  Norfolk Section The Britannia and Castle |
Norfolk Section The Britannia and Castle |
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| CONTACT Make contact with correspondents via the Norfolk Section Editor or RHQ, Britannia House, TA Centre, 325 Aylsham Rd, Norwich, NR3 2AB. Tel 01603 400290. |
| ALMANZA
DAY 2005 E-MAIL FROM
SIMON HATCH IRAQ For the 2nd year in succession, the Norfolk Editor received an e-mail on Almanza Day - in 2004 from Maj Bob Rogers, OC A Coy in Norwich. The 2005 text from Simon Hatch included: ‘Hi from places sunny. Now fully encamped SW of Basrah. Been here nearly two weeks and the camp was taken over by the Vikings this morning. The locals normally great new units with IEDs and mortar attacks so we are awaiting developments tonight. Went out to Rumallah yesterday and passed the war memorial and cemetery which from the road looked a poor old sight. Many Norfolks are buried there, the last place Norfolk Officers went into battle carrying swords. Speaking of Norfolks, today is Almanza Day. I was hoping to raise my RNR flag but my box with it in is still en-route!’ [B&C 104] |
| ALF CRANE Jim Cameron, in Canada, sent the obituary for his old chum Alf Crane who died on 7 Mar 1995 aged 68. He wrote: ‘I still correspond with his wife Louie and I told her that I was going to do this. Now all I can say is: ‘Gone, but not forgotten’. I am sorry it has taken me so long but I will write to Alf's wife and told her that I have entered this in our Regimental Magazine, and when I get my B&C, I will send her a copy.’ Jim was 2 R Norfolk and aboard the Georgic when she sailed from Bombay in 1947 - see below. (Thanks Jim. It is never too late to post an obituary. Next time I am in Ontario we’ll have to meet! Ed.) [B&C 104] |
ROYAL NORFOLK CAR GRILLE BADGE SOUGHT ME TOO |
|
CAPT RAY PILLAR BY MAJ RICHARD
BOULTON TD JP Maj Richard
Boulton TD JP sent: ‘He served in A Company,
4th Bn The Royal Norfolk Regt and became a very loyal and
efficient CSM. He was always remarkably smart. I saw
little of him after I retired in 1964, but I know that on
the reorganisation in 1967 he transferred to No 1 Coy., 5
Royal Anglian at Lowestoft (formerly 4 Suffolk) where he
served as CSM under Maj Roger
Hammersley, who has just given me an excellent
report on him. Ray later served with distinction as a
Captain in the Norfolk Army Cadet Force. I last saw Ray at
the Memorial Cottages on 11 Nov 04 where I envied him for
being as smart, erect and square-shouldered as ever.’ |
| MV GEORGIC RESTORATION
UPDATE B&C 88 Jun 97 published a report from the Aug 1947 Daily Express sent from Gordon Spong by the indefatigable Bill ‘Ace’ Seymour. It led to the formation of a Georgic Association, called the ‘Independence of India 1947 Club’, by Ron Stokoe and Gordon Spong. With members stretching from Canada to the Home Counties, it meets annually to mark their 1947 Bombay departure aboard the Georgic.  B&C 101 Dec 03
reported on the presentation by the Norfolk Editor of a 4’
long model of the original twin-funnelled MV Georgic to
the club. After considerable efforts by Ron Stokoe (see B&C
103 Dec 04) the model has been restored by maestro
Gordon Wiseman to the single-funnel vessel in which
they left Bombay in 1947. The model will be brought to
Norwich in Sep 05 for the Reunion Dinner and then
presented to our Norwich Regimental Museum. Any donations
towards the cost of refurbishment would be gratefully
received - sent to RHQ Norwich. After consultation with
the Regimental Area Secretary Col Tony
Taylor, he generously agreed that the Regt
would meet any shortfall of money collected at RHQ.For details of the next Club Lunch Reunion on Sat 13 Aug 05, the Saturday nearest to 15 Aug, to commemorate the occasion, at The Union Jack Club in London, contact Ron Stokoe, via the Norfolk Section Editor or RHQ, Britannia House, TA Centre, 325 Aylsham Rd, Norwich, NR3 2AB. Tel 01603 400290. For once, the Norfolk Editor is not away ‘playing soldiers’ so he will attend to take photographs. Andy Booth, who contributed the model of the MV Georgic, wrote: ‘Pleased to hear that the model is appreciated.’ [B&C 104] |
| MV GEORGIC
- BOMBED IN SUEZ JUL 1941 Ian Hill in Oz found the B&C pages about the MV Georgic and sent: 'My father, Charles Oliver Hill, was a passenger on the Georgic when she was bombed off Suez in July 1941. He was a small boy with his sister and mother and by all accounts was lucky to get off alive. He has often spoken of this event, and was surprised to find so much about the Georgic on the web (he's only recently got access at 74 years of age). In early 1940 Henry Hill was called up for active service. This involved being stationed on a mine-sweeper throughout the war. His whereabouts were always secret. He was often in the North Sea, in and out of ports all round the UK. He was at Salerno and at the D-Day landings etc. He never reached South Africa, where his family stayed for the duration of the war. A friend in