A HARD FOUGHT SHIP

The story of HMS Venomous

In memory of those who died when
 HMS Hecla sank on Armistice Day 1942
If you have stories to tell about HMS Hecla do please get in touch
Phone: +44 1727-838595

The photograph on the back cover of the new edition of A Hard Fought Ship is of HMS Venomous entering the harbour at Casablanca early in the morning of Friday 13 November with her deck crowded with survivors. The painting of HMS Hecla sinking by Lt Herbert Hastings McWilliams SANF was based on sketches he made aboard Venomous after his rescue on the back of an old chart with a throat brush and iodene from the sick bay. The finished painting is in the Imperial War Museum, London, but is not on public display.

Precise figures for the number of men on HMS Hecla when it was torpedoed off the coast of Morocco on 11 November 1942, are difficult to ascertain. The names of 858 men (including 42 officers) are recorded in the Pay and Victualing Ledgers. The official list of the dead issued by the Admiralty contained the names of 9 men killed and 273 "missing presumed killed". Both lists can be seen on this web site.

Other sources record 799 ratings and 39 officers as being on HMS Hecla, of which 556 were rescued. HMS Marne rescued 64 before a torpedo blew off her stern (see below) but the vast majority, 493, were saved by HMS Venomous despite having her to break off the rescue of survivors to attack the German U-boat. The stories of many of the survivors - and some of those who died - are told on this website and in the new edition of A Hard Fought Ship.



Armistice Day has a special significance for the families of the men who died when HMS Hecla was torpedoed on that long night in 1942. The HMS Hecla, HMS Marne and HMS Venomous Association organised a dinner at Stratford on Avon on Armistice Day 1992, the fiftieth anniversary, and three of the survivors are still alive today,  two in Australia and one near Norwich. They tell their stories on this website.

In the seven years since the previous edition of A Hard Fought Ship was published in April 2010  I was contacted by many more of the men who lived through that long night and they have shared their memories with me and I in turn wish to share them with you on this web site and in the new edition of  A Hard Fought Ship. You can view a list of all the men in Hecla when she was torpedoed and sank on the night of 11 - 12 November 1942. Please get in touch if a member of your family served on HMS Hecla and you have information or photographs for this web site.



The two destroyer depot ships, HMS Hecla and Vindictive, were joined by the destroyer escorts, HMS Venomous and HMS Marne, near the Canaries on the 8 November and detached for Gibraltar to support the ships taking the troops to the invasion of north Africa, Operation Torch. On the night of 11-12 November Hecla was torpedoed five times by U-515 commanded by German U-boat ace, Werner Henke. HMS Marne has its stern blown off while rescuing survivors and HMS Venomous broke off its rescue efforts to pursue the U-boat. Venomous made it it Casablanca, the following morning soon it fell to US trooops on her last few gallons of fuel, her decks crowded with survivors of the Hecla. They were well cared for by the USN and left on the 14 November for Gibraltar, burying the dead from Hecla at sea enroute.

For a detailed descroption of events on the night of the 11 November 1942 when U-515 penetrated the destroyer escort screen and topedoed HMS Hecla five times you should read the new edition of A Hard Fought Ship: the story of HMS Venomous which was published on 9 May 2017.


The names of all the officers and men on HMS Venomous during that long night off the coast of Morocco are known and can be seen on this website in some cases with links to further details of their memories of what happened. A Hard Fought Ship describes how HMS Venomous attacked the U-boat and rescued 500 survivors. It contains photographs taken aboard Venomous at the time and the vivid paintings of Hecla sinking by the South African war artist, Lt Herbert H. McWilliams SAN, one of the men rescued.

The View from the Bridge

The officers commanding HMS Hecla, HMS Marne and HMS Venomous and, presumably, HMS Vindictive, the other destroyer depot ship being escorted to the invasion beaches in north Africa were required to write Reports of Proceedings giving their account of the loss of Hecla. With the exception of the report by Captain Ackland, the CO of HMS Vindictive, these have all been located and with the Report of the ASW Division and Admiral Cunningham's report on the disaster (sometimes casually dismissed as "the Hecla incident") formed the basis for the analysis by Captain John Rodgaard USN in A Hard Fought Ship.

