1

HMS OPOSSUM ASSOCIATION

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2016 1945-1958

Welcome to our Spring Newsletter. Despite repeated requests for Newsletter stories, sorry to report none has been received, as a consequence this edition lacks the usual human element. So I have had to fill the pages with a variety of articles that I hope will be of interest to members. This edition includes a revised Membership List and an earlier than usual Reunion Questionnaire of who will be attending, those wishing to lodge their apologies and a request for their £15 subscription. Sorry to tell of the passing of member Ian Janes whose funeral I attended in February.Again a further appeal for your personal stories for later Newsletters. Ed.

CHAIRMAN’S COMMENTS

Greetings to all members. To remind you of our coming reunion, the highlight of our year. [See separate sheet for details] Not only urging you to attend but to bring along, if still around, your Grand Dad and Grand Mum. Joking apart – the price is right, the company good, come ye all and enjoy. With Best WishesLewis Trinder Chairman

Chairman Lewis Trinder 108 North Lane, Aldershot, Hants GU12 4QT 01252-323861 lewistrinder@gmail.com [45]

Secretary/Editor Eddie Summerfold 28 Greymont Road, Limefield, Bury BL9 6PN 0161-764-8778 robopovan@btinternet.com

Treasurer Sam Edgar 21 Heathlawns, Fareham, Hants PO15 5QB 01329-235732 sandredgar@sky.com [57]

Website www.hmsopossum.org.uk

2

TREASURER’S REPORT

Brought Forward £1,388.57Income – raffle/subs £670.00 [plus donatiions] Funeral expenses £493.79Balance

Roll of Honor

John Cartwright John Eardly Wilmot Ronald Bradley Harry[Scouse]Barlow Albert CorlessLes Wood Ken Harris Harry RoachFred Thompson Fred[Mick]Bodel John Davison Steven Hart Jack Marshall Dick[Ginger]Bird Joe Gornall Cornelious Canon Pete Maddox John Hardman Harry Catterson Jack Richards George[Jan]Lobb Edward[Ted]Longstaff Peter Lockwood Bert Rimmer Ken Carson Willy Mitchell Alan Percival Roy WoodJohn Mackenzie

£1,564.72

J W Powell David Jarvis George Scott Pat Norman Ivan C Haskell Fred King George Curry Cliff HarthillStewart A Porter Les Dimmock Doug Banks Harry Woolams Doug Goulding Bill BoltonKen Phillips Ron Hare Bill PriceMartin George Jim PayneRoy Cope John BlairCharles Parker Brian Healey Stan Oldfield

Bob Gray John Williams Reg ParkerGeorge Fletcher George H RichardsSid Pemberton George BrownArthur Pope Jackie ScholesJohn Bray Jim TribeJohn Fraser Cyril MasonMike Swayne Bill BoveyWilliam Wilder Ken Slater Mike Cole Ron BlundyJohn W C Clark Tony HarrisAlister Hunter Blair John JonesIan Janes

3

Rear Admiral DAVID JOHN MACKENZIE CB [Rtd.] 1929 – 2015

Admiral D J Mackenzie

Our former President died 26th November 2015. His funeral and thanksgiving service took place St. Mary’s church Birnam, Perthshire, Scotland on the 4th

December attended by members Eddie Summerfold and Nick Whytock. John Mackenzie served on the frigate HMS Opossum between April 1952 and August 1954, including active service as the ships gunnery officer during the Korean War, his other ship duties included fo’c’sle divisional officer and handling official correspondence. During his 40 year naval career he had the unique distinction of having nine commands, some were small gun boats as on the Rhine Flotilla others much larger that included HMships :- Barrington, Hardy, Lincoln and Hermione, also NBCD school HMS Phoenix, Captain ‘F’ Eighth frigate squadron in HMS Ajax, Director of Naval equipment, Captain of the cruiser HMS Blake and the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes. In 1981 promoted Rear Admiral – Flag officer and Port Admiral at Gibraltar during the Falklands conflict. Younger Brother of Trinity House. Member of the Queens Body Guard for Scotland [Royal Company of Archers.] Vice President Nautical Institution. Vice President Seafarers UK [formally King George Fund for Sailors] He’d not been well for sometime, his wife Ursula died in June 2015.We wish him a safe anchorage. [SEE later pages with his Opossum photos.]

