HMS Whimbrel

HMS WHIMBREL (1942-1949) BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC MEMORIAL – Appeal for information

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The Project led by Vice Admiral Mike Gretton is forging ahead with its plans to raise £2m to return to Britain the former Second World War Escort Sloop HMS WHIMBREL which presently languishes in the Egyptian Naval Base at Alexandria. A detailed specification to conserve the ship and restore her to her 1940s RN condition has been completed but the Project needs much more authentic information to supplement presently available drawings and photographs.

An appeal is therefore made for any firsthand (or secondhand) knowledge of the Black Swan Class from former crew members, shipyard or dockyard workers, designers, historians or other experts who might be able to fill in the gaps. In particular any photographs of the interior of WHIMBREL or any others of the class could be very helpful. We need to collect a wide range of contemporary ie WW2 items to help tell the story of life on board during Atlantic Convoy days. Sometimes snaps of crew members can show good background detail, such as mess kit and domestic articles, engine room controls, bridge detail etc. Although the Egyptian Navy has made few major modifications to machinery and weapons systems, not surprisingly, hardly any original communications or RADAR equipment has survived. This is an area that will take time to restore – in some cases using replicas, illustrations and display boards to give an impression of the former function and layout. Any information and especially photographs of WT, Transmitting Station, ASDIC & RDF rooms would therefore be extremely valuable.

But all information however slight would be welcome. For example: Who remembers when the original Western Approaches blue and white camouflage paint scheme was changed, or what changes were made during her wartime refits? What was the colour of the deck in the crew’s galley? What colours were used for handwheels in the Engine Room? There are very few photographs of HMS WHIMBREL between first commissioning in January 1943 and leaving Chatham under the Egyptian flag in December 1949. Perhaps someone has snaps of her whilst being built at Yarrows or during her last refit?

If you think you can help please contact Rod Pudduck who is the naval architect and member of the project team who carried out the initial survey and has written the refit specification. He can be contacted at home by e-mailing: rodshome@dsl.pipex.com or at work: telephone 01454 288108 or by post to Rod Pudduck, Atkins Ltd., 280 Aztec West, Almondsbury, Bristol BS32 4SY. All offered material will be carefully handled and returned if required, with acknowledgement and appreciation by the Project. For more information and news visit the Project website at www.hmswhimbrel.org

Conrad Waters is the Public Relations Officer for the (intended) Battle of the Atlantic Memorial and of the pledge to return HMS Whimbrel to England from her current home in Egypt. I believe she is the last surviving member of a very exclusive club, the Black Swan Sloops of Captain Walker's Support Group. He has very kindly sent me the following material on HMS Whimbrel.

“To recognise the importance of the Battle of the Atlantic in our country’s history & commemorate the sacrifices made by those involved”

· The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest continuous campaign of the Second World War, lasting from the declaration of war in 1939 to the unconditional surrender of Germany in 1945. In spite of this, it is the only British campaign of the War not commemorated by a major national memorial.

· The sacrifice was high Over 2,000 ships were sunk and 22,000 merchant sailors and some 10,000 naval personnel lost their lives, many of whom have no known grave. Even those who survived were left carrying the life long effects of their memories. For these reasons, the Battle of the Atlantic has left a powerful emotional legacy.

· Every year until 2003, the battle has been remembered by commemorative events in the City of Liverpool, the Royal Navy’s wartime campaign headquarters. With the surviving participants now of advancing years, there will be no more annual commemorations. Now is therefore the time for a more permanent memorial.

· In spite of the Battle of the Atlantic’s importance to British history, we are the only major country involved not to have created a memorial to the campaign. Canada (in Halifax), the United States (in Chicago) and even Germany (in Kiel) all have campaign memorials that have been built around preserved warships.

