Федеральное государственное автономное образовательное учреждение
высшего профессионального образования
Министерство образования и науки Российской Федерации
«Северный (Арктический) федеральный университет
имени М.В. Ломоносова»
Институт филологии и межкультурной коммуникации
Кафедра английского языка
для гуманитарных направлений подготовки
В.Г. Голышева
Воспоминания
об Арктических конвоях
Архангельск
САФУ
2014
Стр.5
УДК 93/94+908(470.11)
ББК 63.3(0)62+63.3(2Рос-4Арх)622,1
Г629
доктор филологических наук Е.М. Чекалина,
доктор исторических наук М.Н. Супрун
Рецензенты:
Г629
Голышева, В.Г.
Воспоминания об Арктических конвоях = A Flashback to the Arctic
ISBN 978-5-261-01015-9
В книге собраны удивительные воспоминания и рассказы о героичеConvoys
/ В.Г. Голышева; пер. с англ. В.Г. Голышевой; Сев. (Арктич.) федер.
ун-т им. М.В. Ломоносова. – Архангельск: САФУ, 2014. – 236 [24] с.: ил.
Текст рус., англ.
ских подвигах моряков-ветеранов военно-морского и торгового флота Великобритании,
Канады и США, принимавших участие в Арктических конвоях
по доставке военных и продовольственных грузов союзных войск по
ленд-лизу в северные порты России во время Великой Отечественной войны
1941–1945 гг. Воспоминания, интервью, письма и дневники ветеранов и
их родственников значительно дополняют историческую картину военных
событий в Арктике и на Русском Севере. Рассказы иностранных моряков
воссоздают атмосферу мужественной борьбы и самоотверженного труда
всех, кто боролся за победу над фашистской Германией.
Книга адресована всем, кто интересуется историей Русского Севера во
время Второй мировой войны.
The Book is a truly remarkable collection of reminiscences and memoirs of
heroic endeavours manifested by the British, Canadian and USA war time navy
and mercantile veterans – participants of the Russian Convoy mission delivering
military and food supplies to the Russian Northern ports during World War II
of 1941–1945. The detailed reminiscences, interviews, letters and diaries of the
veterans and their relatives considerably contribute to the historical research of
the war in the Arctic and the Russian north.The tales of foreign sailors recreate
the atmosphere of stoicism and dedication of all those who fought for the victory
over Nazi Germany.
The book is addressed to anyone interested in the history of the Russian
North at the time of World War II.
УДК 93/94+908(470.11)
ББК 63.3(0)62+63.3(2Рос-4Арх)622,1
ISBN 978-5-261-01015-9
© Голышева В.Г., 2014
© Голышева В.Г., перевод на русский язык,
2014
© Северный (Арктический) федеральный
университет им. М.В. Ломоносова, 2014
Стр.6
Оглавление
Contents
Introduction: The Author to the Reader .............................................................
Golysheva V.G. Acknowledgements ...................................................................
Chicherina N.V. Unique Historical Lesson for the Younger Generation ...........
Coghill A.T. Tribute to the Memory of the Brave Sailors ...................................
Hay D. Arctic Convoys Were the Lifeblood for Russia during the Second World War
Revered “Ambassadors” in Arkchangelsk
Part I
Appreciative Relationship of Veterans
with the Younger Generation in Russia
Happy Together: Arctic Convoy Veterans in Arkhangelsk 2010–2013 .......
Let Us Sing “Katusha”, Shall We? ................................................................
Following the Route of the Arctic Convoys ....................................................
Part II
Reminiscences of Wartime Veterans, Participants
of the Arctic Convoys
Their Heroic Endeavours
Long G.W. It was mainly the women who worked on cranes. Interview
with Gordon Long, taken by Valentina Golysheva .................................
Лонг Г.У. Крановщиками в основном работали женщины .....................
Long G.W. HMS Empire Scott ......................................................................
Лонг Г.У. Корабль Его Величества «Эмпайер Скотт» ............................
Bond F. How incredibly young we were. Interview with Frank Bond, taken
by Valentina Golysheva ................................................................................
Бонд Ф. Как молоды мы были ...................................................................
