Hearsay 3 Dan Meets Arthur

Dan needed little persuasion to reminisce and would have been happy spending time talking to the likes of Rundle and Steer. Dan and Gwen loved the Dart and a river cruise was often a part of the family's holiday itinerary. It was August 1953.

“See up there?" A number of passengers looked up towards the Naval College on the hill.

"That," said Harold, "was where our new queen first met Philip. 1939 it was. She were visiting the college and fell in love at first sight.”

He looked enquiringly at the passengers.

"I thought someone was gonna ask if she fell in love with Philip and I were gonna say, No not ‘im. It were the Compton Castle she saw paddling by that she fell in love with.”

"Not Prince Philip then?" enquired a lady in tweeds.

"Yeah, if you like," and Harold went back to his duties shaking his head.

He returned a little later and within minutes somehow wartime memories were being exchanged. Dan was talking of Malta. Gwen, his wife, would listen patiently. She’d heard it all before and over the next 50 years she would hear it many more times.

"I was on the Welshman in the war. A minelayer. One of four. The screw was different from any other. The pitch of the blade gave ‘er a tenth of a knot. Other ships blades go round about 20 times to get the same power. Short at the bows so when on full power she tucks her stern in and the bows come up, like going uphill when you go to the fo’c’s’le.”

The big man sitting nearby didn’t seem to be a part of the conversation, more interested in the river. Until now. He turned to Dan.

“You mean like a speedboat?”

“Yes, like a speedboat. Other ships took days to get from Gibraltar to Malta, we did it in a few hours. Once we took 600 Wrens to Casablanca. Sometimes we carried aeroplane engines not mines. Up to 70 on the mining decks in crates. We kept Malta going. She average 40 knots. We made some metal rigging. It looked like a funnel, false like. Looked like a French destroyer. And to add to confusion the crew wore pom-pom hats with tassels. You kept your guns fore and aft. We ran the gauntlet once with about 40 German planes seeking the Welshman and there she was underneath disguised as a Froggy. Most of our time was mine laying, first port and starboard. Zig-zag. Lay 640 mines. Zig-zagged back, pick up more. Zig-zag to where you dropped the last one and start again. Mines didn't come alive for three to four days. Sea water eats away a bit of rubber insulation, fills up a little chamber which puts the mine into action. Enemy minesweepers could one day report area clear. Next day it comes alive. On one convoy we lost 5 cruisers 2 aircraft carriers and umpteen destroyers. Out of 35 only 5 of us got through to Malta. It rained bombs and bombs. The Ohio got through. I was there when it come in.”

“We’re nearly there dear and you and you haven't looked out once.”

“Nice to go over old times. I,m Dan by the way.”

“'Arold”

“They was great days 'Arold. Nice to meet you too.”

“Aye it were good to ‘ear them stories,” said the big man.

“Maybe see you next year?”

" P’raps, I do like these ‘ere paddle steamers.”

Harold turned to the big man. “Nothing to beat Old Compton,” he replied.

“ Aye she’s a good ‘un.”

“Yes, you’re right there,--er?”

“ Arthur; Arthur Clayton.”

Harold managed one more quick reminiscence, but Dan soon found a gap.

“Once we met some Italian battleships coming towards us. They saw us coming and turned round. They could go. We were fast but they could have beaten us but they turned round and ran away. We was nothing, only got 4.7 guns. They'd got 16 inch but we ‘ad the nerve to face them.

Ohio took up nearly all of Sliema front and it rested on the bottom so couldn't sink any further. That's why we saved the fuel. There were hundreds of children on roofs and you could hear them shouting ‘Welshman’. You could hear them a mile away. Marvellous sight. We was made welcome wherever we went.

We left Malta on Saturday night, four of us, intermediate, in line, for Alex. Ten to eight, smack, Italian sub blew our stern off. We kept her afloat till twenty past eight, like a tin can filling, the water was gaining. She went on her starboard side then turned turtle and went up hill. By then, about twenty to nine I think,I walked along the port side, came up through the gear room, past the medical attention centre, down the port side and I just dived off the keel. No questions asked, or where I was going, I didn't know myself. We were just off Tobruk I think. We got picked up about ten past two, that's five hours straight off. You do the best you can, hanging on to any bits of wood or floating material. And the captain, he was in our company in the circle of about nine of us. And two mates Topsy Turner and Johnny Walker. One shouted to me, ‘Brum, got a knife?’ I hadn't. They’d got a floatable, not undone. They needed a knife to cut the strappings. I was in the gear room when it went; there was nothing you could do. I got picked up by the Beaver.”

“Dan, we’re here.”

“Are we already? It don’t seem to ‘ave been five minutes. Don’t time fly?”

“For some, yes."

” It's been a grand trip. Bye everyone.”

Compton Castle had once again provided whatever it was folk wanted from her.

“It’s a lovely river Gwen. You didn’t say much.”