H.M.C.S ATHABASKAN G07
Stuart Kettles, Leading Writer RCNVR
and all the men who served onboard a ship in
the Atlantic during WWII
My uncle was a member of the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve and served on board H.M.C.S. ATHABASKAN a Tribal Class Destroyer which was sunk off the French Coast on April 29 1944, subsequently he was taken as a POW and was detained at Marlag und Milag Nord, which is located at Westertimke, in the northern part of Germany.
When he was transfered to the POW Camp, the Canadian Y.M.C.A. distributed
A Log Book to all POW's so that they could, if they wish record their experiences
as a POW, sketches, poems, short stories of importance or humour.
The following are a few excerpts from my uncles "War Time Log Book" written in his own words
He also wrote A Poem about the Athabaskan while he was a POW
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AUGUST 27 1943
The crew raced to their respective positions for in the Navy absence from your action station is an unpardonable sin. In a matter of seconds, we were all set to see what they had in store for us, and it didn't take long to find out Over came about twenty enemy aircraft, Junkers and Fokke-Wolf "Condors" and immediately we heard the angry roar of the 4.7" and 4' guns of our own ship. The Germans got one of their flying bombs to work. It struck us on the Port Side just aft of the bridge, passed through the Chart House and Petty Officer's Mess, down through the Starboard Flats, out through the Starboard side and exploded in all it's fury about twenty feet clear of the ship. All the Starboard side of the ship from the bow back to the break of the foc'sle was completely stoved in. "A" and "B" guns were put completely out of action, and the barrel of Starboard Oerlikon gun was twisted like a piece of wet rag.
Six of us went down to slog, slip and swish around in a mixture of dirty, heavy black fuel oil an salt water to shore up the ships side. Any thing we could get our hands on was jammed in the holes, hammocks, overcoats, underwear, boots , broken lockers, splinters off the mess tables, hats, socks, and everything was soaked in oil.
Underwent extensive refit, due to bomb damage in August. From September - mid November we had Radar, Asdic and Gun trials followed till the end of November, then based at Scapa Flow. Operated off the Norwegian coast in attack against enemy merchant shipping in convoy with Royal Navy Battleships H.M.S. ANSON and the French Battleship "RICHELIEU",Aircraft Carrier "ILLUSTRIOUS", Cruisers H.M.S. NIGERIA, H.M.S. ALGERIA and eighteen Destroyers. Proceeded to KULA BAY RUSSIA, on convoy duty with American "Liberty " ships. Speed of convoy - six knots. Picked up convoy off FAERO ISLANDS. German Cruiser SCHARNHORST sunk about sixty miles from us on return voyage with empty merchant ships. We were dispatched to escort the cruisers in the SCHARNHORST battle, but owing to engine room trouble, continued on to FAERO ISLANDS where Christmas was celebrated. Round trip took twenty eight days. One possible enemy submarine to our credit on this trip.
It was now about 4:30am 29th April, 1944. I looked over the side at that cold uninviting water of the English Channel by now covered with thick, dirty, fuel oil. My first thought was "Gee, I can't jump into that", but when I turned around and looked at the burning ship, which was beginning to settle to her watery grave, I suddenly decided, "Hell, I can't stay here neither". There was no shock when you hit the water, but it wasn't very doggone long until we soon realized that it was no Turkish Bath.
The next time I saw the welcome rays of sun was quite different. I lay on a wooden table naked as the day I was born, shivering from the cold immersion. I asked where we were, the answer "On a German Destroyer"
On arrival at the interrogation camp after four days on a train, we were herded into small cells. Only one man in a cell. Each of these cells had one small
window with iron bars on it. In one corner was a wooden bunk with a straw mattress on it. The mattress cover was made of similar material as potatoe bags. We
each had two very thin blankets, which were far from adequate, owing to the weather being very chilly during the night. Around 8am the next morning, the long awaited
breakfast finally arrived, along with it, bitter disappointment, for the food consisted of two slices of bread with jam, but no margarine, and a cup of ersatz tea,
barely enough to tease a good appetite. For the next 28 long days and nights our meals were
BREAKFAST 8AM:
2 slices of black bread, with jam no margarine, or vice versa, 1 cup ersatz tea.
