Able Seaman Torpedoman Fred Bottrell C/JX 544353
Born in humble circumstances on 5th November 1925 in the industrial City of Leicester. Times were hard in the thirties; in hindsight we did not realise how poor we were. At age 14 employment was found as a junior clerk in a wholesale grocery business in the City. My ambition was to be an electrician, so I was a square peg in a round hole. I had abounding energy to perform a large variety of tasks while learning. I was able to cope with whatever I was required to do; office work was a breeze. So much was I bored, I was reprimanded on several occasions for being absent from my desk. I used to find an excuse to go to the warehouse to talk to the real workers. In reality I should have been sacked but the boss was on a good thing I was doing a man's work for boys wages.
Wartime Britain required me to register for National Service at 17 years of age. To avoid being called up for the Army, or even worse, a Bevan Boy down the coal mines. I volunteered for the RN and was called up the day I turned 17 and a half. This to me was an escape from my dreaded office routine. Training at HMS Ganges was challenging, I had a thirst for everything nautical. I loved the learning process and went on to complete a Torpedo Course at Chatham Barracks. Any dreams I had of a draft to a Lend Lease ship in USA were shattered when a call to the Regulating Office informed me that I was in a draft of sixty ratings to HMS Dolphin for submarine training. So much for all Submariners being volunteers, times were desperate. The RN had lost many boats by 1943 along with the gallant crew members.
New Boats were being built while we were given rudimentary training to man them. I went through the tank on my 18th birthday at Blockhouse. I recall HMS Dolphin had a huge barrage balloon anchored on the Parade ground. Dolphin and surrounding dockyards presented a potential target for the Luftwaffe. Consequently, we were drafted to HMS Elfin at Blyth to complete the classroom studies. It was practice to study into the Dog watches. The popular beer canteen was the only UK shore base that sold duty free beer.
Churchill had a soft spot for Submariners, I am led to believe that it was on his authority that we enjoyed cheap beer. I graduated in December 1943 just in time to be granted Xmas leave. My pay doubled from 3 bob a day to 6 bob a day plus 3 pence a day for Torpedo rating. After making an allotment to my Mother I still had more cash in hand plus board and keep than my meagre wage as an Office Clerk. The New Year found me Spare Crew in HMS Cyclops, a coal burner. There are few Submariners today that can boast that they have coaled ship, it was "All hands Coal Ship" and no excuses.
I joined my first Boat, the H43, in Londonderry early January 1944. I was a mere Sprog with lots to learn. The WW1 H Boats were passed their use by date, however they made good training boats. Many technical faults kept everyone on their toes and the Tiffies overworked. No Hydraulics, the Fore Planes were opened with a chain block! Main vents were opened by a handwheel. Steering was rod-gearing, 20 revolutions of a large brass wheel for 5 degrees of rudder. I served my drinking apprenticeship in Scotland trying to keep up with the Old Salts only to find myself being put to bed in the Church of Scotland shakedown in Rothesay. After a spell in Spare Crew in Cyclops. I was able to get myself and all my gear clean. My next draft was a pierhead jump to Uproar, she was at Harbour stations when I scrambled aboard. Uproar was just out of refit at Barrow with some of her original crew who served with her in the Med. The famous Gus Brittan was the Signalman. Uproar was fitted with a dummy snorkel to resemble a German U boat. Our deployment was to operate with Coastal command Liberators. Their task was to locate us with the very latest Radar. We had some very exciting times including some friendly fire. I had a short stint as Acting L TO this was the best job in the boat in my opinion.
I was back in Dolphin at the end of 1944 awaiting an overseas draft. The magic number, 60 spare crew, took passage on the Aircraft Carrier Arbiter. I found myself watchkeeping on the Fire Alarm panel five decks down as we headed out into the Atlantic. We joined HMS Adamant at Colombo as spare crew and sailed for Fremantle. I had the luxury of serving in the T Boats Tiptoe and Turpin. Tiptoe under Lt CDR Jay had the doubtful honour of executing the last torpedo attack of WW2 on Aug 3rd 1945. We missed out on the Victory celebrations in Freo but made up with a Cabaret celebration in Perth. Later I was in Turpin based in Hong Kong. I was part of a Naval contingent sent ashore to guard Jap POWs in Kowloon. This was a good experience with no problems with the Japs. Every night they were returned to the cage while we had free gangway to seek out the local night spots.
A memorable incident occurred in Turpin whilst alongside the Depot ship. Sandy Powell (the Gun layer) was doing his routines on the 4-inch gun one morning when there was an almighty bang. When he elevated the gun, the barrel slipped overboard denting the ballast tank. This I believe was caused by Tiffies working on the gun the previous day. We all thought this to be a great joke while the Depot Ship's divers had to recover the gun barrel. Turpin carried out Anti-Piracy patrols, the Chinese pirates were playing havoc with the influx of supplies into Hong Kong and district. On New Years Eve 1945, as the youngest member of the crew I had the honour of ringing in the New Year on the ships bell.
Turpin alongside
On return to Sydney, we berthed alongside HMAS Adelaide. By this time demobilization numbers were being juggled I was drafted to HMS Voracious to return to UK. Voracious was clapped out and along with two other V boats they paid off in Cochin India. The three crews completed the journey in the Depot Ship HMS Woolwich.
On return to Blockhouse, I was demobbed and returned to civvy street. 1946 was a lovely summer, my fiancée Iris had waited for me so we had a lot of courting to catch up on. We married in December 1946. I became very unsettled after the war with severe food rationing and unable to get the job I wanted. Winter 1947 was the turning point with snow on the ground for three months. I did not see a future for me in UK, we decided to immigrate and arrived in Australia May 1949.
Times were tough, we had a cabin trunk of clothes and fifty pounds in the bank on arrival. I was very fortunate in being accepted for a rehabilitation course to become a Telephone Technician. I burned the midnight oil studying and in four years I was qualified. I loved my work and studied for further advancement. I retired as a Senior Technical Officer.
I have always considered that my time as a Submariner stood me in good stead in my chosen career. There is never a day that I don't think back to my experience in Boats. An experience that money could not buy you had to be there.
Fred Bottrell
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