Cottrell D. This Was Absolute Hell! (This is the History of the short Life
of HMS Swift) .........................................................................................
Коттрелл Д. Это был сущий ад! (Короткая жизнь эскадренного миноносца
«Свифт») ..................................................................................
Kennedy E. I Couldn’t Dance for a “Peanut” ...............................................
Кеннеди Э. Я не пошел бы танцевать ни за какие коврижки .................
Wampler D. We Suffered Continuous Bombing ...........................................
Уэмплер Д. Нас постоянно бомбили .........................................................
Reith K. The Screams of the Wounded Filled the Air (Reminiscences in Letters)
Рит К. Воздух огласился криками раненых (Воспоминания в письмах)
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43
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64
66
68
69
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72
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76
Revered “Ambassadors”. Interview with Howard Sharp, taken by Valentina
Golysheva .........................................................................................
20
20
28
30
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15
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Reith K. Brothers ...........................................................................................
Рит К. Братья ..............................................................................................
Craig D. The Forgotten Convoy ...................................................................
Крэг Д. Забытый конвой .............................................................................
Craig D. Nobody Really Wins a War (A letter from David Craig) ..............
Крэг Д. В войне нет победителей (Из письма Дэвида Крэга) .................
Ballard S. War Is No Pity .............................................................................
Бэллард С. На войне нет жалости .............................................................
Ballard S. The Destroyer ..............................................................................
Бэллард С. Эсминец ....................................................................................
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Gardner A. Вack To Russian Convoys (from “His Life”) ...........................
Гарднер А. Назад к русским конвоям (Из книги «Его жизнь») .............. 100
96
Pitts J. Taking Off Was an Experience ......................................................... 105
Питтс Дж. Взлететь – это была задача не из легких ............................ 107
Part III
Following the Route of the Arctic Convoys with Veterans and Relatives
on Board the Ship in June Of 2012
Arctic Convoy Veterans on a Cruise Boat “Quest for Adventure”:
Their Tales and Traumas: Interviews with the Arctic Convoy Veterans,
taken by Valentina Golysheva ........................................................................ 112
Dempster J. We Fraternized With the Russians ........................................... 112
Демпстер Дж. Мы подружились с русскими ......................................... 116
Downs Ch. We Were Bombed Quite Heavily ............................................... 121
Даунз Ч. Нас очень сильно бомбили ......................................................... 127
Byrne A. “Go To a Life Boat, Boy, and Good-Luck” ................................... 133
Берн О. «Марш в спасательную шлюпку, парень, и удачи тебе» .......... 135
Byrne A. Mobile Phones ................................................................................ 138
Mortimer G. Hazards .................................................................................... 141
Мортимер Дж. Рискованное плавание .................................................... 144
Blue A. Thankfully I Survived ...................................................................... 148
Блю А. К счастью, я выжил ........................................................................ 149
The Story of Eric Gemmel: Fate Decreed Otherwise .................................. 150
История Эрика Геммела: cудьба распорядилась иначе .......................... 153
A Letter from Jean Glasberg ........................................................................ 155
Their Heroic Endeavours: Interviews with Relatives of the Arctic Convoys
Veterans ..................................................................................................... 157
Roberts D. On The Look Out (Memories about Vincent Patrick Cullen) .... 157
Edwards S. Pine Needle Tea (Memories about Robert Macbe Howe) ......... 160
Howe R. The Sinking Of Edinburgh on April 30th, 1942 ............................ 164
Da Costa J. Nobody Can Suffer Like the Russians (Memories about Neil
Beaton) ..................................................................................................... 167
Wilson A. He Was My Happy Love and the Best Friend (Memories about
John Stuart Wilson) ................................................................................. 169
Cahill R. It Was Heart Breaking (Memories about Eric Back) .................... 170
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Armstrong C. In Convoy to Russia (Memories about Lloyd Armstrong) ....
