unless otherwise stated all quotations from Dr MacBain are from this source.
9. The Reverend F. H. Outram to BBS, 5 Jun 1967, BBS Archives; ‘Cross-cultural communication during the lend-lease supplies via the Arctic route,’ Elena Aleksandrova (Murmansk Arctic State University) & Elena Kokanova (Northern (Arctic) Federal University, Arkhangelsk. https://www.shs-conferences.org/articles/shsconf/pdf/2019/10/shsconf_cildiah2019_00003.pdf.
10. The Reverend F.H. Outram to BBS, 5 Jun 1967.
11. Paul Lund & Harry Ludlam, PQ 17 Convoy to Hell, p. 140.
12. Paul Lund to BBS, 9 Feb 1984, BBS Archives.
13. Cyril Wolf to Dr Gillies MacBain, written from the St Sunniva, enclosed in a letter to BBS from Dr MacBain, 21 Feb 1967, BBS Archives. BBS returned the letter to Dr MacBain and so it is not in his archives.
14. See B. B. Schofield, The Russian Convoys, p. 128 & Winston S. Churchill, The History of The Second World War, V, Closing the Ring, pp. 236-9 and paragraph 8, p. 236.
Chapter 6
1. When BBS asked Capt McKellar to provide any anecdotes, he said that his recollections were ‘rather vague… in any case, I doubt very much if the present generation would be interested.’ Capt J. McKellar to BBS, 8 Sep 1966, Ed. note: perhaps his comments are a sad reflection of the anti-establishment wave of protest prevalent in the 1960s.
2. Horace Bell, ‘PQ 18’, sent to BBS by Dr W. H. C. M. Hamilton, 13 Sep 1966 & ‘PQ 18’ sent by Horace Bell, with additional information, to BBS, 17 Jan 1967, (returned by BBS 22 Jan 1967); ‘Rescue Ships’, enclosed in letter to BBS 14 Dec 1966, additional information, Horace Bell to BBS, 26 Jan 1967, BBS Archives. All quotations by Bell, with his permission, are from these sources.
3. Capt William (Bill) Joseph Hartley, DSC (1905–99). His daughter, Brenda Shackleton, later wrote a brief account of his service. See Russian Arctic Convoy Museum: https://racmp.co.uk/veterans/william-joseph-hartley/
4. Horace Bell cites Copeland Log, 21 Sep 1942. But, he asked, ‘were they in fact Russians?’
5. By using the Scottish word ‘coorse’ in conjunction with ‘lovely’ Horace Bell explained that ‘it was the sort of day we welcomed as giving some protection against air attacks.’
6. Lt Cdr L. F. Martyn, Rescue Ships History, SS Copeland, ADM 199/2150, TNA; Arnold Hague, Convoy Rescue Ships, p. 21.
7. Source unknown.
8. Adm Arseni Golovko, With the Red Fleet, p. 130.
9. See B. B. Schofield, The Russian Convoys, p. 117 and p. 130.
10. Dr W. H. McCallum to BBS, 28 Aug 1966, BBS Archives. Subsequent quotations by McCallum are from this source. See also Peter C. Smith, Arctic Victory, the Story of Convoy PQ 18, 1994.
11. Capt Morris’s Report to PSTO, Zamalek, 20 Sep 1942, Rescue Ships Masters Reports, 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2153, TNA.
12. Cyril Wolf to Dr MacBain, from the St Sunniva; MacBain to BBS, 21 Feb 1967, BBS Archives.
13. Capt Morris’s Report to PSTO, Zamalek, 20 Sep 42, Rescue Ships Masters Reports, 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2153, TNA.
14. Capt Morris’s Report to PSTO, Zamalek, 20 Sep 42, Rescue Ships Masters Reports, 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2153, TNA.
15. Capt Stephen Roskill, The War at Sea 1939–45, Vol II, ‘The Period of Balance’, p.288. Ed note: Richard Woodman, Arctic Convoys 1941–45, John Murray, 1995, p. 282 referred to PQ 18 as ‘something of a Pyrrhic victory for the Allies, but a victory nonetheless.’