4

PORTLAND as a NAVAL BASE

Portland Harbour

Portland harbour is the second largest man-made harbour in the world. Natually protected to the South by the Isle of Portland, to the West by Chesil beach and to the North by Dorset main land. The harbour consists of four breakwaters – two Southern and two Northern, with a total length of 2.83 miles making an enclosed area of 1,295 acres.

Here from the middle of the 19th century the Royal Navy operated as a Channel base up until 1995. During two World Wars it was especially useful for examining neutral vessels for contraband as well as the work-up programmes of newly commissioned ships. For these reasons it was of special interest to the German Luftwaffe. During World War Two no less than 48 separate air attacks took place, the harbour sustained over 500 tons of bombs. During one of these bombing raids in 1940 the Royal Navy was awarded the second VC of the conflict - posthumously to Leading seaman Jack Mantle who died at his gun on board the HMS Foylebank. Portland played a big part in the preparation for D-Day. Phoenix caissons were towed into the harbour before going over to France, 418,963 U.S troops of the First Division assembled prior to their arrival at Omaha Beach head together with hundreds of thousands of tanks and trucks. After the war anti-submarine training resumed at HMS Osprey. A helicopter base was established to increase the range of a ship’s asdic search and also there was the case of “The Portland Spy Ring,” a Soviet espionage operation. [SEE separate article]

5

Sadly Portland Harbour was also the place of some peace-time tragedies, these included, the overturning of a liberty boat, the explosion of experimental torpedoes and witnessed the crashing in the sea of helicopters on exercise.

On a stormy night, 17th October 1948 a returning liberty boat, a pinnace carrying about 50 junior rates, cox’ned by Midshipman Richard A Clough was returning from Weymouth to the carrier HMS Illustrious, anchored in Portland Harbour, when within sight of the ship the boat was overwhelmed by seas and sank. Sadly 29 drowned. Numbered among the worst of peacetime naval tragedies.

Seven years later, 16th June 1955, HM Submarine Sidon, moored alongside the depot ship HMS Maidstone sank to the bottom of Portland Harbour, after the explosion of an experimental peroxide fuelled torpedo. Twelve men died at the scene. A further casualty was Surgeon Charles Rhodes, of Maidstone, suffocated going to help the casualties. At the time he was wearing a DSEA breathing apparatus which he hadn’t been trained to use.

Early one morning in March 1961, while my ship the frigate HMS Troubridge was undergoing a work-up programme in Portland Harbour, the pipe was made “Away lifeboats crew.” With others, I a young Acting Killick, manned the whaler. The ship brought us a few yards away from the crash sight of a ditched helicopter. There was surface debris and only one ‘bobbing’ head, that of the pilot, who was saved, but not the Observer or the Asdic rating. We stayed around the area for some time, hoping the missing men would surface, collecting whatever debris we could, but not the missing men. [E. Summerfold

GRINS and SNICKERS

The reason politicians try so hard to get themselves re-elected is – they would hate to make a living under laws they have just passed.

A man goes to a ‘shrink’ says, “Doctor my wife is unfaithful, every evening she goes to Larry’s bar and picks up men, she will sleep with anyone who asks her, what should I do?” Relax, says the doctor, take a deep breath and calm down, now tell me exactly where is Larry’s bar.”