175
Pawlowicz B. We Embark On the “Mystery Trip” (From “In Convoy to Russia”) 177
Skeens J. You Were Very Lucky If You Came Back At All from Even One
Convoy (Memories about Herbert Nickolas Fogg) ................................. 178
Coleman B. Requiem to Convoy PQ17 (Memories about Joseph Coleman)
181
We Should Know the Heroes
Part IV
Impressions of Arctic Convoys and Dervish – 2011 Commemorations
in Arkhangelsk through the Eyes of Students of NARFU
Introduction: The Author to the Reader ........................................................ 184
Students’ Essays ................................................................................................ 185
Emelyanova I. Veterans of the Arctic Convoys – Living History ................ 185
Bobykina A. Part of Our Shared History ...................................................... 186
Gorbacheva E. New Facts about the War ..................................................... 186
Odoeva T. Better Understanding of the History ........................................... 187
Tarasova M. The Heroism of the Participants of the Arctic Convoys .......... 187
Krapivina E. The Common History of Russia and the UK .......................... 189
Kulikova J. The Mission of the Arctic Convoys ........................................... 189
Buryakovskaya A. This Is Part of Our History and We Should Know the Heroes
Titova M. Young People Need To Know More about the Facts of History
190
190
Supplements
1. Program Of the International Scientific Conference “Dervish – 2011” devoted
to the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Arctic convoys”,
August 30, 2011 (Tuesday)
Программа Международной научной конференции «Дервиш – 2011»,
посвященной 70-летию северных конвоев: «Арктические конвои: память
прошлого» (30 августа 2011 года) ..................................................... 194
2. Pawlowich B. Action Stations! ....................................................................... 197
Павлович Б. К бою! ....................................................................................... 200
3. Hay D. Long Days and Long Nights (From “The War Under the Red Ensign”,
1982, London) ...................................................................................... 204
Хей Д. Долгие дни и долгие ночи (Из книги «Война под красным флагом»,
Лондон, 1982) ...................................................................................... 213
4. Their Finest Hour. War at Sea (television series) ........................................... 225
Introductory text ...................................................................................... 225
Recollections of Maurice Ryan ............................................................... 226
Recollections of John Salinas .................................................................. 227
Их звездный час. Война в море (телесериал) ........................................... 229
Введение ................................................................................................. 229
Воспоминания Мориса Райана ............................................................ 230
Воспоминания Джона Салинаса ......................................................... 232
Letters of Appreciation. Comments ................................................................ 234
Rogacheva Ch. Thanks to the Veterans for Their Heroism in the War ........ 191
Chumakov A. I Was Pleased To Meet With Veterans of the Arctic Convoy 192
Стр.9
Introduction: The Author to the Reader
I first met the veterans of the allied forces in 1991 when they visited
Arkhangelsk as honoured guests to commemorate the 50th anniversary of
the first Arctic convoy codenamed Dervish, which came to our city on August
31, 1941. That was the most memorable event for the citizens of Arkhangelsk!
It was a real reunion of the Russian seamen with the mariners of the
allied forces. We were delighted to see those happy faces of the mature veterans
from different countries who had been eager to meet each other ever
since the end of the war. Fortunately, in the early 90s the “cold war” was
over and the “iron curtain” fell. So, many people from the West could resume
their old relationships and visit the Northern cities to remember and
pay homage to their fallen comrades buried in the cemeteries in Murmansk
and Arkhangelsk. Since that time the Dervish celebrations have been held in
Arkhangelsk every 10 years – in 2001*
and 2011.
Dervish celebration in Arkhangelsk, 1991. Photo of Sergey Zaozersky
* See the related story and the internet links on Dervish 2001 commemoration
in Archangel: Brown, Edmund. Worst Journey in the World // The Moscow Times.
Sept. 14 2001. URL: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/weekend/article/worst-journey-in-the-world/366850.html.
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By that time I had become the director of the British Centre at our
Northern Arctic Federal University and to my great delight I was actively
involved in the programme of meeting the veterans. Thus in 2010 we were
happy to accept eighteen guests from UK and USA when they arrived in
Arkhangelsk on occasion of the 65th anniversary of the V-Day in Russia.
Since that time we have become great friends. So due to my personal contacts
with the veterans I was lucky to have collected and recorded many veterans’
stories and was encouraged by my new English friends to start writing
a new book about the veterans of the Allied forces during World War II,
namely “A Flashback to the Arctic Convoys”.