16. Paul Lund, PQ 17 Convoy to Hell, p. 206. Ed note: Arnold Hague, Convoy Rescue Ships, p. 73, lists A. S. Dawson as Chief Officer and J. T. McDonald as Chief Engineer. Lt Cdr L. F Martyn, Rescue Ships History, lists A. S. Dawson as Chief Engineer, ADM 199/2150, TNA.
17. B. B. Schofield, The Arctic Convoys, Appendix 1, pp. 142–8.
18. C. H. Churchill, Master Ex. SS Samsuva to the Chief Steward, RS Rathlin, 5 Oct 1944, Rescue Ships Masters Reports, 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2153, TNA.
19. Capt Christopher Chestnutt to BBS, 25 May 1967. He was recommended by Capt Campbell for an Award, ‘his outstanding devotion to duty and excellent navigation has been responsible for the Rathlin being able to remain with the convoy as navigation in these waters is trying and difficult especially during winter months,’ 3 Jan 1945, Rescue Ships Masters Reports, 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2153. He said Chestnutt made 3 voyages but Chestnutt said ‘four or five’. The Rathlin only made four voyages after PQ 17.
20. Thomas G. Dunhill, destroyer HMS Zambesi, sent to BBS 30 Jan 1969, BBS Archives, after reading The Russian Convoys. HMS Zambesi escorted a number of convoys to Russia.
1. Vice Adm Sir Peter Gretton, KCB, DSO, OBE, DSC (1912–92), Convoy Escort Commander, Cassell, 1964, p. 153. He was commander of Group B7 in the Duncan.
2. The labour value of £100 in 1942 was worth about £15,000 in 2021. https://www.measuringworth.com
3. See B. B. Schofield, The Russian Convoys, p.127.
4. Vice Adm Wion de Malpas Egerton, DSO (1879–1943) had retired in 1933 but rejoined during WWII.
5. Secret Message from NSHQ Ottawa, 2.2.43.RS St Sunniva, Rescue Ships Masters Reports, 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2153, TNA.
6. Lt Cdr L. F. Martyn to BBS, 28 Sep 1966, BBS Archives.
7. The names are recorded on the Tower Hill Memorial ‘to 24,000 men of the Merchant Navy and fishing fleets who lost their lives during WWII’, unveiled by HM Queen Elizabeth II on 5 Nov 1955.
8. Surgeon Lt George Crombie Glennie, RNVR (1909–43). Report of an interview with the Chief Officer Mr G. L. Campbell, 23 Feb 1943, RS Toward, Rescue Ships Masters Reports, 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2153, TNA. Subsequent quotations by Campbell are from this source.
9. Siegfried Freiherr von Forstner (1910–43) received the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross for torpedoing 12 ships from SC 107 and SC 118. He and his entire crew were killed when his submarine was sunk on 13 Oct 1943. Of four brothers, only one survived the Second World War.
10. RS Toward, voyage 18 ON 67/SC 73 & a report from Chief Officer G. L. Campbell on SC 118 describing sinking are the only accounts in the Rescue Ships Masters Records, 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2153. Otherwise see Lt Cdr L. F. Martyn, Rescue Ships History, ADM 199/2150 for brief account of her 23 voyages. Campbell says in his report that 26 survivors from the Toward were picked up; Arnold Hague, Convoy Rescue Ships, p. 42 says 16.
11. Christine Smith quoted in ‘Rescue Ship SS Toward Sunk’ Frank Dailey, 2015; https://www. daileyint.com/seawar/apcjtwas.htm
12. Dr W. H. McCallum to BBS, 28 Aug 1966, BBS Archives. The Stockport is commemorated every Feb in a parade and commemoration service organized by Hazel Grove Royal Naval Association. Arnold Hague, Convoy Rescue Ships, p. 40, emphasizes that since obviously no last report was rendered, the records are fragmented.
13. See B. B. Schofield, British Seapower, Batsford, 1967, p. 196 & With the Royal Navy in War and Peace, O’er the Dark Blue Sea, Pen & Sword Maritime, 2018, p. 187.
14. Capt Ralph Good, Voyage No. 6, Rescue Proceedings Report, Melrose Abbey, Convoy SC 121, Rescue Ships Masters Reports, 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2153, TNA.
