Contacts for Battle of Atlantic historians

[William Bramhill]

Hello,

Does anyone have any contacts for Battle of the Atlantic historians, please? I know my father was involved in firing a deck gun at a German submarine that surfaced beside his ship, ss Merchant -- we have his account but no date. The matter led to a commendation that was published on July 9 1941. I have the letter he received from the Admiralty but, wartime secrecy and all, there are no details. I would hope that a historian may know more.

Best wishes,

Will

[Doc Vernon]

Hello and thank you for the Thread Posting
If we are able to assist in any way would need a bit more info on all aspects that you may have available ,your Fathers Full name Place and DOB. The Ships full name and any other small bits that you may have !
Historians would be able to assist but where to look is another matter as myself.i dont know of any that deal with that Battle of the Atlantic.
Much information is about on the Internet about that Battle ,but possibly not waht you are actually looking for

Best of Luck
Cheers

[j.sabourn]

Ref. The above Vernon the poster from Canada who was an RO on some of the Atlantic convoys might be a person he would like to talk to, that is if the ex R/0 wants to talk about it , maybe he should be asked? I say this because a lot may miss a few days posts and by the time they come on line again they are gone, and are non the wiser what was being asked for. Also all the discharge books starting with R2 And below, chances are they also served during the war years. Cheers JS

[William Bramhill]

Thanks, Doc and JS.

I have posted before. Dad's name was William Frank Bramhill, b Liverpool 1913, and there are already some things on the internet about this incident, notably BBC - WW2 People's War - The night I surprised a Nazi sub.

I contributed this to the BBC archive some years ago, basing it on a report dad left (he had died six years previously). I'd also used it to help The Daily Telegraph obit writer.

The issue is that in his later years dad suffered from a degree of senile dementia. This, along with his tendency towards romance and drama (he always did want to write a novel), may mean the report is an amalgamation of events.

I have no doubt over dad's account of the sub surfacing beside him, and him using the ship's gun to fire on it while two engine-room hands threw potatoes at the conning tower. This story remained consistent over the years.

I would like more facts, though. The mention in the London Gazette was on July 9 1941 so I should imagine the incident took place from late April to late June that year.

The documents I have so far are:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/chi6dzsw2p...1%201.JPG?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/brr3mlfoar...1%202.JPG?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/xo24vx715z...zette.pdf?dl=0

One other thing he mentioned, and I’m unsure if the incidents are related, is his ship being singled out for cat-calling and abuse from a U-boat crew that had been captured and were being held prisoner when dad’s ship reached the Mersey.

All the best,

Will

[j.sabourn]

In your case, the way I would take it , would be to take what your dad has told you before he became as you say he became a victim to dementia. Whatever he told you was as his confidante. And unlikely to glorify it as the media would do. In wartime any victory however small is made bigger for propoganda purposes. With the media they are all inclined to go over the top. Whatever your father told you before illness set in, take that as the truth. JS

[Keith at Tregenna]

?

NAME William Frank Bramhill RANK Third Officer AWARD Commendation SHIP Merchant.

Merchant Navy Awards: London Gazette 9 July 1941 (Correspondence on recipients can be... | The National Archives

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/.../3965/data.pdf

[Keith at Tregenna]

I have no doubt over dad's account of the sub surfacing beside him, and him using the ship's gun to fire on it while two engine-room hands threw potatoes at the conning tower. This story remained consistent over the years.

Will

Adding for general interest:

Getting beaned by a potato would probably hurt a lot, but this has to go down as one of the strangest weapons in maritime history.

The ships were so close that not even the short-range weapons were able to fire, and none of the sailors were carrying sidearms. So they started chucking potatoes. And the enemy soliders thought they were grenades, so they started chucking them back. And voila, Naval food fight.

https://thetakeout.com/til-potatoes-...-ii-1828526880

[j.sabourn]

You would throw anything to hand In a situation like that. Who was that soldier who won the VC in the Korean War. He was throwing empty bottles at the enemy. JS

[Captain Kong]

That was Sergeant Bill Speakman, VC. John, he just died a few weeks ago,.

[j.sabourn]

Sorry to hear that Brian. Heroes like him are soon forgotten by most. I can imagine his frustration fear and the thought of those who put him in such an undesirous position. The anger would have been well fed. Personal safety would have been the least of his thoughts . The Adrenalin would have kept the anger alive. Cheers JS