DINNER 12:30
1 small bowl of soup and 3 - 4 potatoes with skins on.
SUPPER 5pm:
Same as for breakfast.
While we were in solitary confinement for interrogation, we were suppose to get 3 cigarettes a day, however, the Germans method of counting seems to be different
from ours, for we often missed. After one week and a half I got my first session of interrogation, which lasted 2 and a half hours, and was carried out by an Officer
of the Gestapo or SS.
After 3 and a half weeks the Germans decided that we must have teeth to clean, and they gave us a tooth brush and some kind of tooth paste.
Believe me it was a real treat to feel your teeth and mouth reasonable clean after not being able to clean your teeth for nearly a month.
Shortly after this marvelous experience, my friend the Gestapo or SS returned, to see how good my memory was. This session lasted for only about one hour, for after he
called me a liar, I got mad, and in 5 minutes he left me alone. For a while I thought my minutes of breathing fresh air were about to be numbered, but the Officer
angrily stalked out of my cell, and I wasn't sorry.
In each of the rooms there were twelve men. Around the walls there were two-tier wooden bunks, with the same old straw mattresses and two blankets. We had a muster three times a day, at 9am, 2:30pm and at 7pm. Rain, snow, sleet or blow we had to muster, sometimes we stood for half an hour or more, until they counted us all.
In the early days of our captivity ferocious, trained police dogs were employed to guard the prisoners but by judicious, surreptitious use of food and petting their ferocity melted away. One day the German guards entering the barracks were shocked to find several of their man-eating dogs lying under the bunks with the men licking their faces. The guards promptly posted a notice in English that the dogs were absolutely forbidden to accept food from the prisoners. As Germany's manpower dwindled younger guards were sent off to the army, replaced by aging veterans of 1918. When food packages for seamen arrived at the village three miles distant, a detail of POW's was sent under these guards to bring them in. The walk frequently proved too strenuous for the decrepit jailers and seamen would carry their rifles for them and give them lifts in the carts. Before arriving back at camp they would help the guards from the carts, button their tunics, smarten them up and generally hand back their rifles, to make sure they would not be replaced by younger, hard-boiled guards.
Ships the Athabaskan worked with on Patrol & Convoy Duty
Description of POW Camp Marlag Milag
In June 1941 Russia and Britain found themselves in alliance against Germany.
As a result Britain agreed to supply the Soviet Union with material and goods via convoys through the Arctic Seas .
The destinations were the northern ports of Murmansk and Arkhangelsk. To reach them, the convoys had to travel
dangerously near the German occupied Norwegian coastline. My uncle took part in Convoys JW55A and RA55A in December of 1943.
After the war there were many commemorative medals issued by various governments, of these,
only one was approved for wear with real medals, The Queen did approve the Russian "40th Anniversary of Victory in the Second World War"
gong, and it so appears in the Canada Gazette. Known locally as the Murmansk medal because a number of RCN sailors on that convoy were eligible to receive one.
A sideline story not involving my uncle entitled "The Greatest Convoy Disaster" can be viewed.
When parcels were sent from Canada to POWs in Germany, the sender filled out a Parcel Contents list
which accompanied the parcel. When the POW received the parcel he could then check the contents to ensure that everything was still there.
He would then sign a Conformation Received Post Card which would then be return to the sender.
The Canadian Government at Christmas time would send each POW a Christmas package of personal items that they could use in their daily routine.
A copy of the Government Christmas card and the mailing envelope can be viewed.
For the complete Glider Bomb Attack of August 27, 1943 and other Athabaskan stories Athabaskan Stories
There was an article published in the Spring of 1996 edition, Vol 5, No.1 of the "Canadian Military History" Wilford Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, presenting the scenario that the Athabaskan was sunk by friendly fire.
If you wish to learn more about the Athabaskan or the Haida go to
Canadian Tribal Association
H.M.C.S. Athabaskan
H.M.C.S. Haida Naval Museum
Francis Roach an Athabaskan Survivor
SA Francis Roach
An RAF Airmans exploits from WWII and as POW
Airmans Diary
An RAF Airmans war time log account as a POW and surviving the "Death March"
The Death March
Naval Museums in Canada
The Naval Museum of Manitoba
The Alberta Naval Museum