15. Capt Harry James Birnie, DSO, RD (1882–1943). His peacetime seafaring career had been spent with the Cunard Line. In Dec 1942 he was Mentioned in Dispatches ‘for outstanding devotion to duty during two years’ arduous service as a commodore of convoys.’
16. Capt Robert James Lee (1897–1943) was awarded a King’s Commendation (KC) posthumously on 6 Jul 1943.
17. A. B. Low, Chief Engineer, Melrose Abbey, unofficial letter in possession of PSTO, Clyde, 31 Dec 1945, in Lt Cdr L. F. Martyn, Rescue Ships History, ADM 199/2150.
18. Voyage Report No. 7, Melrose Abbey, Rescue Ships Masters Reports, 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2153, TNA; see also Lt Cdr L. F. Martyn, Rescue Ships History, RS Melrose Abbey, ADM 199/2150, TNA.
19. Horace Bell, ‘Rescue Ships’, letter to BBS 14 Dec 1966.
20. Master, RS Zamalek, 14 Jan 1943 & 27 Feb 1943, to PSTO, Rescue Ships Masters Reports, 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2153, TNA.
21. Lt Cdr L. F. Martyn, Rescue Ships History, RS Zamalek, ADM 199/2150, TNA.
22. Capt S. W. Roskill, The War at Sea 1939–1945, II, p. 365.
23. Capt S. W. Roskill, The War at Sea 1939–1945, II, p. 367; see also Rear Adm Samuel E. Morison (1887–1976), The Two Ocean War, a short history of the US Navy in the Second World War, Little, Brown & Co. 1963, p. 242.
24. A. W. Stevens, A.B., DEMS. 4 Jan 1968, enclosed in a letter from Mrs Charles Stuart ( Janet) McEuen, to BBS, 15 Jan 1968, BBS Archives. His account was the first time ‘in 25 years’ that he had been asked to describe his experiences. He said there were originally 42 on the lifeboat but the figure normally given is 38. As the First and Second Radio Officers died when the ship sank, this must be the Third Radio Officer, Joseph Francis Seddon. Ed note: BBS received this account and that of Able Seaman A. McL ( Jock) Barnes too late to include in the 1st edition. Subsequent quotations by Stevens are from this source.
25. Janet McEuen to BBS, 15 Jan 1968. ‘Ironically there was nobody to recommend him for a medal… he did the recommending.’ BBS Archives. David Clowe and Alan Moore, Merchant Navy were awarded the George Cross; The Third Radio Officer Joseph Francis Seddon (d. 12 Apr 1943) was awarded the George Cross posthumously; Jock Barnes was awarded the BEM.
26. Able Seaman A. McL ( Jock) Barnes, Saga – ‘In a Lifeboat’ – enclosed in a letter from Janet McEuen, to BBS, 15 Jan 1968, BBS Archives. Barnes married and settled in Boston, Mass, becoming a watchmaker.
27. W. H. Hatcher, Master, RS Zamalek, Voyage No 19, ON 177, Rescue Ships Masters Reports, 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2153, TNA.
28. Vice Adm Sir Peter Gretton, Convoy Escort Commander, p. 153.
29. Capt A. Banning, Voyage Report No. 2, Outward ON 178/Homeward RU 71, RS Goodwin, Rescue Ships Masters Reports, 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2152, TNA.
30. William Joseph Hartley, written by his daughter, Brenda Shackleton; https://racmp.co.uk/veterans/william-joseph-hartley/
31. Admiralty Records statistics, quoted by Rear Adm W. S. Chalmers, in Max Horton and the Western Approaches, a biography of Admiral Sir Max Kennedy Horton, Hodder and Stoughton, 1954, p. 198.
32. Samuel E. Morison, The Two-Ocean War, p. 376.
Chapter 8
1. Master of a Rescue Ship, quoted in Merchantmen at War – the Official Story of the Merchant Navy 1939–44, HMSO, London, 1944, p. 45. The ships still in service were: Accrington, Bury, Copeland, Dewsbury, Goodwin, Gothland, Melrose Abbey, Perth, Rathlin, Zamalek. The Inanda (later Empire Explorer) performed the role of a rescue ship on Convoy OB 119 but was not part of the Rescue Ship Fleet.