· Commissioned in January 1943 as one of the famous Black Swan class sloops, HMS Whimbrel fought as part of the legendary Captain Johnnie Walker’s second support group at the height of the Atlantic Campaign. She is typical of the convoy escorts that bore the brunt of the Battle of the Atlantic and a sister ship of Johnnie Walker’s own command, HMS Starling, which was credited with sinking a record sixteen enemy submarines.

· Moreover, the ship’s historical context extends beyond the Battle of the Atlantic. Most significantly, she was one of the representatives of the British Pacific Fleet at the surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay in September 1945, thereby giving her a part in the celebrations that marked the end of six years of conflict.

· Now laid up in Alexandria following conclusion of her service as the Egyptian navy’s Tariq, HMS Whimbrel is one of only a handful of Royal Navy warships that remain from the Second World War and the only one to survive in largely original condition. She therefore represents a virtual treasure trove of life at sea during the wartime years. Quite simply, there is nothing like her anywhere else in the World.

· By dint of good fortune, much documentary evidence of the ship’s RN career survives. For example, original plans and record books are held at the National Maritime Museum. Similarly, the existence of an “HMS Whimbrel Association” will allow personal recollections to be recorded for posterity.

· Whimbrel’s long & distinguished service in the Egyptian Navy as ENS Tariq also forms an important & historical element of the memorial as a symbol of the lasting friendship between the two countries.

The HMS Whimbrel Battle of the Atlantic Memorial Project is based on the purchase of ENS Tariq from the Egyptian Ministry of Defence and her establishment as an educational memorial and visitor attraction in the City of Liverpool, headquarters of the Atlantic Campaign.

The aim is to complete the project in a number of stages within the 2004-2008 timescale, culminating in the ship’s dedication as the Nation’s Battle of the Atlantic Memorial in 2008, the year when Liverpool is due to become European Capital of Culture.

Phase 1: Purchase from the Egyptian Government and initial refit in Alexandria.

Phase 2: Return from Egypt to the UK, either under tow or by means of heavy lift.

Phase 3: Maintenance in a temporary but secure UK berth pending commencement of long term/restoration.

Phase 4: Conservation, restoration and preparation as a memorial and visitor attraction.

Phase 5: Return to Liverpool’s Canning Dock for commissioning as the Battle of the Atlantic Memorial

· A project management team has been set up under the leadership of Captain Chris Pile RN (retired) encompassing a wide range of relevant skills. This team reports to a steering group headed by Vice Admiral Michael Gretton CB MA FNI, currently Director of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

· An initial inspection of HMS Whimbrel (Now ENS Tariq) was carried out in November 2002 and this was followed by a more detailed survey by the project’s surveyor, Commander Robin Raphael RN (retired) in February 2003. His survey has formed the basis for subsequent discussions with the Egyptian authorities over the repairs that will be required before the return voyage to the UK.

· A draft agreement was reached with the Egyptian Ministry of Defence in November 2003, under which a two-part purchase and Alexandria based refit package was costed at £1m sterling. Conclusion of this agreement is subject to the project’s ability to raise this initial sum within a reasonable timeframe.

· A provisional understanding has also been achieved with British Waterways for a long-term berth at the heart of Liverpool’s historic waterfront in Canning Dock, one of HMS Whimbrel’s wartime bases.

· A preliminary scoring by the National Historic Ships Committee, the quasi-official body advising the National Lottery on grants to maritime projects has given strong hopes of top tier “core collection” status.

If Ralph Edwards should read these words, I have two really beautiful images of Whimbrel,
taken by you and would like to show them on this page, if possible mail me.

Here is a copy of a letter I got sent to me via email on the planned return of HMS Whimbrel
to its spiritual home in Liverpool. I have the full letter on file in my pc - Aug 10th 2004.

This letter has been prepared to update all those who have previously shown an interest in the Battle of the Atlantic Memorial project on recent campaign developments & to provide an introduction to all who have responded to recent publicity in “The Independent on Sunday”, “BBC History Magazine” & other publications. We continue to be grateful for the ongoing level of interest in & support for our activities shown by a wide range of people.