6

THE PORTLAND SPY RING

Harry Houghton and Ethel Gee

The Portland Spy Ring was a Soviet enterprise operating in Britain from the late 1950’s until January 1961. In 1958 the U.S.A’s CIA received information from a spy that classified intelligence was being transmitted to the Russians about the work done at Britain’s secret underwater experiment establishment at HMS Osprey in Dorset. This was passed to MI5. Suspicion fell on Mr Harry Houghton a retired ex-RN Master-at-Arms, now a civil service clerk, who was living way beyond his means and his mistress Miss Ethel Gee, a filing clerk who were both put under surveillance. Gee had access to under water experiment trails at the base, these she passed onto Houghton, her lover. At least three more suspects emerged, Gordon Longsdale [in reality a Russian KGB officer and ringleader of the group] as well as Peter Kroger, an antiquarian book seller and his wife Helen. About every fortnight, always on a Saturday, Houghton and Gee would travel to London, there meet Longsdale exchange packages betraying Britain’s secrets and being well paid for their work. On the 7th January 1961, a Saturday, [MI5 cannot make arrests] on Waterloo Bridge officers of the Special Branch apprehended and arrested Houghton, Gee and Longsdale. The contents of Gee’s handbag revealed huge amounts of photographs as well as other classified material involving HMS Dreadnought, Britain’s first nuclear submarine, and the stalling speed of the Borg Warner torque converter. Special Branch also paid a visit to 43, Cranley Drive, Ruislip, Middlesex, the Kroger’s house, gaining access under a false pretext before revealing their true identity and arrested the pair. Just before being taken away to Scotland Yard for questioning Mrs Kroger asked to be allowed to stoke up the central heating boiler. An officer accompanied her, she was about to take papers from her bag

7

and feed the boiler, these were taken from her and later found to contain microdots, photographic reduction to make information small enough to be easily smuggled out of the country. Kroger had used print in a stock of his books to hold microdots and send from Britain to Russia. An extensive search of the house followed that brought to light sophisticated radio equipment for communicating with Moscow, a substantial stash of money and most incriminating of all two false Canadian passports with photographs for the couple to escape over the Atlantic. At the trial, two months later, the former Master-at-Arms tried to turn Queens evidence, to reduce his sentence but this was refused. All the Spy Ring were found guilty. Houghton and Gee were given 15 years each and released in 1970, while the Kroger’s received 20 years, the pair later exchanged for Gerald Brooke, and Longsdale sentenced to 25 years but he too was exchanged for Greville Wynne previously arrested by the Russians.

Sadly the very lax security at the Portland naval base that was very tight for naval personnel was at long last stepped-up for civilian staff.Sort of shutting the stable door after the horse had bolted!!

TOP HEAVY and a LOW FREEBOARD are a recipe for DISASTER

In the middle if the 19th Century during the transition stage of the Royal Navy’s change from wooden hull ships to iron, many experiments were tried. Traditionalists of the old school that wood floats and iron sinks was still a common fallacy. In 1869 Captain Cowper Coles had built as a private venture to his design an ironclad called the ‘Captain’ but funded by the Admiralty. A ship with two 50 ton rifled turrets, steam driven yet with and a great sail area on three tall masts; she also had a low free board of only six feet! The Admiralty’s Chief Constructor was E J Reed who denounced this ship as top heavy and it’s low free board as a disaster waiting to happen. On only it’s few times at sea, Coles chose to exercise his ship with the Fleet in the Bay of Biscay to prove the effective firepower and it’s sea keeping stability. The guns worked perfectly as designed, but alas the heavy press of wind on the tall sails, coupled with the low free board against a fierce gale proved no match to her stability and she foundered off Cape Finnisterre

8

SHIPMATES HUMOUR

Adam was walking around the Garden of Eden feeling very lonely. God asked him what was wrong. Adam replied that he didn’t have anyone to talk with. God said he would give him a companion, it would be a woman. He said the person would cook and look after him and never be disagreeable, bear him children. She would never nag and would always be the first to admit she was in the wrong. Never have a headache and would freely give him love and passion whenever needed. Adam asked God, “What will a women like that cost? God replied, “An arm and a leg.” Adam asked, what could he I get for just a rib?” The rest is history.