Cairo, Robert Strang, invited the Hill family, mother Leah and daughter Betty to come and stay with them. This they decided to do, staying till 1941 when all English families were told to leave and the family boarded the MV Georgic. During this period, due to the daily attacks by German raiders, it was only possible to load and unload ships for short periods each day. The raiders came on alternate nights, so frenetic activity took place on those nights. Ships would unload one night, quickly steam out of the range of the Continent-based aircraft (4 hours journey away) then the next day steam back to load up with the cargo for the return trip. On one occasion, the MV Georgic had unloaded her troops and loaded up with some passengers (but not yet the Italian prisoners of war) and had gone to stand out of range till the next safe period. However, a very special cargo had been taken on board that night - a captured German tank of the latest design. Charles had not been on the ship more than 10 minutes before he found out about the tank, which was top deck cargo. The Germans were aware of this cargo and had set up a special bombing raid to dispose of the prize. That night, as the ship stood offshore from Port Suez with tenders alongside, bombs began falling round the ship. They fell alongside at first, but then one fell straight into the aft hold (Charles remembers that it was the lift shaft of that hold). When this occurred, the passengers (including the Hill family) were roused from their sleep (it was about 3 am) and donned dressing gowns and life-jackets. They were in the forward parts of the ship and waited there for evacuation. This was indeed fortunate as the aft parts were by now well alight. The Captain, wanting to keep the fire at bay and save the ship, ordered the fire doors closed. He then rang for full speed ahead in the hope of beaching her. Unfortunately, the steering gear had been destroyed and the Georgic careered straight over a small lighter and then glanced off a navy ship. Betty remembers all the heads popping out of the portholes to see what was going on. When this happened, the Captain stopped her. By now the fires on the ship lit up the sky and many were coming from the shore with boats to help rescue people. The lifeboats were ablaze and oil from the lifeboat tanks was burning on the sea. An Egyptian Arab arrived with a small open boat into which Charles was lowered in a blanket, followed shortly by Betty. High above stood Leah and a man accompanying them. While all this was going on, the little open boat was sinking (probably from wood shrinkage while it had lain disused). Just in time a launch arrived and they were able to scramble aboard as the open boat sank. Later a tug arrived from the port. In typical eastern style, it collided with the launch, splintering the side. The passengers scrambled from the launch onto the tug just before it sank. The seamen lowered a rope ladder and Leah started to descend. She had not gone far when her feet began to swing inwards and she found herself unable to climb down. She had never been good at PE and had a weak heart due to rheumatic fever she had as a child. A seaman called down from above: ‘She'll never make it’. Mr McKinnon said in reply ‘Yes she will... she's got two children down there’. Somehow she did make it. By the time she got down, she was exhausted and was laid out on the tug cabin roof to recover. Betty remembers her legs dangling into the cabin as she lay above. A humorous incident amongst the horror occurred when a Georgic seaman rescued by the tug opened his lifejacket to reveal a little monkey which he had saved. Another monkey had climbed the mast to escape the fire and was there several days before being rescued. About 63 people lost their lives that night on the Georgic. They included those who were trapped aft of the sealed fire-proof bulkheads and a baby who drowned while strapped to its mother’s back. She had jumped into the water from the bows. Unfortunately, due to the height, she plunged deep into the water before being able to swim back to the surface. By then the child had drowned. The survivors returned to the port to an inquisitive crowd of Egyptians. The Red Cross handed out draw-string bags of sturdy cotton clothes to them (they came off the boat only with pyjamas). The British Consulate staff and other officials made rooms available to them to sleep and recover from the ordeal. However, the first night's sleep did not come. Instead were visions of flames and fire. The second night they managed to rest but not sleep. On the third night, they were ready for sleep, but as it was once again the night the German aircraft were expected, they had to move to the air-raid shelters. In order to get some sleep, they only went to the shelters when the raiders were almost overhead. The Georgic was eventually grounded and continued to smoulder for quite a while. Shortly after she came ashore, some men recovered the