From the very beginning I was determined to write this book as a tribute
both to the men who died and to the survivors of the Arctic Convoys. We
must admit the Arctic Convoy mission has not yet become as well-known as
other campaigns during the war. So this is an effort on my part to help some
of the British, American and Canadian veterans to gain more recognition and
make their heroic endeavours known to the rest of the world.
I take my hat off to Gordon Long, MBE (1925–2014), Frank Bond, Ernest
Davies, Fred Udell, David Cottrell, Donald Wampler, Kenneth Reath,
David Craig, Stanley Ballard, James Wells, Arthur Gardner, James Pitts,
Jock Dempster (1928–2013), Charles Downs, Austin Burne, Geoffrey Mortimer,
Edward Bagley (1922–2013) and Alex Blue (1925–2013), the common
seamen and airmen from the allied forces whose stoicism and significant
contribution in the defeat of the Germans during World War II cannot
be overestimated. I am very grateful to them for their readiness to be interviewed
by me share their wartime stories with me. In my country, here in
Russia, we look upon the Arctic convoy veterans as real heroes. Over the
four military years forty arctic convoys carried four million tons of military
aid to Soviet Russia. The cargoes of weapons delivered by the convoys were
crucial for Russian survival and the defeat of Nazi Germany.
The Arctic Convoy mission is a proof of how unity between different nations
brought about a successful end to a terrible war. For the men who sailed
the ships and defended them, the convoys demanded endurance beyond the
call of duty. Each seaman knew that at any moment his ship could be struck
by a torpedo. And they were just ordinary boys and young men. Most of
them when they joined the convoys in the war were incredibly young, from
13 to 15 years old. In fact they were teenagers and were used on ships for
small jobs like working in the galley, working in the mess, working on deck,
serving on the ships as cabin cadets or standing on the bridge as a look out,
working as signalmen. I asked Frank Bond what his job on board the ship
was. This is what he said to me with his usual sense of humour: “I had two
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jobs depending on the state of emergency on the ship. Now if we were just
cruising, my job was on the bridge as a lookout with the pair of binoculars,
big coat and our crew chief used to say: “We’ve got you young kids up here,
because you’ve got very good eye sight”. “What are we looking for?” And
he said: “Literally you are looking for broomsticks, you know, on handles of
brooms”. “Broomsticks?” You can imagine the confusion of those boys when
periscopes became broomsticks.
Were these young boys scared of the war at sea? That was the most frequent
question I asked the veterans. They would all tell me that there was
always apprehension. But as Ernest Kennedy, a veteran from the Russian
convoy club in London commented: “We were to go to Russia. I didn’t think
I was going to like this trip from what I heard through the “grapevine”.
Watching what was going on I was scared.”
The book “A Flashback to the Arctic Convos “is a unique collection of
the wartime reminiscences of the veterans themselves and their relatives told
the author of this book. Whilst listening to their stories and then reading
them in the book you suddenly realise what an awful burden of responsibility
was laid upon those young boys.
The route through the Arctic waters was especially terrifying, because
the convoys had suffered continual bombing. “The Germans tried in the Arctic
all sorts of tricks to sink us. This was absolute hell!”, recalls 87-year-old
David Cottrell from Bristol; The Nazis had many aerodromes in Norway
which they used to send their aircraft out to attack the convoys. This is how
Donald Wampler, an American veteran, recollects the Russian convoy mission.
“German spotter planes circled the Convoys 24 hours a day. When they
hit the ship carrying ammunition, the ship blew up with no hope of survivors...
PQ 16 had started with 35 ships and only 23 reached Russia”. U-boats
relentlessly attacked the Arctic convoys. Horror envelopes us when we read
the recollections of Stanley Ballard and Earnest Davies who served on the
ship HMS Cotton and they witnessed how the German U-boat attacked HMS
Goodall when 150 seamen died in that battle.
