By: Frank Bowron - 27th July 2004 at 07:55
My father served as a signaller in HMS Forester in Mid-Atlantic Close Escort Group C1 and has some interesting tales to tell. In the early days air support came from Hurricanes on CAM Ships – “one way heroes” the sailors called the pilots. Later the groups included escort carriers which made them vastly more effective. Apart from their own attacks, reconnaisance provided by aircraft from escort carriers helped raised the kill rate of hunter-killer groups to a level that became unacceptable to the Kreigsmarine.
My father developed an interesting skill from his years of 24/7 4on/4off watchkeeping – he will decide to sleep for, say an hour and a half, and drops off within seconds. At exactly the time he set for himself he wakes up again without being called and carries on. Its not just his age, he’s been able to do it for as long as I remember. He says they were permanently knackered and the only thing a sailor would do if given half an hour to himself was to find a quiet place for a nap. Captain Walker wouldn’t ask his men to do anything he wouldn’t do himself, but in the end of course he quite literally worked himself to death. A most remarkable man.
By: allan125 - 26th July 2004 at 22:59
“Johnny” Walker – still going strong
Strangely enough there was a program on Radio 4 yesterday afternoon (Sunday) about a U-Boat commanders watch. An old chap who had been in on the kill of this U-Boat talked on their joy at the sinking so soon after the death of ‘Whisky’ Walker.
This was on 11th August 1944, and the sub was U-385.
http://uboat.net/boats/u385.htm
Maybe his nick name was ‘polite-ned’ up for wartime publication? – Nermal
Hi Nermal – I don’t know about being cleaned up for wartime publication 🙂 – I always took it as a normal nickname in the same manner that someone called White is called “Chalky” – Williams called “Bungie” – Miller called “Dusty” etc. maybe not so much these days 😮 but in the times we write about. 🙂 Also, the whisky company trademark “still going strong” fitted the man and the time. 🙂
If anybody doubts the historical aviation content of this piece read
http://www.mikekemble.com/ww2/walker.html to show how Walker controlled HMS Audacity and it’s Martlets in convoy HG.76. I visited Derby House (Western Approaches HQ) in the early 90’s and found it a fascinating place having read so much about it in the past. cheers – Allan 🙂
By: Nermal - 26th July 2004 at 20:30
Strangely enough there was a program on Radio 4 yesterday afternoon (Sunday) about a U-Boat commanders watch. An old chap who had been in on the kill of this U-Boat talked on their joy at the sinking so soon after the death of ‘Whisky’ Walker.
This was on 11th August 1944, and the sub was U-385.
http://uboat.net/boats/u385.htm
Maybe his nick name was ‘polite-ned’ up for wartime publication? – Nermal
By: allan125 - 26th July 2004 at 16:27
Captain Frederick “Johnny” Walker RN
Think the main chaps name was Capt ‘Whisky’ Walker. He was the reason that the Royal Navy had so much success. – Nermal
Captain Frederick “Johnny” Walker, CB, and 4 times DSO – our greatest U-boat killer.
Second Support Group Operating Instructions (SG2)
Object
“The Object of the Second Escort Group is to destroy U Boats, particularly those which menace our convoys”
This being a significant difference between those and the standard orders of an escort group which was “the safe and timely arrival of the convoy”.
Before his untimely death from natural causes on July 9th 1944, the previously “passed over” officer had reached the rank of Captain, been re-instated in the seniority list and had won the DSO four times. He was to have been made a Knight Commander of the Bath and promoted to Flag rank after August 1944. Walker was given a full ceremonial naval funeral at Liverpool Cathedral attended by a thousand people, then borne through the streets on a gun carriage as the cortege wound its way to the Mersey dockyard. The coffin was taken aboard HMS HESPERUS and he was buried at sea. The first man to defeat a U-boat pack was a sailor of the best Nelsonian traditions, fighting against a different foe but on the same relentless waters.
By: Nermal - 26th July 2004 at 15:58
Think the main chaps name was Capt ‘Whisky’ Walker. He was the reason that the Royal Navy had so much success. – Nermal
By: hunter_killer - 26th July 2004 at 15:35
Thank You
Hello,
Thank You. I will take a look and see how much information there is. This is a new interest to me, therefore I will appear to be stumbling around at first.
Thank You,
HK
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July 24, 2004 at 11:05 pm