WORLD WAR II BRAVERY AWARDS – ROYAL MARINE MUSICIANS AND BUGLERS

by Marcher

2005 marks the 60th Anniversaries of Victory in Europe and Victory in Japan and therefore, the end of World War Two. The Royal Marines Band Service will play an important part in the events that mark these anniversaries and will undoubtedly come into contact with many who were there. Men who took part, men who lost friends and men who lived through times and situations that we are only able to read about and try to imagine. Men proudly wearing their cap badges and their medals; medals for campaigns and medals for bravery, often including the little bronze oak leaf nestling on the red, white and blue ribbon of the 1939-1945 War Medal. The oak leaf is the symbol that indicates a special mention from a superior for an exceptional act, usually of gallantry or distinguished service in operations against the enemy; an act worthy of being singled out and ‘Mentioned In Despatches’. Buglers and men of the Royal Marine Bands served in areas of danger, were under threat and had to remain steadfast in poor, often dangerous, conditions during the Second World War. Twenty-nine men from Royal Marine Bands and three Buglers were Mentioned in Despatches whilst a further nine were awarded the Distinguished Service Medal and one was awarded the British Empire Medal for bravery. The DSM was awarded to Petty Officers and ratings of the Royal Navy and NCOs and other ranks in the Royal Marines for acts of bravery in the face of the enemy. This was later extended to cover the Merchant Navy and Army, WRNS and RAF personnel serving aboard ships in the Second World War, making it essentially an award for gallantry at sea.

Unlike many gallantry awards being Mentioned in Despatches is not usually accompanied by a citation describing the action that earned the award. Most recipients found themselves simply listed amongst others receiving the award. The citation that accompanied the award of the DSM was sometimes specifically written for the individual but, most usually, was one selected from a range of general descriptions. For these reasons it is very difficult to now give a detailed account of the deeds of the individual. However, it is possible to describe the background to some of the awards. The first three awards of the bronze oak leaf were earned as a result of involvement in the battle of the River Plate in 1939. Bandmaster Bagley’s band was on board the heavy cruiser HMS Exeter whilst BdCpl MacDonald was in the band of HMS Ajax. The two cruisers, with HMNZS Achilles and HMS Cumberland were part of the British Force G searching for the German pocket battleship the Admiral Graf Spee that was wreaking havoc in the shipping lanes of the South Atlantic and the Indian Ocean. The German ship was located off the River Plate estuary and a battle ensued. HMS Exeter, with 61 dead and 23 wounded, continued to fight despite only having one turret working and being on emergency steering whilst the Ajax, with 7 dead and 5 wounded, was seriously damaged and the Achilles, with 4 dead, was slightly damaged. Despite the great difference in range and firepower the three cruisers forced the German ship to enter the port of Montevideo with serious damage. Three days later, rather than face the British forces gathering in the South Atlantic, the Admiral Graf Spee was scuttled in the River Plate estuary. Musician Nicholls in HMS Ajax later wrote “We in the band were closed up at action stations in the 4” and 6” Transmitting Stations. Although we could see nothing of the action, our Captain Royal Marines in the 4” Director gave us a running commentary on the action through the phones with such remarks as, ‘another one on the way’. Between his remarks, shells could be heard bursting and falling all around the ship. We also received reports from the 6” TS of casualties and damage.” BdCpl MacDonald and Bandmaster Bagley were both Mentioned in Despatches. Also in the band of HMS Ajax was Edward Barnes who would be “mentioned” when Bandmaster on board HMS Renown in 1943.

HMS Belfast in the Arctic during February 1943. This shows the frozen sea-water that accumulated and had to be manually chipped off to prevent the additional weight affecting the buoyancy of the ship.

A few months later, convoys, known as Arctic Convoys, were assembled to supply Russia. Convoy QP11 left Kola to return to England with the cruiser HMS Edinburgh leading, using her speed to stay out of trouble. She was attacked by two submarines and was struck by two torpedoes. One entered the boiler room causing extensive flooding and the other hit aft blowing off the stern, destroying the rudder and two of her four propeller shafts and folding the quarterdeck back over Y turret like a sardine can. Four German destroyers then attacked Edinburgh and her escorts although Edinburgh managed to inflict heavy damage upon one of them. With steering almost impossible Edinburgh limped towards Murmansk but was struck by another torpedo forcing the crew to abandon her before she was sunk. Despite their position in the Transmitting Station, the entire band managed to escape and Bandmaster H A M Smith was Mentioned in Despatches. In September 1942 Convoy PQ18 left Britain. The light cruiser HMS Scylla was one of the escorts. The Germans lost three submarines and forty-one aircraft during the passage of this convoy whilst the Allies lost eleven merchant ships. Despite the huge number of aircraft and submarines that the Germans sent against the convoy, 36 ships got through to Russia and the Germans admitted that this was due to the steadfastness and discipline of the convoy. BdCpl Hollier of the Scylla was Mentioned-in-Despatches. Convoy PQ17 was massacred as it made its way to Russia. The Admiralty, believing that the German surface raiders Tirpitz and Hipper were about to attack the convoy, ordered it to scatter. Having done this the individual ships became easy prey for the submarines and aircraft. Two-thirds of the convoy was lost. The bandmaster of HMS Cumberland was Mentioned in Despatches. He was Bandmaster T Sweatman. During this campaign Bandmaster (later Captain) E Ough was Mentioned in Despatches for distinguished service on HMS Anson in the Arctic Sea. The war in the Mediterranean, particularly the need to supply the island of Malta and thereby allow its small fighting force to continue to be a deterrent to Axis aims in the Mediterranean, produced a series of awards during 1941 and 1942.