It may be best to start with a recap on our project’s ambition, which is to create a memorial that will “recognise the importance of the Battle of the Atlantic in our country’s history and commemorate the sacrifices made by those involved.” The project team are of the firm belief that, in contrast with the proper recognition shown to other major British campaigns, insufficient has been done to record the contribution of the sailors, both Royal & Merchant Navy, & the airmen who gave so much to ensure our country’s freedom during the Second World War, many of who made the ultimate sacrifice & were lost at sea with no known grave. The return to & preservation in the UK of the Black Swan class sloop, HMS Whimbrel, is intended to provide the focal point of a national memorial based in the City of Liverpool, Royal Navy headquarters of the Atlantic battles, thereby rectifying this omission. Whimbrel’s long & distinguished service in the Egyptian Navy as ENS Tariq will also form an important & historical element of the eventual memorial & be a symbol of the lasting friendship between the two countries.

Following the Egyptian Navy’s decision to dispose of HMS Whimbrel (now ENS Tariq) in 2002 & the formation of an embryonic Battle of the Atlantic Memorial team to investigate the ship’s return to the UK, the initial focus was on obtaining access to the ship & establishing her material condition. These efforts culminated in a structural survey in February 2003, which indicated that, whilst Whimbrel was in generally sound condition, certain specific areas of corrosion would require major attention. At the time of our last update to supporters in March 2003 we anticipated that it would be relatively easy to ascertain the cost of the relevant repairs (which it was planned to undertake in Egypt) & thereby make a reasonably accurate assessment of the project’s likely economic feasibility. However, negotiations with the Egyptian authorities were far more protracted than we envisaged & it was only after much patient discussion by both sides that a draft agreement was finally reached in November 2003. This provides for the ship’s sale plus initial refurbishment in an Egyptian dockyard (including removal of all exposed asbestos) for a total sum of £1m, the agreement being subject to the project’s ability to raise this money within a reasonable timeframe.

Obviously, the project’s initial members have not been idle during this time & much ongoing work has been carried out to strengthen the project team & smooth potential obstacles to the scheme’s further development. For example, detailed discussions have been held with the National Historic Ship Committee, the quasi-official body advising the National Lottery on grants to maritime projects to ascertain Whimbrel’s likely heritage ranking & this has resulted in a strong indication of potential eligibility for top tier “core collection” status once return to the UK is achieved. Achievement of this status increases the likelihood of lottery funding for the longer term conservation & conversion work planned in the UK. It should be noted that it is very difficult to obtain lottery funding for vessels currently outside of the UK, thereby presenting the project with a major financial hurdle to overcome in the first instance.

With agreement on the cost of purchase & initial repair now reached, we are now in a position to investigate whether there is sufficient support to finance phases 1 to 3 of the project, which will culminate in Whimbrel’s return to a secure berth in the UK pending conversion to museum/memorial status. The project’s costings indicate that these stages can be completed within a maximum total budget of £3m, including a substantial contingency.

Given the very considerable amount of funding required & the time constraints that we have to work within, we are of the opinion that any general appeal to raise funds via a large number of small donations would be unlikely to raise the money required to complete these stages. As a result, our principal fundraising efforts are being targeted on a relatively small number of major potential benefactors, with whom discussions are now commencing.

Other short term objectives are focused on making a final decision on Whimbrel’s berth immediately on return to the UK & building on the substantial support that exists in Liverpool to demonstrate that the right local conditions exist to ensure the memorial’s long term sustainability.

We are pleased to receive a regular flow of offers of help with the project, both financial & non-financial. The non-financial assistance that we require tends to fluctuate depending on the project’s current focus, as new (& generally increasing levels of) help are required as we continue to make progress. We have therefore been keeping a database of the various skills that supporters have to offer, making contact with them to request specific support as the need has arisen. To give just one example, much of the recent national press publicity achieved by the project has been the result of help from a journalist who registered his support for our objectives several months previously. We would therefore ask anybody who has specific skills that might be helpful in achieving our endeavours & is happy to use these in our support to tell us about these as soon as possible – at some stage they might make a crucial contribution to the project’s success.