2. Cdr Humphrys Archdale to BBS, 17 Aug 1967, BBS Archives.
3. Capt George Glass, Master’s Report, Voyage No. 14, Outward with KMS 23/OSC 53 & RS Rathlin, Information given by Third Officer and the Doctor, Convoy KMS 23/OSC 53, 9 Sep 1943, Rescue Ships Masters Reports, 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2153, TNA.
4. Samuel E. Morison, The Two-Ocean War, p. 376. Known as the ‘wren’ (Zaunkönig) homing torpedo, it was attracted to an escort vessel’s propellers.
5. Capt George Glass to BBS, 28 Mar 1967, BBS Archives. Captain Glass destroyed all his records in 1965.
6. Capt George Glass, Master’s Report, RS Rathlin, Voyage 15, Outwards with ONS 202, p. 3, Rescue Ships Masters Reports, 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2153, TNA.
7. Pinto was under temporary management of the General Steam Navigation Co. during her duties on rescue work. A.L. Billington, Director MacAndrews & Co. Ltd to BBS 27 Nov 1968, BBS Archives.
8. Capt James Milne Harris, OBE (1896–1985) to BBS, 26 May 1968, BBS Archives.
9. R. Dryden Marine Superintendent, The Dundee, Perth and London Shipping Company Limited to BBS, 16 May 1967, BBS Archives.
10. Dennis Merryweather Fire Appliance GTO 10 was ordered by the Home Office just after the outbreak of the Second World War as part of an order for 33 100ft (30m) turntable ladders to be supplied by the Home Office to Fire Brigades with additional needs because of wartime conditions.
11. Dr G. M. Baird to BBS, 10 Oct 1966, BBS Archives.
12. Capt James Harris to PSTO, RS Aboyne, At Sea, 30 Jan 1944, Rescue Ships Masters Records, ADM 217/380, TNA.
13. Dr G. M. Baird to BBS, 10 Oct 1966, BBS Archives.
14. Capt Adam Shearer to BBS, 29 Apr 1967, BBS Archives. All subsequent quotations by Shearer are from this source.
15. Capt J. S. Hastie, Master, Syrian Prince, Voyage No. 6, Outward, JW 61, Homeward, RA 61, Rescue Ships Masters Reports, 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2153, TNA.
16. Capt Laurence Stanley Boggs, MB (1885–1944) came from New South Wales, Australia. His name is commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial.
17. Lt Cdr L. F. Martyn, Rescue Ships History, ADM 199/2150, TNA.
18. Lt Cdr L. F. Martyn, Rescue Ships History, ADM 199/2150, TNA.
19. Adm Sir Max Horton to Sir John McNee; Commodore E. C. Denison, 11 Apr 1944, quoted in Lt Cdr L. F. Martyn, Rescue Ships History, ADM 199/2150, TNA.
20. Capt Christopher Chestnutt to BBS, 25 May 1967, BBS Archives.
Chapter 9
1. Janet Evelyn McEuen, Chairman’s Report, Ajax Hospitality Headquarters, Jan 1944 – Mar 1945, BBS Archives.
2. A. V. Alexander, Ist Earl Alexander of Hillsborough, KG, CH, PC (1885–1965), Hansard Vol. 397, 7 Mar 1944, cols. 1897-100. https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/1944-03-07/debates/NavyEstimates1944 – Navy Estimates, 1944, Volume 397: debated on Tuesday 7 March 1944.
3. E. S. Brand, Captain, Dir of Trade Division, Ottawa to Dir of Trade Division Admiralty, 16 Feb 1944, Rescue Ships Masters Reports, ADM 199/2152, TNA.
4. Capt James Harris to PSTO, RS Aboyne, at Sea, 30 Jan 1944, Report of Proceedings for Convoys ONC 218/SL 146, 12 Dec 43 – 15 Jan 44, ADM 217/380, TNA. Subsequent quotations from Capt Harris are from this report.