I have recently been contacted by the son of the Navigation Officer on HMS Hecla, Lt Cdr H.C.R. Alexander RN, and sent a typescript of his father's memoir of his time on HMS Hecla which describes her loss and is outspoken in its criticism of the decisions made by Captain H.G.D. Ackland RN, the senior officer of the convoy. This is not an official report and may have been written in retirement though it ends with his own short three point "submission to the Admiralty". It is the only such document by an officer on Hecla known to exist and is a far more vivid account than the somewhat formalistic RoP of the Commanding Officers of the ships in Convoy but should be read alongside them if one is to have a balanced view of the events of that long night off the north African coast. This page also includes the names of the 42 officers serving on HMS Hecla with links to information about theire lives and service careers.



 Lt A. d'E.T. Sangster RN, the Gunnery and Correspondence Officer, who wrote a fifty page memoir of his wartime service in the Royal Navy in 1981. He joined Venomous in March 1942 during its refit after its collision with HMS Keppel and his memoir includes a description of convoy PQ.15 to Murmansk in Northern Russia, the sinking of HMS Eagle while flying off hurricanes to relieve the besieged island of Malta and the events of the night of the 11 - 12 November 1942 when Hecla sank. He was on watch when HMS Venomous left its position on the starboard side of the convoy to pursue an Asdic contact and rejoined to find Hecla dead in the water and Marne standing by to rescue survivors.


The performance of Cdr Falcon-Steward and his officers and crew in fighting the U-boat while rescuing survivors was praised by Admiral Cunningham in his report but the initial conclusion of the U-Boat Assessment Committee that the U-Boat had been sunk was subsequently rejected in its report of the 2 March 1943 (National Archives ADM 199/184) based on two precis of Cdr Falcon Stewards report. Every member of the crew played their part in the rescue of survivors, some risking their own lives by diving in to help the men in the oil covered water. The Anti Submarine Bosun, Warrant Officer H.J.B. Button RN died later as a result of his exertions.

Frederick N.G. Thomas, the RDF Operator on HMS Venomous when Hecla sank, had a grandstand view of the action from "the RDF compartment on the highest point of the ship" and wrote a vivid account of the torpedoing of Hecla, the pursuit of the attacking U-boat and the rescue of the survivors during that very long night:


"Freddo" Thomas died on the 9 May 2012 aged 92 but his description of events during that long night can be read in full on this web site.

In April 1943 the new commanding officer of HMS Venomous, Lt Henry D. Durell RN, was notified of awards made to officers and men on Venomous for their conduct during that long night. The note he posted on the ship's notice board was later kept as a souvenir by Cyril Hely and presented to Bob Moore when this book was first published. It was thought to have been lost but has recently been found amongst Bob's papers which are to be presented to the Royal Navy Museum, Portsmouth, for safe keeping.

CPO Robert D.L. Foxe (D/J.92864) "was at the wheel throughout" and Acting Leading Seaman Harold Stafford (D/SSX.14930) was the Asdic operator. Both received the DSM. Venomous  would never had made it to Casablanca were it not for the imagination and determination of the Warrant Engineer, Mr Horace Rance Pead RN, who along with the CO, the Yeoman of Signals Albert Lofthouse (D/JX.135027) and the Anti-Submarine Boatswain were MID. The bravery of the Boatswain (A/S), Warrant Officer H.J.B. Button DSM RN, and the tragic manner in which his life ended is described below. All the men on Venomous helped haul the oil covered survivors clinging exhausted to the scrambling nets aboard the destroyer as recalled by Jack Bolton and David Hoggins. And some risked their own lives by diving in to pull men to safety.