As indicated above, it is likely that we will depend on the generosity of major benefactors for ultimate success & it is for this reason that no general appeal has been launched. At the same time, the project’s preparatory costs – not least in terms of travel to Egypt & unavoidable professional expenses – are not insubstantial, with between £5k & £10k spent to date. We are therefore extremely grateful to receive donations of any amount towards these ongoing costs. These donations allow us to finance essential work that builds our overall credibility &, thus, overall chance of success. Any cheques should be made payable to “HMS Whimbrel, Battle of the Atlantic Memorial”.

Our aim is to provide additional project updates as and when there are further developments of significance and you will be kept on our mailing list unless you advise otherwise. Please feel free to contact me if you would like to receive details of any particular aspect of the project or have a specific question that you would like answering.

I reproduce these emails here in the event that the information may well help someone else in their quest for information:

I received an email from Mike Sewell, Hornsea East Yorkshire 26 November 2004. Reprinted here: HMS Whimbrel was adopted by the small Yorkshire seaside resort of Hornsea in the Autumn of 1942. The town's original choice had been the Flower Class corvette, HMS Arbutus. The reason for this was that the son of the chairman of Hornsea's National Savings Committee was an officer in Arbutus. Tragically, Arbutus was torpedoed and sunk on 5th February 1942, just two days before the start of Hornsea's fund raising Warship Week. I do not know why Whimbrel was chosen in the place of Arbutus, or whether there were any Hornsea men who served in the ship. The local press has just two references to Whimbrel up to the end of the War. First, in April 1944, the Hornsea Urban District Council announced a scheme for local people to donate 100 books and money for a bookcase, to be sent to Whimbrel. In January 1945 the Council received a letter from an officer in HMS Whimbrel which stated that the crew were anxious for pen friends and would like the names and addresses of Hornsea girls who were willing to write, as well as those of Hornsea girls who were serving in the WRNS, ATS or WAAF. The Council agreed to compile a list. Hornsea still has a Whimbrel Avenue, which is on a council estate which was built shortly after the War.

From Conrad in reply to a request for help from Beverley: 13 Feb 05: Mike Kemble has been kind enough to pass on your request regarding Captain Murch of the former HMS Whimbrel to me in my role of public relations officer for the project attempting to preserve this ship as a Memorial to the Battle of the Atlantic. I hope that I will be able to provide you with a few leads. Lt Commander N(orman) R Murch was, as I understand it, Whimbrel's third and final RN commanding officer, having assumed command to take her out to the Pacific in 1945. As such, he was with her in Tokyo Bay to witness the formal Japanese surrender in September 1945. Prior to that, he had been in command of the destroyer HMS Beagle, during which time he gained a reputation as something of a war hero for the successful rescue of the crews of the American landing craft LST314 and LST376 from the middle of a minefield shortly after the D Day landings. There are a few passages about this incident in the recent book "Destroyer" (Editor: Ian Hawkins, published Conway Maritime Press 2003). So far as crew lists and contacts are concerned, your best point of reference is probably George Fancett, Secretary of the HMS Whimbrel Association and I have taken the liberty of copying this E-mail to him. George was a boy seaman on Whimbrel during this third commission and has been very helpful in supporting our efforts to preserve his ship. I also have been in correspondence with the Rev R Much (Norman Murch's nephew, from recollection) and I have sent him a blind copy of this E-mail in case he would like to make direct contact.

January 2006: Martin Carr, who resurrects old faded images for me, found the Whimbrel (Currently Tariq) via the satellite program Google Earth. Here she is with salient features highlighted by Martin to compare her with the schematic of HMS Starling. http://earth.google.com