One early morning a man comes home, lurching through the front door very drunk. His scowling wife is far from happy. “Where have you been unlit this time?” “I’ve been at a fantastic new bar called the Golden Saloon, where everything is golden, huge golden doors, a golden floor and even golden urinals. Not believing his story, she checks the phone book and does find a Golden Saloon bar across town. “Is that the Golden Saloon, she asks?” The bartender answers, “Yes that’s right.” “Do you have huge golden doors?” “Sure do.” “And a golden floor?” “Most certainly do.” “What about golden urinals?” There’s a long pause and the woman hears the bartender, “Hey Duke I think I’ve got a lead on the guy who pissed in your saxophone.”

A lawyer calls his very wealthy client for a meeting in his office where he has some good news and bad news. The client says he’s had an awful day tell me the good news. Today your wife has invested £5,000 in two pictures, she believes they are worth at least £3million. “Well done, the tycoon says, good news indeed, that’s made my day, so what’s the bad news?” “The two pictures are of you and your secretary!”

A Chinese man phones his boss, “ Me no work, me sick.” His boss says, “When I’m sick I make love with my wife, try that.” Two hours later the Chinese man phones back, “Me better – you got nice home!”

Politicians and nappies have one thing in common they should both be changed regularly, and for the same reason.

9

NAVAL PERSONALITIES [15]Captain Stephen Wentworth ROSKILL CBE DSC FBA Dlitt. [1903-1982]

Captain Roskill was a career naval officer, active during the Second World War, retired on medical grounds, chiefly remembered as a prodigious author on maritime history. He entered the Royal Navy as a Cadet in 1917, first at Osborne then at Dartmouth colleges. As a Midshipman on the China Station served on board the light cruiser HMS Durban, then gunnery officer on the aircraft carrier HMS Eagle and as an instructor at Whale Island gunnery school HMS Excellent. Between 1936-39 appointed Gunnery officer of the newly reconstructed battleship HMS Warspite. From 1939 until 1941 on the Admiralty naval staff. He joined HMNZS Leander as executive officer from 1941-44. On 13 July 1943 Leander was part of a task group of predominantly American ships off the Solomon Islands when they engaged a force of Japanese warships. During the action Leander was torpedoed and severally damaged. For his action in keeping the ship afloat Roskill was awarded a DSC. In 1944 promoted to acting Captain and sent to Washington DC as chief officer of the British naval mission. In 1946 he was senior British officer at the Bikini atom bomb tests, then Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence 1946-48 before retiring on medical grounds due to increasing deafness caused by exposure to gunfire detonations. Roskill was next appointed by the Cabinet Office, Historical section to write the official naval history of the Second World War, his three volume work “The War at Sea” was published by HM Stationery Office between 1954 and 1961. His other books include:- HMS Warspite the story of a battleship [1957] The Secret Capture of German U-boat [1959] The Strategy of Sea Power [1961] The Art of Leadership [1964] Naval policy between the Wars [1968] Hanky: Man of Secrets - in three volumes [1970-74] and Admiral Beatty – the last naval hero, an intimate biography [1980]

10

NAVAL PERSONALITIES [16] Samuel PEPYS [1633-1703]

Samuel Pepys is best remembered for his intimate and revealing diaries he wrote between the years 1660 and 1669 a personal revelation an eye-witness account of the Great Plague, the Fire of London and of the 2nd Dutch War. Pepys didn’t plan other eyes seeing his diaries so he made use of not only short hand in English but also Spanish, French and even Italian all to disguised his jottings. While Pepys had no maritime experience he rose by patronage talent and hard work to be chief Secretary to the Admiralty under both King Charles ll and King James ll. His influence and reforms at the Admiralty were important in the early professionalism of the Royal Navy. His job required him to meet many people dispense money and make contracts. To make up for his lack of nautical knowledge Pepys made use of models and came to play a significant role in the Admiralty’s actions. He proposed a centralized approach to supplying the fleet. And when the Admiralty was called to book by Parliament over the defeat by the Dutch Fleet when they went on to attack the Medway towns, broke the defensive chain at Gillingham and towed away the Royal Navy’s prized warship the Royal Charles, it was Pepys who stood up to face a hostile House to be questioned as to the Navy’s conduct. He gave a reported vituose performance before them squarely centering the blame on Parliament’s own misgivings for under funding their Navy. He died aged 70 in 1703.