5. Horace Bell, ‘Rescue Ships’, to BBS 14 Dec 1966, BBS Archives. Liberty ships were mass-produced standard merchant vessels built during the Second World War based on a standard 10,000-ton design. Those built in the US were mainly welded instead of riveted, a faster and stronger process than riveting but which could sometimes, as in the case of Joel R. Poinsett, lead to cracks which spread swiftly and with catastrophic consequences.
6. Capt Adam Shearer to BBS, 29 Apr 1967, BBS Archives. All subsequent quotations by Shearer are from this source.
7. Capt A. Banning, Voyage No. 4 – Outward convoy ON 225, 7 Mar 1944, Rescue Ships Masters Reports. 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2152, TNA.
8. F. J. Goodchild, Master, MV Empire McColl, to Naval Control, Halifax, N.S., 25 Apr 1944, Rescue Ships Masters Reports, 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2151, TNA; Martyn, RS Aboyne, Rescue Ships History, ADM 199/2150, TNA.
9. Lt Cdr L. F. Martyn, Rescue Ships History, RS Gothland, ADM 199/2150, TNA.
10. See B. B. Schofield, Operation Neptune, the Inside Story of Naval Operations for the Normandy Landings 1944, Pen & Sword, 2008, republished 2024.
11. James Harris, Master, RS Aboyne, 22 Jul 1944, Rescue Ships Masters Reports, 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2151, TNA; Lt Cdr L. F. Martyn, Rescue Ships History, RS Aboyne, ADM 199/2150, TNA.
12. Capt O. C. Morris, Homeward Passage, Convoy HXS 300, Rescue Ships Masters Reports, 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2153, TNA. Arnold Hague, Convoy Rescue Ships, p. 45.
13. Capt W. J. Hartley, RS Goodwin, Voyage No. 11, Rescue Ships Masters Reports, 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2153, TNA.
14. Report of an Interview with the Chief Officer, Mr J. Thomson, of M.V. Pinto, dated 13 Sep 1944, Rescue Ships Masters Reports, 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2153, TNA. All quotations from Thomson are from this report.
15. Surgeon Lt P. N. Holmes, RNVR, Medical Officer, ‘Report on loss of Rescue Ship Pinto, by enemy action on 8th Sep 1944,’ 10 Sep 1944, Rescue Ships Masters Reports, 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2153, TNA.
16. Report of an Interview with the Chief Officer, Mr J. Thomson, of MV Pinto, dated 13 Sep 1944, Rescue Ships Masters Reports, 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2153, TNA. Statistics taken from ‘Shipping casualties section – Trade Division M.V. Pinto’, 13 Sep 1944, but as pointed out by Arnold Hague, Convoy Rescue Ships, p. 35, they vary depending on the source. Dr Barnado’s was established in 1866 by Thomas John Barnado to care for vulnerable children and is still in existence today.
17. See 9th LCT Flotilla – A Tragedy at Sea. https://www.combinedops.com/9th%20LCT%20Flotilla.htm which gives an account of the other LCTs which foundered.
18. J. Murray, Master, RS Dundee, to PSTO, Supplementary Report of Rescue Operations Carried out on 18 Oct as Requested by PSTO, Glasgow, Rescue Ships Masters Reports, 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2152, TNA.
19. Adm Sir Max Horton to Flag Officer in Charge, Greenock, 3 Feb 1945; Rescue at sea of three airmen from MAC ‘Empire MacCallum’, J. Davison, Master, Voyage No. 15, Rescue Ships Masters Reports, 1941 to 1945, ADM 217/178, TNA. Charles G. Maughan, CBE, AFC (1923–2009) rose to the rank of Air Vice Marshal.
20. Rescue Ships Masters Reports, 1941 to 1945, RS Aboyne, ADM 199/2151, TNA.
21. Capt Sir Arthur James Baxter, KBE, DSC, RD (1890 –1951), signal dated 12 Mar 1945, quoted in Lt Cdr L.F. Martyn, Rescue Ships History, ADM 199/2150, TNA.
22. Dr T. S. Eimerl, DSC, VRD, MD, RNVR, ‘Rescue Ship Gothland’, to BBS, 24 Apr 1967, BBS Archives.
23. Capt James Hadden, Master, RS Gothland, Voyage No. 19, HX 348, Rescue Ships Masters Reports, 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2152, TNA.
24. Capt Henry Cecil Cansdale (1899-–1945). Arnold Hague, Convoy Rescue Ships, points out discrepancies in the records. Gothland’s account states 47 men were picked up from the Cyrus H. McCormick and 3 from the Empire Gold; Lloyd’s report states 48 and 4 respectively, p. 30.
25. Capt James Hadden, Master, RS Gothland, Voyage No. 19, HX 348, Rescue Ships Masters Reports, 1941 to 1945, ADM 199/2152, TNA.
26. Commodore’s signal, Rescue Ship Zamalek, quoted in Lt Cdr L. F. Martyn, Rescue Ships History, ADM 199/2150, TNA. The St Clair left on 3 May and arrived on 18 May 1945 with ONS 49.
27. Admiralty, 29 May 1945, TOO 291616, & TOO 201709, quoted in Lt Cdr L. F. Martyn, Rescue Ships History, ADM 199/2150, TNA.
28. John Masefield, ‘Epilogue’, written for the publication, Merchantmen at War, 1944, p. 142.
Chapter 10
1. Sir William Elderton, KBE, PhD, FIA, ‘Merchant Seamen during the War,’ Journal of the Institute of Actuaries, Vol. LXXIII, Part II, No. 337, 25 Nov 1946. Deaths also recorded at 30,248 merchant seamen. https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/timeline/factfiles/nonflash/a6652091.shtml
2. Donald Macintyre, The Battle of the Atlantic, B.T. Batsford Ltd, 1961, p. 178.
3. ADM 199/2154 Summary of Rescue Ships Doctors Reports 1941-4. Statistics vary since the Beachy statistics have not always been included, as well as those voyages on detachment.
4. Clyde Shipping Co., Ltd to BBS, 30 Aug 1966, BBS Archives. The Clyde’s ships were the Beachy, Goodwin, Copeland, Toward, Eddystone, Fastnet & Rathlin.
5. Horace Bell, ‘Rescue Ships’, to BBS 14 Dec 1966, BBS Archives.
6. Dr W. H. McCallum to BBS, 28 Aug 1966, BBS Archives.
7. BBS gives the figure of 611, while Arnold Hague, Convoy Rescue Ships, p. 70, states 617. Obviously this impacts on the total figure of 4,194 rescued, as cited in Lt Cdr L.F. Martyn, Rescue Ships History, ADM 199/2150, TNA.
8. Godfrey Winn (1906–71) served as an RN able seaman, training on HMS Ganges.
9. By the time BBS began his research, Capt Banning had died but he did correspond with his widow, Mary Banning, Mar 1968. Capt Campbell to BBS, 12 Sep 1966, BBS Archives.
10. Dr T. S. Eimerl, DSC, VRD, MD, RNVR, ‘Rescue Ship Gothland’, to BBS, 24 Apr 1967, BBS Archives.
11. Dr W. H. McCallum to BBS, 28 Aug 1966, BBS Archives.
12. Dr Gillies MacBain to BBS, 21 Feb 1967, BBS Archives.
13. See Lt Cdr L. F. Martyn, Rescue Ships History, ADM 199/2150, TNA. Lt Cdr L. F. Martyn to BBS, 6 Feb 1967 & 25 Oct 1966, BBS Archives. On 31 Dec 1966, Martyn, by now a widower, married Olga Fletcher (1914–89).
14. About 13 others were damaged by enemy attacks, Ministry of War Transport 1944; Geneva Conventions Report 1949, BBS to Dr Laurence A. Kohn, 15 Sep 1968. Ed note: The assertion that Germany did not obey the Geneva Conventions in the U-boat war was repudiated at the Nuremberg trials, Jürgen Rowher, Marine Rundschau, Apr 1969. In response BBS said the attacks on hospital ships were ‘too well documented to be dismissed; and that just because Germany repudiated the allegations it did not prove that they did not happen’, BBS to Frank Tredrey, Blackwood’s, 31 May 1969, BBS Archives.
15. Sir John Arkwright (1872–1954), ‘The Supreme Sacrifice’ hymn.