Warrant Officer H.J.B. Button DSM RN

The unsung hero of that long night was Herbert "Jimmie" Button, the Anti Submarine Boatswain on HMS Venomous, and a strong swimmer. He gave his own life to save the lives of others, diving in repeatedly to rescue the men struggling for their lives in the oil covered water, only to die a few days later from his exertions. The HMS Hecla, HMS Marne and HMS Venomous Association were unsuccessful in their efforts to to trace his family and invite them to their fiftieth anniversary dinner on the 11 November 1992 but his memory was foremost in the minds of many of those present. We now know that his father probably died in the trenches before his son was born. He was adopted, joined the Royal Navy as an Ordinary Seaman, was awarded the DSM and promoted to officer. He was photographed at the burial at sea of the men who died after being rescued and was a very popular officer. His story was discovered quite recently and is told here - click on the link above.




HMS Marne was a modern M-Class destroyer commissioned in December 1941 which with Venomous was escorting HMS Hecla to the invasion beaches at Algeria when Hecla was torpedoed by U-515. The CO of HMS Marne was Lt Cdr H.N.A. Richardson RN and his Report of Proceedings (National Archives, ADM 1/14272) is one of the critcal pieces of evidence used to piece together the story of what happened while Venomous was away from the convoy following an RFD contact. We also have the vivid description from the Diary of William Dodds, the Telegraphist on HMS Marne, sent to me by his son, Colin Dodds.

 Fifty four ratings and ten officers were rescued by HMS Marne before she was hit in the stern by a torpedo intended for Hecla (see the sketch at the top of this page) killing fourteen of the crew.  Stan Juson was one of those rescued. A crew member of Marne was asked by Norman Johns at a Hecla reunion where he was when the torpedo struck Marne in the stern and answered, "I was midships getting your CO and other officers aboard".

Michael Flanders and John Anderson were CW Candidates completing six months service as ratings on Marne before being sent for officer training. They had written a light hearted skit poking fun at their officers which was abandoned when Hecla was torpedoed. They were ordered into the ship's whaler to rescue the men in the water and when Marne's stern was blown off they agreed to tell each other's mother should one of them be killed. Herbert McWilliams was one of those pulled aboard the overcrowded whaler. It capsized as it came alongside Venomous and many of those rescued died despite the bravery of "Jimmie" Button, the Anti-submarine Bosun on Venomous. The following day Marne was towed to Gibraltar by HMS Salvonia escorted by HMS Jonquil. After commissioning Lt Michael H. Flanders RNVR served on ML 236 with Coastal Forces and his friend, Lt John Anderson RNVR, served on the Flower Class corvette, HMS Saxiflage. Michael Flanders (1922-75) was invalided out after contracting poliomyelitis and went on to achieve fame for his comedy duo with Donald Swann in "Flanders and Swann". Michael Flanders appeared on "This is your Life" in 1972.

Above left: Lt Herbert H McWilliams SANF drew this sketch of HMS Marne being hit in the stern
by a torpedo intended for Hecla on the back of a signal form after being rescued by HMS Venomous

HMS Venomous arriving at Casablanca with her decks crowded with survivors from HMS Hecla This image appears on the back cover of the hardback edition of A Hard Fought Ship which was published on 9 May 2017 Click on the image twice to view fullsize and zoom in Ref NARA-080_G-30679

HMS Venomous heading for Gibraltar after leaving Casablanca on 15 November Click on the image twice to view fullsize and zoom in View looking astern Photographed by Mervyn Mansell

The 858 names on the crew list provide an index with live links to their stories but some of the more interesting are highlighted below.  I am still being contacted by survivors in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK as well as by the families of many of those who died on Armistice Day 1942 and their stories are told here by members of their families. If your family has a story to tell about one of the men who served om HMS Hecla do get in touch by emailing me and, if I have your consent, I shall publish it on this website.

            
            "Harry" Alexander, the Navigating Officer on Hecla, was on the Bridge when the critical decisions were taken

            Greg Clark the last surviving officer on HMS Hecla and first Curator of the RN Museum died aged 95 in August 2012.

Leading Stoker A.R. Cripwell - "Sunk five times but 'Jonah' still smiles"

Harry Cornish and Sam Kingslan, "joined the Navy on the same day and stayed together until the Hecla was torpedoed". Sam, a strong swimmer drowned but Harry was saved by HMS Marne.