Acting BdCpl E Laughton had been drafted to HMS Barham in 1938 and was still serving on her in 1941 when the ship was involved in the Battle of Cape Matapan where British forces destroyed three Italian cruisers and two destroyers whilst also damaging a battleship. Laughton was Mentioned in Despatches. However, by mid-1941 the Germans and Italians had complete control of the Mediterranean except Malta in the centre, Gibraltar in the west and Alexandria in the east. Apart from a few submarines there was little Royal Navy presence. Force K, consisting of the light cruisers Aurora and Penelope and the destroyers Lance and Lively, was sent to Malta arriving there on the 21st October 1941. Their purpose was to attack and to disrupt Axis shipping movements. A report from a Maryland reconnaissance aircraft was used to find a convoy that was close to Taranto and, in a brilliant night attack, Force K destroyed or drove off the escorts and then sank the entire convoy of five merchant vessels and two tankers. Musician Willcock on board the Aurora was awarded the DSM “for gallantry, skill and resolution in a brilliant night action…”. A badly needed convoy of four ships, including HMS Breconshire, sailed from Alexandria escorted by Admiral Vian’s covering force. Penelope and the destroyer Legion sailed from Malta and met the escorting force at a point where they were under threat from a much larger Italian force. The British forces succeeded in covering the convoy and distracting the Italian fleet and all four ships, accompanied by Penelope and Legion, continued towards Malta. During desperate air attacks the Luftwaffe sank one merchantman twenty miles from Malta and the Breconshire and two other ships shortly after their arrival in harbour. Penelope was holed by a near miss and sustained further damage whilst in dry dock.

HMS Penelope at Malta following repairs to damage sustained from a mine and from air attacks. Note the temporary patches and wooden wedges driven into holes in the hull and the superstructure. This damage earned her the nickname HMS ‘Pepperpot’

The Bandmaster of HMS Penelope from 1941 to 1944 was S C Cooper. Whilst the Penelope, now known as the ‘Pepperpot’ because of the number of holes in her hull and superstructure, was undergoing repairs in Malta, Bandmaster Cooper did much to promote the morale of the ship’s company. He was Mentioned in Despatches and BdCpl F V White was awarded the DSM for ‘bravery, endurance and sustained devotion to duty in HM Ships and at Malta during and after the passage of an important convoy’. The cruiser HMS Dido was part of Admiral Vian’s 15th Cruiser Squadron that took part in the 2nd Battle of Sirte. WP Wells was the ship’s Bandmaster and Musician Brunton was in his band. Both were Mentioned in Despatches for their part in this action. The Bandmaster on Admiral Vian’s flagship HMS Cleopatra, C G McLean, was awarded the DSM at this time. In June 1942 it was decided to try to re-supply Malta by running two convoys from east and west simultaneously. HMS Argus, commissioned in 1918 as the first flush-deck carrier, and HMS Eagle were the carriers that escorted the convoy as far as ‘The Narrows’ between Sicily and Tunis at which point they, and the rest of the main escort, detached and returned to Gibraltar. The convoy and escort had already suffered heavy air and submarine attacks. Bandmaster H J Camfield of HMS Argus was Mentioned in Despatches.

The most important Malta convoy of all was Operation ‘Pedestal’.It was essential, for Malta’s survival, that an oil tanker reached the Island and a massive effort was made to put together a convoy, with a very strong escort, which could make this possible. As soon as the Pedestal convoy left Gibraltar it came under ferocious attack from the air and from beneath the waves, the first objective being to knock out the air cover provided by the carriers HMS Eagle, which was sunk, and HMS Indomitable,which was badly damaged. The tanker Ohio reached Malta but only as a result of being supported by two destroyers. HMS Nelson was part of the convoy’s heavy escort and BdCpl Seymour was awarded the DSM. As a result of this and other convoys, the Island and the Allied forces in the Mediterranean were able to gradually move from the defensive to the offensive. Enemy convoys were harassed as a support to Allied operations in North Africa and, in one such action, four British and one Australian ship (Force Q) sank an Italian destroyer, damaged two more and sank an escorted convoy of ships north of Cape Bon. Amongst the British ships was HMS Sirius and one of the ship’s musicians, ‘Sammy’ Birchon, was Mentioned in Despatches for the part that he played. It was during 1942 that Bugler V L Strange, Portsmouth Division, was Mentioned in Despatches for his duties on Malta. With Malta secure it was logical to use it as a stepping-off place for the invasion of Southern Europe. Operation Huskey was the codename for the invasion of Sicily, which was followed by the invasion of Italy.

