New member introduction

[Mark Wilbourn]

Hello,
I have joined this site as I have been doing some research on my grandfather: Clifford (Cliff) Witchell. When he retired, he wrote a fascinating autobiographical essay ('45 years at Sea' describing some of his experiences from training at the 'Prince of Wales Sea Training Hostel' in 1923, working on various ships in US and far east, being fired on in the Yangtze River, the ship he was on being scuttled in Rotterdam when the Germans invaded, evacuating troops from France and civilians from the Channel Islands, and then working for many years on the Harwich to Hook of Holland ferry, where he retired when the ship he Captained, the SS Arnhem was decommissioned. I am just trying to fill in a few gaps.

[j.sabourn]

Welcome Mark and hope you get some of the gaps filled. Reference to his experiences picking up civilians from the Channel Islands , there wouldn’t be any reference to a family from Jersey , husband wife and son called Purvis would there ? The son would of been about 9 at the time and was disabled . The mother and son lived with us all through the remainder of the war years in Kingston on Thames , the father joining the British army. The story I was told as a youngster was that they escaped in a row boat but being evacuated sounds more feasible .Regards JS

[Doc Vernon]

Hello,
I have joined this site as I have been doing some research on my grandfather: Clifford (Cliff) Witchell. When he retired, he wrote a fascinating autobiographical essay ('45 years at Sea' describing some of his experiences from training at the 'Prince of Wales Sea Training Hostel' in 1923, working on various ships in US and far east, being fired on in the Yangtze River, the ship he was on being scuttled in Rotterdam when the Germans invaded, evacuating troops from France and civilians from the Channel Islands, and then working for many years on the Harwich to Hook of Holland ferry, where he retired when the ship he Captained, the SS Arnhem was decommissioned. I am just trying to fill in a few gaps.

Hello Mark
Welcome to the site and hope you have a long and enjoyable stay here with us all.
Now just a question here on your search etc, have you got your dates correct , i ask as i only find one such name a Person Born in Glarmorgan Wales. Is that him at all, and if so the DOB Shows 1932 ??
As said just asking!
Cheers

If not the person where is your Grandad from, and his DOB please!
Thanks

[Mark Wilbourn]

Thank you for your message.
He was born on 6th November 1907 in Croydon. Regarding his time at the Prince of Wales Sea Training Hostel, I recently came across a copy of 'The Helm' (The hostel's newsletter I believe) from August 1969, where the first part of his autobiographical essay was included. In the introduction it mentions:

"FROM THE CAPTAIN'S CHAIR
A distinguished Old Boy, Captain C. G. Witchell, has written an enthralling account
of his forty-five years at sea. I am very grateful to him for finding the time to do this for
for The Helm and I know that his story, which will be published in three parts, will be an
inspiration to many of our boys who have their sights set on the bridge.
One of the most gratifying aspects of my work is to find so many boys coming to
the School because of the recommendations of Old Boys of the School, some of whom
left as long as twenty years ago"

I have looked on the PWST web site for more information but they dont seem to havemany records taht far back. If you have any more information, I would be very interested,
Thanks Mark.

[Mark Wilbourn]

Thank you for your message. There is very little information about the evacuations unfortunately, so no mention of the family you mention. In addition to the essay he wrote, he kept a basic diary which I have attempted to transcribe, but again very few details:

-----
"Thursday 20th June – Left at 12:30. Air raid on. Planes overhead but no action. Fires started in Southampton. Arrived at Guernsey at 8:35 and left at 9:45 with 1200 women and children. Arrived Weymouth and anchored at 3:00. Hove up at 6:15. Alongside 6:45. Left at 8:15 and anchored. Bed at 10:30.

Friday 21st June
Shifted to Portland at 8:30. Ashore phoning H Smith etc. Out to anchor at 2:30 pm. Hove up at Midnight W-G2.

Saturday 22nd June
Some day! Arrived Guernsey 6:30am. Paddy, self and Warrant Officer busy for 2-3 hours taking evacuees by car to (SS) Sheringham. Sailed at 1:00 with 1978 passengers. Arrived Weymouth and anchored 6:15. Alongside 9:45, but only 1000 allowed off. Passengers sleeping all over decks and my cabin full up.

Sunday 23rd June
– Finally got to ”bed” in chartroom at 1:45. Up at 8:15. Left at 12:00 and tied up at Portland at 12:30. Lunch, wrote P and had a nap. Left and out to anchor at 6:45. Bathed, washed clothes etc. France signed armistice with Germany. "
--------

When I was looking into this in more detail a few years back I did find that there seemed to be number of books about the evacuations and what happened to the evacuees afterwards. I have: "Britain's Wartime Evacuees: The People, Places and Stories of the Evacuations Told Through the Accounts of Those Who Were There (Voices from the Past)" by Gillian Mawson and actually contacted her with a question which she kindly responded to.