11

THE FLYING DUTCHMAN

The Flying Dutchman is a legendary ghost ship that can never make port and is doomed to sail the oceans for ever.

A Royal Naval warship sights “The Flying Dutchman”

It is a story of sailors superstition, respecting an apparition and of doom. Many authors have written on the subject including Sir Walter Scott, and his great fellow Scotsman John Leyden both enthusiastic lovers of ballads and folklore, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, “Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” including Richard Wagner’s opera on the phantom ghost ship. The story is usually set off the Cape of Good Hope where the warm tides of the Indian ocean meet those of the colder Atlantic. During special weather conditions the ghostly spectre appears of a 17th

century ship under full press of sail though there is not a breath of wind, heading for a collision with the viewers vessel! The crew of this ship have committed some dreadful crime and the captain has sworn to round the Cape even if it should take until the day of judgment. Among several sightings was one by the future King George V on 11th July 1881, at 4am, a phantom brig not 200 yards distant, a ship all aglow, light masts, spars and sails stood out in strong relief. Some hours later the young Ordinary seaman who first reported the Flying Dutchman fell from the foretopmast crosstrees to smash himself down on the decks below.

12

THE ROYAL NAVAL SCHOOL – CHANNEL FOUR, Wednesdays 11pm Currently [February 2016] Channel 4 television are screening a series of programmes about recruit training at HMS Raleigh at Torpoint, Cornwall

The whole of the Royal Navy’s basic training for all branches is carried out at this establishment. Raleigh covers a large geographical area of several square miles. While it’s principle function is New Entry and Basic training this is first spread over ten weeks to assess the mental and physical capabilities of the intake, usually numbering 25, but also to instill the naval ethos of shared responsibility and working as a team member core values of commitment courage, discipline, respect, integrity and loyalty. There are schools devoted to seamanship, military training, logistics, submarine operations, preparing for ship deployment, fire fighting, damage control, training courses for cooks, stewards, writers and supply chain ratings. HM Royal Marine Band, Plymouth carries out their own recruitment at Raleigh. The age range for new recruits is 16 to 37. Every ‘Opossum’ member will recall their own new entry training in the Royal Navy and inevitably make comparisons.

When I arrived at HMS Ganges in June 1953, I’d just turned 15 years old and come straight from school. Wet behind the ears, as green as grass, stood five feet nothing and wondering what the hell I’d let myself in for! The age range for Boy ratings was 15 to 16 and a half years and each had signed a contract to serve until the age of 30. Only later was it revealed that at 18 ex-Boy ratings could change to 7 and 5, seven years with the fleet and five with the Reserve and take a pay cut. At Ganges there were 2,000 Boys under training four fifths were

13

seaman who underwent twelve months intensive instruction in seamanship and gunnery [morning and evening] kit musters every fourteen days, none stop inspection and every afternoon compulsory sport [agreeable or not] - all for five bob a week. The other fifth were communicators at the ratio of 2 telegraphists to 1 signalman, they both had to endure 18 months training. It should be remembered that during the 1940’s and 50’s the Royal Navy was ten times larger than it is today, had global commitments, the world has changed and the Service has adapted accordingly.

Today a rating can discharge him or herself after 10 weeks training, or sign-on for four years, and receive a small pension increment – paid at age 50, thereafter more four year contracts earn further pension until retirement. At any time ratings can discharge themselves by simply giving notice.