Charlie Brierley, a stoker on Hecla, was pulled aboard Venomous by "Jimmie" Button

Stan Juson was one of sixty four survivors including Captain G.V.B. Faulkner RN rescued by HMS Marne

Norman Johns - the last survivor to be rescued formed the HMS Hecla, HMS Marne and HMS Venomous Association in 1990 and was 92 when he died in January 2016.

The stories of the Sick Berth Attendants (SBA) are told first hand or by their families.

Les Proctor - his first ship and nearly his last

Harry Cliffe told the story of his "Navy Days" the year before his death in 2003

Bill Clayton lived to  "walk with ghosts on HMS Tyne", an identical sister ship to Hecla.

An AB called 'Charley' helped save the life of Les Mortimer but lost his own

Fred Lemberg - one of twelve ratings from New Zealand on HMS Hecla

You can read more survivors stories on this page and get in touch to tell the story of a member of your family who served in Hecla and survived.

The widows and orphaned children of the 273 men who died that night had to come to terms with the loss of husbands and fathers. The impact of their loss continues to be felt up to the present day. David Norman Holmes Golby has written an account of the life and death of the father he never knew, Norman Holmes, Electrical Mechanic 5th Class, on HMS Hecla. Herbert McWilliams describes seeing his friend Lt Guy Henry Garrett-Cox RNVR for the last time when he entered the the water after the third torpedo struck. Kenneth Brown was thirteen when his father, CPO Norman Brown, died and got to know him better after his death by talking to his shipmates on Hecla. Jabez Skelhorne never returned home to receive his seven year old daughter's Christmas present and each year it is hung  on the family tree at Christmas and the story retold to his great grandson, Jabez. Christine Donovan Smith found out about her father, Don Preece, a talented and popular cartoonist, by reading the letters he wrote to his wife after she died. Their stories are perhaps even more poignant than those of the men who survived when Hecla was torpedoed seventy two years ago.

Lt Herbert Hastings McWilliams SANF

This recently commissioned 35 year old officer in the South African Navy, an architect in his father's practice in Port Elizabeth before the war, had enlisted as an ordinary seaman in HMS Shropshire 1941 and joined HMS Hecla at Simonstown after commissioning in the SANF on the 4 September 1942.

He was an exceptionally gifted artist and his wonderfully realistic paintings of Hecla sinking on the back of old charts (based on sketches done with a throat brush and a mixture of iodine and rum  from the sick bay of Venomous) and extracts from his description of that night taken from a letter to his Mother written within days of its loss are included in A Hard Fought Ship. These paintings are in the Imperial War Museum, London.

Anniversaries of the sinking of HMS Hecla

The men who were there when HMS Hecla was torpedoed and sank off the north African coast on the 11 - 12 November 1942 formed the "HMS Hecla, HMS Marne and HMS Venomous Association" which organised a reunion at Stratford on Avon on the fiftieth anniversary of its loss in 1992. There were too few men alive in 2017 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the loss of HMS Hecla but their stories told by their families on this website and in Chapter 13, The Longest Day, of A Hard Fought Ship: the Story of HMS Venomous.

Some members told their own stories and Norman Johns, the Secretary of the Association, put me in touch with others who recalled their memories of that long night. The lengthy chapter in A Hard Fought Ship weaves together their stories with the facts given in the reports of proceedings written by the commanding officers and the memories of the officers and men of HMS Venomous.

Finally, take a look at the Hecla Scrapbook - can you throw some light on the items posted here?

A list of the 858 men recorded in the Pay and Victualing Ledgers as being on HMS Hecla on the night it sank with links to further details
The official Admiralty  List of those who died when HMS Hecla sank  can also be downloaded as a PDF
It contains the full name, rank, rate and service number of all those who died and those "missing presumed killed"

Find out how to obtain the service record for a family member who served on HMS Hecla 

"The ship’s role in the events surrounding the loss of the depot ship Hecla and crippling of the destroyer Marne at the hands of Germany’s U-515 ... is especially well documented.
Rigorous design and production values means that images are reproduced clearly to a high standard,  and the overall book has a quality feel."
"Naval Books of the Year, 2012" - Warship.

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