BATTLE HONOURS

Dogger Bank      1915

Belgian Coast      1916

Mediterranean      1941

Normandy      1944

Okinawa     1945

The Great Journey of Stoker Tommy (Tug) Wilson  

Following the posting of my experiences of my time on HMS UNDAUNTED, I was contacted by Mr. James Wilson of Bolton, who's brother Tom had served on the ship from being built.  These are his brother Tom's words:

Recruits Course - Stoker Tom Wilson 2nd from right in 2nd row

 

The name UNDAUNTED was first given to a man-of-war by Sir John Jervis in 1794.   The name was carried by a long list of ships.    The last to have it before this destroyer was a Submarine, which was lost with all hands at the beginning of the war.   The crest of the ship, a hooded falcon, or as we used to say "A falcon with a gas mask on".

We left Devonport Barracks before midnight on the 20th February 1944, to travel by troop train to Birkenhead, to join HMS UNDAUNTED at the builders yard, namely Cammell Lairds at Birkenhead on 21st February 1944.   The ship had been adopted by the London Borough of Barking

For the next 10 days we did Sea Trials in Liverpool Bay and saw quite a bit of the River Mersey.  For a few days we tied up at the Pier Head, Liverpool, by the Liver Building.   When the makers handed over to the Navy we then sailed for Scapa Flow.

The destroyer HMS Undaunted 

When in Scapa Flow we had what they call "Work Ship", to make us efficient.   Our first operation, in April 1944, was with Aircraft Carriers of the Fleet Air Arm in an attack on the "Tirpitz" in the Norwegian Altenfjord.   We were in the North Cape area for quite a few days.   We escorted the Aircraft Carriers HMS Furious, Victorious, Emperor, Fencer, Searcher and Pursuer with other escorts, including HMS Anson, Belfast, Jamaica, Sheffield, Royalist, Meteor, Milne, Onslaught, Ursa, Verulam, Vigilant, Virago and Wakeful.  We were joined by the Royal Canadian Navy ships Algonquin and Sioux.  The aircraft from the Carriers scored 14 hits.

On our return to Scapa we had a Concert Party aboard with "Jack Mills, Bernard Miles and Party".   When going out on one operation, our Captain, a Scotsman by the name of Angus Mackenzie, played on his bagpipes "Will ye no come back again!".   We could have killed him!

About 10 days before "D", we sailed South and our anchorage was by The Needles, by the Isle of Wight.   Before "D" day we did "E" boat patrols in The Channel.   We were in the forefront of the Armada on "D" itself.   We were in the ROGER section of SWORD beach during the landings and we bombarded the coast of France for two hours before the landings commenced.   The skipper, Commander Mackenzie stood in his Highlander's bonnet , playing his bagpipes from the Bridge  as the Landing Craft, crammed with crouching infantry, headed past the ship towards the beach.

 

Map of the D Day beaches

General Eisenhower and Admiral Ramsay were embarked in the Minelaying Cruiser HMS Apollo for the landings.   Eisenhower and Admiral Ramsay urged Captain Grindle to move Apollo closer inshore, so they could get a better view, but she hit a sand bar and ran aground.   The ships propellors were bent, and possibly the driveshafts, in the grounding.   Apollo was refloated and limped back towards HMS Scylla, which had been ordered to provide a destroyer to take General Eisenhower and the Admiral back to Portsmouth.    

Admiral Ramsay, General Eisenhower and General Montgomery on  HMS Apollo

As you probably know, we brought Eisenhower and Admiral Ramsay back to Portsmouth, arriving around 10 o'clock on the evening of the 6th.   I have both of their autographs in my Autograph Book and is one of my proud possessions.   A couple of days after, we escorted an Aircraft Carrier to Gibraltar.   On our return to Plymouth we had leave.

We then returned to the Mediterranean and escorted HMS Howe into Algiers, and did a great deal of escort work, out of Malta.   We then went on to Bari, Brindisi and Taranto (Italy).   We earned the Italy Medal for operations such as bombarding the Coast Road by Ancona, to help the Army and also operations off the coast of Yugoslavia.  If my memory serves me right, we came home for leave.   However, our next move was to Alexandria and I met up with my brother Stan there, who was serving in the RAF, and we had 2 days leave together.

Stan in middle and Tom on right in Alexandria

We then headed for Port Said (which told us we were off to the Far East), then through the Suez Canal to Aden, Bombay and again we did quite a bit of escorting of Troopships, etc.

Tom Wilson under the gun

We then went to Trincomalee (Ceylon) - it was there that Terry Thorne joined the ship.  From here on you will know by the book "Forgotten Fleet".

On August 14th we were off the port of Yokohama, but did not enter for the signing of the Peace Treaty.   No, we were on our way back to Sydney, which we entered on, or about, 21st August.   We then went to New Zealand for a refit, spending about 8 weeks in Auckland (North Island).   By this time I had steamed 150,000 miles in the ship since I had  first commissioned her, one year and seven months before, in 1944.  When the refit was completed, we returned to Sydney, then on to Yokohama (Tokyo Bay).

Ships Company photograph in Auckland, New Zealand

We had leave in Tokyo and travelled up the island for a few days, we also "showed the flag" in some fishing port.

Then on 1st January 1946, we were told we were going home via Sydney, Melbourne, Capetown (South Africa), St Helena, Freetown, Gibraltar then Plymouth.  We arrived home on 19th March 1946,   What a journey!!!

In less than two years, between 1944 and 1946, on this journey, Stoker Tom Wilson received the 1939-45 Star, the Italy Star, the Burma Star, the Pacific Bar and the King George VI Medal.

Tom also saved a number of newspaper cuttings relating to the time he served on HMS UNDAUNTED.

......Stoker Harry Chapman felt his ship, HMS UNDAUNTED, lift out of the water as she received a near miss.   Above decks it seemed to Chapman like a scene from Hades: big ships were firing their guns, rocket barges were sending off their missiles in eruptions of smoke and flame; nearby a ship was on fire while in another, troops were singing as they climbed down scrambling nets to landing craft tossing in the swell......

Another cutting records that one Friday, just after VJ Day, HMS Undaunted sailed into Sydney, Australia flying the flags of Japan, Germany and Italy.  She also flew the flags of France, United States, China and Poland, as well as the Personal Flag of Dwight D Eisenhower.  One officer explained "We were feeling exuberant and flew the lot."

Below are some more photos of Tom Wilson

Tom in centre

Stoker Tom Wilson

Derek Kelly served on HMS Undaunted in the 1950's, to read about his Royal Navy career, click on the right arrow below>