In addition to this we know there was natural disaster – bad weather
conditions. Impassable ice and severe raging storms were a constant threat
for the Arctic convoys on their way to Russia. “It was a terrible journey
up there, but the weather was the worst part of most journeys. Waves in
the Barents Sea are unbelievable. The waves were as big as a block of flats
coming at you”, recollects Arthur Gardner. “As we were coming back from
Russia we hit a storm like you wouldn’t believe. We were travelling about
30 degrees either side. On that trip the force of the water smashed flat the
front of our funnel. We arrived in port looking a mess”. James Pitts, a te10
Стр.12
legraphist-airgunner, recollects how difficult it was for them taking off and
landing on the carrier in stormy weather because the waves could be 20
meters high and the ship would be moving around as they tried to get back
onto the deck: “I survived three crashes, including one on my 19th birthday
when the plane overshot the landing deck and ended up hanging upside
down from the edge of the ship, but I was luckier than some of my comrades.
If you crashed and went into the sea, you would freeze to death in a
very short time”. They all had faced the trying ordeal in bitter cold of the
Arctic Sea. “The cold was very cold. That was quite cold”, recollects David
Craig.” And when you were up on the bridge the wind would be coming
against you, the side of your face used to get ice. The snow could freeze on
the side of your face”.
I could not have undertaken this work without the ready cooperation of
the seamen personally who agreed to share with me their reminiscences of
the most difficult time in their lives. It was a real surprise for me to get a
book “His life” as a present from the author himself – Arthur Gardner. The
veterans gave me every encouragement to proceed with my book. In this
book it becomes evident the veterans sincerely believe that the later generations
cannot imagine what they went through. To my great surprise, some of
the veterans like Kenneth Reath, MBE and Stanley Ballard have revealed
their philosophic attitude to the war times in writing poetry. Some of my
students and me were willing to be involved in the translation of their poems:
“Brothers” and “The Destroyer”.
We were delighted to meet the British and American veterans from
the Royal and Merchant Navy at our Northern Arctic Federal University
during the 65th anniversary of a V-Day in Russia. All of us were
impressed by the veterans’ amazing energy and optimism. It was a real
pleasure for our students and my university colleagues to talk to them
and listen to their recollections of tragic incidents from the battle scenes.
They set for us a good example of stoicism and optimism. To our great
surprise the veterans always demonstrate a high sense of humour in their
stories and never forget to thank the citizens of Arkhangelsk for the wonderful
hospitality shown to them by the Russians. Even at war time they
were happy to meet the Russians and remember them with much warmth
and gratitude:
“We consider it a great honour to be invited to your University.
When I left Russia at the age of 17 after my last convoy, I never
dreamed that at the age of 85 I would still be coming back here, We
get such a wonderful welcome here. We have so many friends in Russia”
(Gordon Long, MBE).
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“During our runs up there, America gave the Russians some warships,
so at one time we had to take some Russian sailors to England
to pick a ship up. We had about four in each mess. Although we didn’t
know their language, we could make ourselves understood to each
other and we used to have a laugh with them all day. We were sorry to
see them leave” (Arthur Gardner).
“The Russians saved my life. They gave me my life back. I would
have been dead at 18–20 years old. I would have been gone 70 years
ago” (Austin Burne).
“Russia has given us medals which I appreciate very much” (Ernest
Davies, Branch Chairman, The Russian Convoy Club in London).
“Do not fraternise with the Russians too much. And don’t particularly
mix with the military”, our captain used to tell us while in Russia.
“We still made friends with the Russians. We made friends with
the military and the local people. Yes, we were bombed every night.
Yes, we had hardships every day. But there was still friendship. We
regularly went to their homes. Old women (Russian Babushkas) would
treat me as their son” (Jock Dempster).
In conclusion, I would like to add that children and grandchildren of
many of the veterans both in Russia and in the UK have become interested
in what the veterans did during this Russian convoy mission. Many students
of our university felt very grateful to be able to see and talk to the veterans
who had visited Arkhangelsk on a V-Day in 2010 and the Day of Remembrance
in November 2012 and 2013. Our students would listen and discuss
all those moving war time stories most appreciatively. This book with its
many reminiscences of the allied seamen and their relatives will allow the
memories of those who served during World War II to be passed down to
future generations.
Dr. Valentina Golysheva, British Centre Director,
Northern (Arctic) Federal University,
Arkhangelsk, April, 2014
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