Sub Lt James J Glossop RNjoined HMS Walker
as a Sub on 20 May 1943 when
Lt.Cdr. Arthur Nichol Rowell, RN was the CO and took part onArctic Convoys JW.57 and JW.58 and the return convoys described by ABs Albert Foulser and Bill Perks. He was the son of an Australian naval hero of the Great War, Capt John C.T. Glossop RAN (1871-1934), who commanded the light cruiser HMAS Sydney when she sank the Emden, a commerce raider which had created havoc in the Indian Ocean until outgunned by Sydney, set on fire and driven ashore she was forced to surrender in November 1914. The portrait of James Glossop on the right was taken on the centennary of the sinking of the Emden by HMAS Sydney.
James
Glossop told these short anecdotes about events during the Normandy landings to
his friend, Lt Col Gerald McCormack who emailed them to me from
Australia. James Glossop
was promoted to full Lieutenant on 16 May and both men served under Lt. Cdr. Antony Francis Trew, SANF(V) escorting Arctic Convoys JW61 and JW63to the Kola Inlet in North Russia. Lt Cdr J. James Glossop RNwas 97 when he died in Bathurst, New South Wales, on February 2022, click on his name to read about his life. J. W Somers and his brother Les had served together on the cruiser HMS Sheffield
as anti-aircraft gunnery ratings supporting the Operation Torch
landings in North Africa, escorting convoys to North Russia and at the
landings at Salerno in Italy before separating when JW joined HMS Walker at Dumbarton on the Clyde and Les joined HMS Woolston at Rosyth escorting east coast convoys. HMS Walker
did not take part in the landings on D-Day but two days later on 8 June escorted
Military Convoy E2B2Z from Milford Haven in South Wales to reinforce the American forces on Utah and
Omaha Beaches. Leading Seaman J. W. Somers described the part played by Walker in a 64 page unpublished typescript ms in the Imperial War Museum, London.
**************
Work Up to D-Day
HMS Walkerhad
been in dock for refurbishment on the Clyde before being deployed
for the D Day landings in Normandy. A bow mounted single barrel pom pom
was installed which John Somers was to operate. The refurbishment
included a new UHF RDF radio for detecting the location of enemy
transmitters. The outside addition to the ship for this device was a
mast positioned just forward of the aft gun. The mast was held in place
by four stays. The device came with its own boffin to see how it worked.
An anti e-boat
mission was included in the "Work Up". The Captain had the forward gun firing HE
ammunition and the aft gun tasked to fire illumination. On one
engagement the aft turret was traversing and firing when the recoil
enabled the barrel to pass inside one the stays holding the new mast.
In order for the gun to continue firing on the traverse, a quick
thinking gunner took an axe and cut the stay. The Boffin on the ship was
mortified. At the end of the work up a new stay was erected but the
device had to be recalibrated. The boffin was not amused, nor was the
Captain when told that HMS Walker could not move to the Assembly Area
at Milford Haven until the recalibration was completed the next day. Even so the ship made it to Milford Haven just in time to join the 32 ship Convoy E2B2Z to Normandy described by J W Somers.
Pom Pom Gun’s “Fixit Mallet”
HMS Walker
was due to leave the Clyde after anti E-Boat training but their departure
was held up when a signal arrived noting that an important piece of
equipment had just arrived at the dock for the Gunnery Officer on
board. A large packing case was duly
delivered and the ship got under way. The size of the packing case and
the care with which it had been prepared got everyone’s attention. The
more so as more and more wrapping paper and padding were removed.
Eventually the object was uncovered. It was large wooden carpenter’s
mallet.
With it came instructions that it
would come in handy for relieving stoppages on the newly fitted QF 2
Pdr Pom Pom gun. It seems that the most common cause of stoppage was
when the recoil of the barrel was not completed. This was normally
because of the build-up of soot, dust and grit in the recuperator. It
had been found that a swift bang with the mallet cleared away the
problem and allowed the barrel to recoil fully. Convoys from Milford Haven to Normandy
There were 32 ships in Convoy E2B2Z with Walker
in the van, two trawlers on either flank and a Corvette bringing up the
rear. They escorted six Landing Ship Tanks (LST) back to the Isle of
Wight (the first Somers had seen) before returning to the Bristol
Channel and Milford Haven. After a second convoy to the the Normandy
beaches and a convoy back to the Bristol Channel they returned to
Milford Haven to store and bunker. A request for a boiler clean which
would allow time for a week's leave for half the crew was refused. It
took a week for the round trip to Normandy and escorting a return
convoy to the Bristol Channel and after their next return trip they
were given permission to have the boiler cleaned and the "starboard
watch took a week's leave". They went on three more trips to "the
second front" before returning to Dumbarton on the Clyde. At this point
Somers found himself given the unexpected and altogether unfamiliar job
of "Captain’s Batman and Steward.
Navigating too precisely
After the D Day landing HMS Walker
was traversing a lane cleared through a local minefield. The lane was
marked by floating illuminated buoys about every 5-10 miles. As evening
approached so did the mist and it became more difficult to see the
illuminated marker buoys. Finally when after running the correct
distance and no illumination was in sight, the bridge became tense.
Bearings were checked, distance travelled, tidal drift and wind
direction were all rechecked. Still no illuminated buoy was in sight.
The Navigation Officer, The OOW,
The No 1 and the Captain all had their views but just as the ship was
about to be stopped a “clang” was heard from the bow. The Navigation
Officer was vindicated when it became clear that although the buoy had lost its
illumination the ship had actually run into it.
***************
Joseph Glossop left HMS Walker on 23 November 1944 to join the destroyer HMS Penn
with the
10DF at Trincomalee for deployment with the East Indies Fleet
and stayed on in the Navy after the war and retired with the rank of Lt
Cdr in 1969. Although he was born in Dorset, England, and married an
English wife he retired to Bsthurst in New South Wales, Australia, and
died in a retirement home five days before his 98th birthday, on Sunday
14 February 2022. Find out more about his "War at sea". J. W. Somers remained with HMS Walker
on escort work in the Irish Sea (May 1944 - (?) May 1945) until she was
decommissioned and sent to the ship breakers at Barrow on Furness and
was then based ashore in Glasgow until his demobilisation in November
1945.
If
you want to find out more about the wartime service of a member of your
family who served on HMS Walker
you should first obtain a copy of their service record To
find out how follow this link:
http://www.holywellhousepublishing.co.uk/servicerecords.html
If
you have stories or photographs of HMS Walker you would like to
contribute to the web site please contact Bill Forster
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