The bow of HMS Liverpool after being hit by an Italian aerial torpedo during a convoy to Malta. Warhead explosion ignited the paint-store, which then caused 5,000 gallons of aviation spirit to explode killing forty men. Flooding ‘A’ magazine prevented a further explosion.

During 1943 HMS Rodney was involved in both operations and it was during this time that the ship’s Bandmaster A T Russell was Mentioned in Despatches. Similarly, the cruiser HMS Mauritius took part in supporting the invasion of Sicily and, on the day of invasion - 10th July 1943,was part of Support Force East. On the 12th, they bombarded Augusta and then, on the 18th shelled enemy gun positions at Catania. ‘For gallant and distinguished services and untiring devotion to duty in operations which led to the capture of Sicily by allied forces’ Bandmaster J A Dixon of the Mauritius was awarded the DSM. With Sicily secured the Italian mainland was the next target. The direct approach from Sicily was used as was the flanking attack at Salerno and a smaller operation to land 1st British Airborne Division at Taranto to seize and hold the heel of Italy. The cruisers HMS Dido and HMS Aurora with Sirius and Penelope were used to land the airborne troops and then they sailed to join HMS Orion and HMS Mauritius and other ships that, as part of the Northern Attack Force, supported the Salerno landings. Each of these four ships had a member of their band Mentioned in Despatches. They were BdCpl Bushell (Orion), BdCpl Cook (Mauritius), Musn. Clay (Aurora) and Musician Brunton of HMS Dido earning this award for the second time. Musn Clay was invalided from the Service shortly afterwards. Meanwhile, during December 1943 another epic sea chase involving a German capital ship was taking place. The Scharnhorst left her anchorage to attack two convoys making their way to and from Russia. She, with her escorts, threatened both convoys, but the two escort groups succeeded in protecting the convoys and scoring hits on Scharnhorst with gunfire and with four torpedo strikes that brought her to a halt. She was then pounded by gunfire and struck by a further ten torpedoes before sinking. Bandmaster Colls of HMS Belfast and Bandmaster Burley of HMS Jamaica were both awarded the DSM for ‘gallantry, distinguished service and devotion to duty’. Musician Cameron, also of HMS Jamaica, was Mentioned in Despatches.

On the 29th January 1944 HMS Spartan was one of a number of ships supporting the Anzio landings when a German glider bomb struck her. For bravery and devotion to duty during rescue work and for tending wounded survivors, Bandmaster Bailey was awarded the British Empire Medal.

The lessons learned during the amphibious assaults in the Mediterranean were put to good use when the Allies landed in France. Whilst no members of the Band Service took part in the landings themselves, they were on board ships bombarding the defences. Bandmaster Gardner was ‘mentioned’ for his work on HMS Argonaut during the support shelling of ‘Juno’ beach. They were also on ships attacking enemy convoys off the coast of France. BdCpl Talbot was Mentioned in Despatches for his work on board HMS Bellona. On the 6th August Bellona and four destroyers spotted a convoy consisting of two small coasters, a cable-layer and an aircraft repair ship with five escort vessels. All were sunk or seriously damaged. Later HMS Kent and HMS Bellona with four destroyers encountered a German convoy and sank two of the four merchantmen and five of the six escorts. During July 1944 the British ships had to also cover the American sectors of the Normandy beaches since American battleships had moved south to support the landings in Southern France. This took place on the 15th August and amongst the fire-support ships was the cruiser HMS Aurora. Musician L G Palmer was Mentioned in Despatches for his work on this ship. Boy Bugler M E Fryer was also Mentioned in Despatches for his work in this theatre although, sadly, neither his ship nor his actions have been identified.

A rare photograph of a Transmitting Station. Two RN Petty Officers and a Junior Gunnery Rating, with six members of the Royal Marine Band, at a Fire Control Table in HMS Victorious in 1942. During 1942 this ship was operational on both Arctic and Malta convoys.

Throughout the war musicians of the Royal Marine Bands, and Buglers, were at sea and as can be seen from the list of awards, many others received either the DSM or were Mentioned in Despatches. There was also a ‘mention’ for Bandmaster Gwatkin of the band of HMS Duke, a shore base for New Entry Stokers at Malvern that, until just before this incident, had been the Royal Naval School of Music.

As the events of July 2005 unfold, members of the current Royal Marines Band Service can look upon the men wearing the little oak leaf, other gallantry awards and also campaign medals with a shared pride. The forebears of the current Royal Marines Band Service undoubtedly received, and deserved, due recognition for their bravery and their service in contributing to Victory in Europe, Victory in Japan as well as ‘By Sea and By Land’.