German tank from the top deck by crane. These men were awarded a George Cross because of the considerable danger involved (she was still burning and the decks were hot). Some time later, the Hills went past the hulk and saw the stern peppered with holes made by shells from the magazine when they triggered due to the heat. The family were assisted in Cairo by Mr Strang. In July 1941 the family left on the 'Isle de France' for Durban and from there travelled overland by train for 2 days to Cape Town. They stayed there for 5 years, returning home to the UK in 1946.' Ian added: 'I wonder whether you might be interested in publishing on the website a copy of the Meccano Magazine of June 1945, which has an article entitled 'Salvage of the MV Georgic'? I have the pages here and could scan them into either TIFF or PDF format.' Webmaster comment: See the account above of the award of the George Cross by the son of one of the Royal Engineers involved in the salvage. Many thanks Ian. Yes, do please send me a copy (preferably in PDF format) of the Jun 1945 Meccano Magazine article 'Salvage of the MV Georgic'. I used to subscribe to that mag in the 1950s and even had a Meccano Club lapel badge - long lost! [B&C 104] Postscript Dec 05: The Norfolk Editor would like to acknowledge the most considerable efforts by Ian to obtain site reproduction permission of the Meccano magazine article from Meccano France and thanks Najat Coppeaux of Meccano France for granting permission. Click the underlined words which follow for accounts of the salvage of the Georgic, published in the ‘Engineer’ Oct 1944 and in the ‘Meccano Magazine’ Jun 1945. |
| MORE ON
THE 1941 SUEZ BOMBING
OF THE GEORGIC B&C 103 Dec 04 reported on the Essex newspaper, Leigh Echo, appeal by Ron Stokoe for someone to restore the Georgic. Ron followed with: 'As a result of the Leigh Echo appeal, because of the historical military aspect, I had an interesting story relayed to me. David Williams telephoned to say that his late father, a Royal Engineer, served on the Georgic in Jul 1941 when it was bombed by German aircraft in Suez harbour. His father told him the ship caught fire and the decks and hull buckled with the severe heat. The captain gave the order to abandon ship. A captured German tank was strapped on deck awaiting shipment to England for military examination so the War Office instructed the captain of the Georgic to try and recover the tank. 12 Royal Engineers volunteered to salvage it. Using two tugs and a floating crane they went alongside the flaming ship, successfully recovered the tank and got it ashore. 6 men were awarded the George Cross including David’s father, Cpl Christopher F Williams. I met David and he proudly showed me his father’s medals. (See the article below.) These are just a few things I have learnt about the Georgic - many more tales are ‘floating’ around. Excuse the pun !' Ron - It's amazing that you met the son of one of the Royal Engineers awarded the George Cross for salvaging that German tank. [B&C 104] |
| AND MORE
ON THE GEORGIC - 13 MAY 1955 -
FROM PHYLL PEARSON IN NZ Phyll Pearson, formerly of Newport, Mon, Wales, wrote from NZ: '50 years ago today, 13 May 05, my parents with their 4 children boarded the MV Georgic, in Liverpool, bound for Melbourne, Australia. I have been looking for anything I can find about the Ship, and see that she had a chequered past. I see from your site that she arrived in Liverpool from Japan with troops. No doubt she stayed there waiting for our sailing, on May 13th. I have a vivid memory of us waiting to board her, and walking up the gangway. I was 12 years old, the eldest child of Harold and Joyce Robinson. Perhaps the most poignant memories I have are of my mother's distress when realising that for the entire sailing, Dad, along with all the other men, were to sleep separated from their wives. There was the playing of that lovely old song, ‘Now is the Hour’ together with the sound of the streamers breaking as the ship pulled away from the wharf. Things I shall never forget. Lovely to see some photos of the ship and read of her history. Thank you for the site. It's funny but Mum and Dad thought that it would be the best thing for us to go to Oz. We ended up here in NZ and all I have ever wanted to do was to come home! Shalom.' [B&C 104] Webmaster Comment: Thanks Phyll for your memories of 50 years ago. I arrived in Melbourne in Sep 1961 aboard the SS Funing, bound for the Solomon Islands, while serving with 'Voluntary Service Overseas'. We had a few days in port in that wonderful city. While Janine and I passed through Australia twice in 1992 - Silver Wedding jolly - we couldn't fit in Melbourne in a 6 week round-the-world tour. See: www.sandawana.freeserve.co.uk/solomons/return_to_the_lagoon.htm My late mother-in-law was Dilys Taylor, Rhondda Valley, known to our 2 daughters as 'Gu'. My wife Janine is now 'Gu' to our 2 gem grand-daughters. Being English, I'm not accorded 'Dadcu'. Tuch die bob sais? (Phyll’s final greeting reminds the Norfolk Editor of a tale told by Lt Col Miles M Green. when meeting an Aussie in the outback. Miles was wearing his shamargh and was greeted, suitably, the Aussie thought, with: 'Shalom.' Miles pointed out that peace was unlikely to be the greeting an Arab gave to such blasphemy!) Afternote Jun 06: See 1955 Georgic memories by Albert Davies - on the same voyage ! |
| MAJ WEG 'TEDDY' BAGWELL MC
AND THE BOOK BY CAPT JOHN LINCOLN MC 'THANK GOD AND THE
INFANTRY' Jane Busby, daughter of the late Maj ‘Teddy’ Bagwell MC (d Jul 1985) who served with 1 R Norfolk during WW2 and fought at D Day and in the subsequent campaign, wrote after searching, unsuccessfully, for a copy of the book by Capt John Lincoln MC ‘Thank God and the Infantry’. She had found references to her father on this site in Issues 88 Jun 97 and 92 Jun 99 by Ted Riches and Ray Portsmouth. Directed to the Regimental Museum for a copy, Jane replied that Ted Riches still writes to her mother at Christmas. [B&C 104] Afternote from Webmaster: The book ‘Thank God and the Infantry’ is out of print so Jane was advised to search on e-bay( www.ebay.com) for a copy. [B&C 105] |
BILL TAYLOR’S JAPANESE
BUGLE Peter Taylor wrote, further to the
obituary of his father Bill
Taylor in B&C
98 Jun 02: ‘I wonder if you could steer me in
the right direction ?As you are aware, my Dad was a soldier in the Royal Norfolk Regt. He was a PoW in Burma for almost 4 years. On the surrender of the Japanese, those who were able, borrowed some souvenirs from the Japanese stores. My Dad's prize was a Japanese Army Bugle, complete with a ceremonial long red lanyard with tassels. As you can imagine, the Bugle has moved around a lot and has a dent in the ‘Business’ end. Do you know where this may be properly repaired ?’ To the Norfolk Editor, a former bugler, the name ‘Boosey and Hawkes’ sprang to mind but an internet search revealed the ‘National Association of Musical Instrument Repairers’ www.namir.org.uk/memberlist.htm and Peter was given the contact details of his nearest repairers. Grandson Paul sent a photograph of the restored bugle, saying: ‘The bugle looks great and tastes a whole lot better than it did when I used to try and play it as a lad!’. (Thanks. Ed) [B&C 104] |
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| MORE ON SIR JULIAN
RIDSDALE Spotting the 1936 Photograph of ‘ Wells Warriors at ease 1936' in B&C 101 Dec 03, on the B&C site, Richard Ian Martin nitram@tsn.cc, wrote from Oz: ‘I have just established that Julian Erringon Ridsdale is my 1st cousin along with Lord Baldwin - all of us having Thomas Doe Thacker and Ann Thacker (nee Sutton) as a line of our forebears. Their daughter Esther Lucy Thacker married Edward Lucas Jenks Ridsdale and her sister Annie Jane Thacker is my Great Grandmother. In 1880 my Grandfather Richard Thacker Martin ran away to sea and after 6 years sailing round the world settled in Australia. In all the years following up until 1995, with the death of my aunt Annie Jane, nothing much was known and my father said in his day children were seen and not heard. I discovered a portmanteau full of papers and information which aroused my curiosity and led me to write to Lord Baldwin and from this I have discovered our links in England. My father, 95, is Sir Julian's cousin and it appears my discovery is too late as Julian passed away in Jul 2004. I would be grateful if you could advise me if the photo you display is available for me to obtain and how I could go about it. (Richard was sent a copy of the 1936 photograph and has been sent the Obituary in B&C 103 Dec 04 and the references to Julian in this issue.) And see: Doyen's Dilemma 1935 and Maj John Knox Forte on the Late Sir Julian Ridsdale. [B&C 104] |
| JOHN LING AND THE BOOK OF
BERGH APTON B&C 103 Dec 04 mentioned that John Ling, a R Norfolk soldier 1957-60, found the B&C site while researching for the ‘Book of Bergh Apton’ in which he was writing a section that covers the 25 men of the village who fell in the World Wars, most of whom were in the Regt. It has been published, in hardback, 176 (A4) pages, over 80 000 words, with 300+ illustrations and covers the history of the village from pre-settlement times right up to date, with appendices that cover the men from the village who fought and died in the two World Wars. At £19.99 it is available from DAA Halsgrove Ltd, Halsgrove House, Lower Moor Way, Tiverton Business Park, Tiverton EX16 6SS, 01884 243242. [B&C 104] |
| CONTACT Make contact with correspondents via the Norfolk Section Editor or RHQ, Britannia House, TA Centre, 325 Aylsham Rd, Norwich, NR3 2AB. Tel 01603 400290. |
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Editorial Rule However, the rules of good taste, respect and confidentiality are always applied. |
Site edited and maintained by Major John L
Raybould TD |
[B&C 104] |
Editor, Norfolk Section, The Britannia and
Castle
B&C Norfolk
Editor