HMS Raleigh was first opened in January 1940 to train 20 – 21 year old men to be Ordinary seaman, they were then put on the Reserve until call-up. The worst incident Raleigh endured during the War was on 28th April 1941, when a German bomb intended for the dockyard was dropped right on top of an air-raid shelter that killed 44 sailors and 21 Royal Engineers - taking refuge! The carnage is best left to the imagination. In 1944 the United States navy took over the establishment as an embarkation centre for D-Day; two months later the training of RN seaman resumed. In 1950 Raleigh became the new entry training for stoker mechanics, practical instruction carried out on ships along side in Devonport dockyard. Modernisation of Raleigh continued through the 1970’s and 80’s and more diversification of training offered, Supply school, Artificer apprentices and WRNS part one training taken over from HMS Pembroke HMS Fisguard and HMS Dauntless. HMS Dolphin gave up submarine training to Raleigh. In the 1990’s the training of male and female recruits merged, over the years more naval branches based their training at Raleigh, where not only up to date training simulators established but Raleigh offered first class sporting facilities, including several gymnasiums, cricket, football and rugby pitches, swimming pools; as well as weight training and fitness centres. together with cross county and mountain bike courses. In short providing all that a modern Navy needs to attract and maintain it’s young sailors.

14

J SAMUEL WHITE & co. Shipbuilders, Isle of Wight

Apart from the Royal yards of Plymouth, Portsmouth and Chatham not all warships built for the Royal Navy came from Belfast, Glasgow, Tyneside or Birkenhead; many came from the Isle of Wight of J Samuel White & Co who were the oldest firm on the Admiralty List, dating from 1860. In the 1880’s when near by Southampton took much ship repair work from White’s they closed their West of Cowes yards and further developed the engineering side of the business building steam engines, boilers and diesel engines. By 1914 seventy-five percent of commerce of the Island depended on White’s yards with a workforce of 2,000 men. By the outbreak of the Second World War the work force had swelled to 3,500. The firm had a strong well established trade in building small-medium coastal ships, many earlier destroyers for the Navy and over 140 Lifeboats for the RNLI, together with many ocean going yachts. In May 1942 the Luftwaffe devoted an entire raid on White’s yards and badly damaged the East Cowes yards. During the air attack that killed over 70 the Polish destroyer Blyskawica, [built at Cowes was under going repairs] pulled out and anchored in the fairway and put up such an AA barrage against the attackers that 60 years later Cowes held a special commemorative ceremony, lasting several days with the West End of Cowes being named Francki Place after the commanding officer. White’s built over 250 warships before closing down in 1966, among them were:- the destroyer HMS Cavelier, [on permanent display at Chatham] HMS Contest the Navy’s first all welded destroyer, the Daring class ship HMS Dainty [1950] Bold Pioneer- fast patrol boat [1951] [1952] Frigates - Dundas, Exmouth and Grafton [1956-57] and HMS Arethusa [1965] the last warships built at Whites.

15

“OPOSSUM” PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE ALBUM OF ADMIRAL MACKENZIE

Sent by his son David Mackenzie at the request of the Newsletter Editor. The emails had to be re-photographed, further reducing the print quality

16

HMS OPOSSUM ASSOCIATION – annual REUNION

Tillington Hall Hotel, Eccleshall Road, Stafford, Staffordshire ST16 1JJ Tel:- 01785-253531 and 01785-279300Friday 13th May to Monday 16th May 2016

[Arranged by Isle of Wight Tours – 01983-405116]

Three nights half board accommodation, live entertainment on Gala Night, two afternoon coach tours included, reduced bar prices on selected drinks in our own suite, £154 per person.

Dear Member to establish whose coming to our reunion and those not attending and wish to tender their apologies.

Name, I will be attending……………………………………………………………..

Name, I will not be attending ……………………………………………………..

[Please send your £15 annual subscription cheque to the address below, thank you.]

3. For those attending please bring along a quality raffle prize, one you would like to win yourself.

Yours AyeEddie Summerfold Honorary Secretary HMS Opossum Association 28 Greymont Road, Limefield, BURY BL9 6PN

PLEASE RETURN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE