'Dad's Bit in the War - 1939-1945

I signed on the SS Hetton on 13.10.1939 the ship left the Tyne for Narvick in Norway; the ship was loaded with iron ore. From Narvick we sailed to Bergan to join a convoy to the UK. About four days from Workington we ran out of food and had to live on corned meat until we reached port. I volunteered to join a scheme called the stand by pool. Its purpose was to ensure no ship left port undermanned, I packed my bags ready to join any ship which was short handed at a minutes notice. I signed on the SS Fuham on 27.1.1940 heading north in convoy bound for Leith, before entering the Firth of Forth the signal was sent to all ships in the convoy to form a single line. Our master Captain Smedley asked permission to proceed independently, but the commodore sent a message saying "Sir you are still in convoy follow me." We took position behind the commodore's ship SS Royal Archer, about half an hour later the Royal Archer struck a sea mine and began to sink. An escort destroyer NO. L41 attached a line to the ship to try to tow her to safety, but it was too much to do so the tow line had to be cut and the Royal Archer sank. My next ship was the SS Fellside, we sailed from Middlesbrough to Loch Ewe on the west coast of Scotland to join an Atlantic convoy. The Fellside was an old ship and would not have left port in peace time, but it was said many times "THERE'S A WAR ON!" we lost the convoy and had to proceed on our own. At 9.40a.m. On 17.7.1940 the Fellside hit a torpedo and sank with the loss of 12 men out of a crew of 32, I was helmsman at the time the torpedo hit us, I ran to the boat deck and with the help of two crewmembers we lowered the portside lifeboat. I then ran to the after deck to assist the naval gunner release the life raft, hanging from the side of the main mast. We couldn't do so, then the gunner said to me "come on Geordie it is time we were away from here."
We both stood on the ships side as she was sinking fast, then jumped overboard. I swam to a life raft climbed aboard and put my jacket on an oar so as to be seen better. I was the last of twenty survivors to be picked up by the lifeboat I had previously helped to release. We sighted a ship about 8 p.m., the ship came to us and took us on board. On the rescue ship’s side in large letters was the name Panamainian, Panama. We later found out its real name was SS President Fillmore. The Americans were not in the war at the time so they used the name Panamanian to protect their neutrality. The crew of the Panamanian told us about the cargo the ship was carrying, it had everything that was needed for a country at war. We arrived in Liverpool on Saturday 20.7.1940. We (the survivors) were taken to the sailor’s home in Lime Street, where we were kitted out with clothes. The next day, we were given a rail ticket and some money for us to get home. We left Liverpool and arrived at Huddersfield station at noon. There were 5 of us from South Shields traveling together and we made our way to the forces canteen, which was only open for members of H.M. Forces. We sat down at a table, a man came over and said civilians were not served in the canteen. I informed him that we were Merchant Seaman going home on survivors leave. The man who we later found to be the manager, told us to stay where we were and that we could have anything that was on the menu. An army officer asked the manager who we were, the manager told him, and the officer said he would pay our bill, but the manager said, “No thanks sir, this bills on me.” Before the officer left the canteen he shook us all by the hand.

My next ship was M/V Weirbank, we left Hartlepool for Montreal Canada, loading 10,000 tons of grain, and we sailed for Halifax Nova Scotia. On arrival at Halifax our captain was ordered to join the convoy just leaving. Our captain asked permission to put his wife ashore, as she was living in Canada. The naval officer in charge gave him permission and told him to join the next convoy. The convoy we missed was the ill-fated Jarvis Bay convoy.

My next ship was the SS Hopestar, I signed on 22.7.1941, we left the Tyne for Sunderland, and we loaded among other war supplies about 6,000 tons of ammunition. Then we sailed to Glasgow on the Clyde, to take on board an invasion craft. The craft was too big in one piece so it had to be cut into three sections. We sailed from the Clyde heading southwards about three days from Freetown. A fire was discovered in the ships coalbunkers. We headed full speed to Freetown where the fire was put out.

On Christmas Eve morning a French tanker SS Phoenix was leaving port fully laden when suddenly there was a loud explosion. The Phoenix had blown up setting fire to the whole harbour. I was night watchman at the time and was asleep in my cabin. One of my crew mates Jimmy Williams dashed into my cabin, threw my life jacket to me and yelled “Tommy the whole place is on fire, get yourself ashore” I grabbed my life jacket, ran on deck, saw the inferno and jumped overboard I landed in a barge half laden with hay just as it was being pulled away to safety. I was put up in the British sailors society mission where I spent Christmas 1941 with only the clothes I was wearing and my life jacket.
We left Beirut for Mauritius, we loaded a full cargo of sugar. We left Mauritius for Cape Town, to pick up stores and fuel, from there to Durban. Once there we took on extra fuel for the voyage to the UK, we headed north to Freetown. We left Freetown in convoy and headed home. About 5 days from the UK we encounted many difficulties on our journey. The worst encounter came when we could not keep up with the convoy, so the captain of the escorting destroyers signaled our Captain to go it alone. We were not alone SS Baron Haig was also having the same trouble. But help was at hand, out of the sky came a guardian angel in the shape of a Sunderland flying boat. The Sunderland rendezvoused with both ships circling around us till nightfall and it repeated this manoeuvre each day till we sighted Lands End. Our captain sent a thank you message to the crew of the Sunderland. The captain of our guardian angel replied by flying over each ship flapping his plane wings, and then he flew out into the Atlantic Ocean. Hoping to do the same again for his brothers in the Merchant Navy.

From April to July 1942 I worked ashore fire-watching on ships that had no crews, as they were in dock having repairs. I signed on the SS Anticosti a Canadian lake boat on 30.7.1942 travelling between the Tyne and Thames, Anticosti was a lucky ship, sailing through E Boat Alley one night, when we were attacked by enemy E. Boats, the ship ahead of us SS Lysland was torpedoed and sank. The ship in the column next to us SS George Balfor was also hit but did not sink, but was badly damaged. I had a letter to report to the shipping pool and asked to be put on the stand by pool. I signed on the SS Parkwood on 30.10.1943, we left the Tyne for Portsmouth, going through the straits of Dover. We were shelled by the big guns on the French coast, luckily we were not hit, but it was not a nice position to be in, shells the size of dustbins flying overhead are to say the least terrifying.

The next three ships I signed on were all from the stand by pool. The first SS Fulham VII
Was comparatively new, I stayed on her from 15.1.1944 to 28.8.1944. On one voyage on the Fulham VII we were heading up the English Channel, bound for London. This was at night when an invasion craft collided with us. It tore away our portside lifeboat, davits, boatfalls, damaged all the bulwarks tore away the portside light, no one was hurt thankfully. Our master, Captain Jarratt was livid. He could not understand the actions of the admiralty, allowing a convoy to head south right in the path of a convoy heading east. Captain Jarratt soon got over his anger as when we arrived in London he learnt he had been awarded the MBE

The last ship I signed on in wartime was the SS Saintfield, The war was nearly at an end by now, but all was not safe. We were heading for the Tyne one afternoon and just off Flambrough Head on the east coast of Yorkshire, a heavy mist formed over the ship, all of a sudden we head gun fire and heard shells passing over the ship. Our captain grabbed the wire to sound the ships siren and held on till his arm ached. Some how the mist disappeared and on our starboard bow was the cruiser HMS Orion having gunnery practice. We received a message of apology from the commander of HMS Orion, we replied then headed for the Tyne. The Saintfield was the last merchant ship to dock in Shoreham by Sea. From Shoreham we sailed to Belfast, I signed off on 16.11.1945

Thomas Reed Sanderson

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