R.N. ( 1941-46) to R.U.C. ( 1946-76).

[james Stewart]

The medal group shown in the selection of jpegs belonged to my father "Bob" or "Sailor Bob" as he was known within R.U.C. circles.

My father wanted to join the Merchant Navy but his father would not hear of it with the outbreak of war my father forged his age to join the Royal Navy , joining up when he was just over 17 years of age.

Most of his wartime servcie was spent on small craft , nothing larger than a destroyer , in the main he was with Coastal Forces on Gun Boats and M.T.B's.

My father did some of the early PQ runs to Russia and told me that on reaching Russian porst they found themselves confined to ship , a few yards along the jetty was closed with a high barbed wire gate which was kept locked and an armed guard controlled who came and went.

To all purposes they had no contact with anyone save the Political officers who handed over some boxes of rotting vegtables as a "gift" , they then letured them on how little the British were doing.

This did not endear the Russian political system to the average British sailor who had seen good ships sunk and good men lost all the way to Russia.

My father was on one of the gunboats send out to "sink" the Brest Squadron when they forced the Channel in Feb. 1942 - Bob's recollection of "Fuller" was meeting all the "German Navy" and most of the "German Air Force" .

He was also on one of the gunboats which took the Commandos of the beach at Bruneval.

The most fearful moments for him , " riding the waves of ( "The") Texel , blacked out listening and watching for returning E-Boats , if action was joined it was a running battle fought at close quarters , short , violent and one in which they were in a boat which was less well armed ( lacking armour) and loaded with high octane fuel.

The war saw him in the Med. for a short time off the landing beaches in Italy in 1943, he left there with a healthy respect for the Luftwaffe.

1944 saw D-Day and he was off Sword Beach , he spent the remainder of the war in home waters.

He told me on being in on the sinking of a U-boat "off the Isle of Man" in 1945. ( ? 44)

Bob recalled that his skipper was a reserve officer and when they regained contact he was ordered to signal to the group commander that they were " In Contact" and were "attacking".

It still brought a smile to his face when he told me of the reply which was flashed to them " Piss of and get the F**k out of my way" , the senior officer was not going to let a reserve man steal his thunder .

Needles to say they moved aside and let the Hunter Killer Group do its stuff.

The boat in question may have been U-1051 but I just can't be sure.

1945- he was mustered to a boarding party which took several U-boats across from Loch Ryann to Lisahally on Lough Foyle - being a native of Londonderry this suited Bob well.

The first boat they took over the U-Boat commander remained on the bridge for the entire journey , he never spoke to or acknowledged the Britsih sailors , offices or ratings.

The German crew was confined to the forward torpedo room , again under guard, they emerged half way to Northern Ireland inviting the "Tommies" to have a cocktail with them.

the cocktail was a huge enamel mug filled with a potent fruit punch which packed a considerable punch.

My father told me that there was everything in it , fruit which they had not seen for years , and just about every type of alcohol that could be obtained and mixed.

The German and British sailors relaxed under the influence of the punch each being equally glad that the war was over and they were alive.

When they reached Lisahally , DIC of a U-boat could have been the charge.

My father acquired some items from the boats he took over - unfortunately he sold them all to the "yanks" for a pretty price.

A set of CXN 8x60's went to an american in Glasgow for ?40 , a stop watch or two went likewise.

A P-38 - I can tell you that there is a kgm marked one under Craigavon Bridge in the Middle of "Derry".

My father intended to keep it , but when he was waiting to join the RUC he felt that having a pistol and no fire arms cert. might not be a good idea so it was thrown into the Foyle.

My father's memories of the navy - he only spoke occasionally and mostly when he had a little "haig" .

He preferred to remember his friends , men he served with , friends he lost - if you were looking for tales of adventure - you were talking to the wrong man - I know he saw the best and the worst of the war , he saw both the British and the Germans " break the rules" .

One thing which always made him annoyed, being stopped and searched by customs officers at Larne when coming on leave.

he had in his kit bag three bottle of rum , ( he saved his rum ration and added a little water to it , only some, apparently the americans would die for "British navy Rum".

He spent his leave in the Glass house when a customs officer found this.

As Bob told me that "B" would never see shot nor shell but acted like a little Hitler .

1946 - he jined the RUC - the " depot" in Enniskillen for basic training before his first station a small country barracks on the Fermanagh / Donegal Border near Pettigo.

he was there for a few months before it came to the attention of his masters that he was an ex sailor.

he was then palced on the motor launch ( an seaplane tender which was donated by the RAF to the RUC).

When he ran it aground on a sand bar that ended his carer as a policeman on the waters of Lough Erne.

The 1950's saw the "troubles" begin again , and he was aposted to what was called " the Reserve Force"

lots of nights out along the border with the Irish Republic carrying a bren gun.

late 1950's saw him transferred to Queens Street in Belfast , then on to a small village in Tyrone called Caledon , home of Field Marshall Alexander .

The mid 1960's saw the political situation and civil unrest emerging again and another transfer to Coalisland and then to Strabane.

The next years were not easy for my father - not at all , every day was a bad day - shooting or bombings beacme a daily routine.

Against this background he was doing several jobs as well as running his own section - the pressure and stress extracted a cost - he saw again the worst that the troubles had to throw up.

An insurance man killed for the contents of his collection , a few pounds. a young polie man ( Roy Leslie) shot dead in Strabane's Abercorn square - a soldier just a few hours in Strabane shot dead by a PIRA sniper.

The absolute waste of it all annoyed him greatly and his efforts were centred on keeping "his boys" right.

He retired in 1976 , 30 years and like a lot of policemen he had a love hate relationship with the job- he would not have been happier doing anything else but he hated what his job had becoem and the gun which he had to carry - this he carried as little as possible.

His rational was simple - if I am ever shot this will be turned on my own people so why carry it.( For so many members of the RUC this was to be the case).

My father rturned to work for the Police Authority in an adminstrative role.

A few months after starting his job in Strand Road a number of "suspects" were brought in for questioning.

They all saw my father and over a period of days these people were released.

A few weeks later Bob was to lose his legs , most of his eyesight and part of his right arm when a few ounces of semtex blew him apart.

That was in November 1976 , it was two months before we knew that he would live and it was almost 18 months before he was finished with operations and doctors and had learned to walk again.

Douglas Bader , he really had very little on my old man.

He returned to work again for the police authority before retiring for good in 1989.

Quite a life when you think of it .

I don't really collect medals or "groups" and I am sure I am not alone in wondering what is the tale behind the "group on view".

Enough of my ramblings. ( Would ask that you all excuse the keyboard "skills" or lack of them.)

[attachmentid=12775]

[james Stewart]

Taken on return to Strabane RUC Station after being hit by a bottle filled with paint .At the time he was not well pleased , the uniform overcoat was being worn for the first time.

In later years afterwards it always raised a smile .

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Edited October 10, 2005 by james Stewart

[james Stewart]

Taken at "Letter" in 1947.

Poor Bob said that the Force changed for the worse when they did away with drill .

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[james Stewart]

Taken in 1942. Bob is second from the left middle row.

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Edited October 10, 2005 by james Stewart

[james Stewart]

Medal group.

MBE (1978) , 39-45 Star , Atlantic Star , Italian Star , Defence Medal,1939-45 Medal,Police Medal, RUC Service Medal.

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[Nick]

James

Fascinating stuff. Thanks for that family history. He was a brave man your father that is for sure. A really nice set of medals too.

Thanks for sharing it with us.

Nick

[james Stewart]

Nick - It was started and took on a life of its own - I didn't intend to do a biography as such - just to say something of the man behind the medal group and the photographs.