Correspondence: "My Grandad Served on the Reina Del Pacifico" (1)

"Grandad was a Bosun and Quartermaster. Big Man, with Ginger

Hair, Beard. Did Doug (Harrison) Meet Him I Wonder?"

On the way to Benghazi: the guns crew of a merchantman doing a practice

shoot with their 12-pounder anti-aircraft gun. The Boatswain (right) passes the

ammunition. Photo: Lt. E.E. Allen, Royal Navy photographer. A14762 IWM

[The context of the top photo: From "Alex" (Alexandria) to Benghazi: Men and ships of the Merchant Navy back up the 8th Army's victorious advance in North Africa. 31 December 1942 to 6 January 1943. They carry vital supplies to Benghazi, where the Royal Navy and Army co-operate in landing the stores and sending them on to the men in the fighting line. Imperial War Museum]

Introduction:

Mark P., a helpful reader from the United Kingdom, contacted me near Remembrance Day, six years ago, after reading a short story I'd posted - see link below - in January of the same year (2016). The story, written by my father for his hometown newspaper, mentioned a ship (Reina Del Pacifico) he'd spent some time on during World War II, specifically during Operation Torch, the invasion of North Africa beginning November 8, 1942.

Mark wrote the following:

My Grandad, Herbert Jones, served on the Reina Del Pacifico. He passed away two years ago, aged 95. He used to speak about the Canadians. I was really moved by the photo of the troops leaving the ship. The story is fascinating. http://wavynavy.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/short-story-re-combined-ops-n-africa.html 

Photograph of Herbert Jones as found in The Wirral Globe, May 15, 2013

Photo Credit - Paul Heaps

[A photo of U.S. troops leaving the Reina Del Pacifico is included in the story.]

Mark continues:

I’ve included a feature (an interview re his Grandad) from the local paper, from 2013 I think. He was a bosun and quartermaster. Big man, ginger hair, beard. Are you aware of any other photos? Did Doug meet him I wonder?

Thanks for sharing. Mark P.

And so a brief but significant correspondence began between us. I shared a few photos in which the Reina Del might have appeared by chance, offered an idea I never followed up on until about six years later, and never answered Mark's last question.

I will do, right now. Did Mark's Grandad meet my father aboard the Reina Del Pacifico? In my opinion, the odds of them meeting were not impossibly thin. While Operation Torch was underway my father would have spent most of his time on landing crafts (LCAs and LCMs) transporting troops and the materials of war from ship to shore. However, after working for approx. 4 days without much of a break ("I worked 92 hours straight and I ate nothing except for some grapefruit juice I stole.") my father's officer, Lt. McDonald, RNR, sent my father to the Reina Del Pacifico for some rest and relaxation and more rest.

Dad writes in memoirs:

I then had to climb hand over hand up a large hawser (braided rope) to reach the hand rail of Reina Del Pacifico and here my weakness showed itself.

I got to the hand rail completely exhausted and couldn’t let one hand go to grab the rail or I would have fallen forty feet into an LCM bobbing below. I managed to nod my head at a cook in a Petty Officer’s uniform and he hauled me in. My throat was so dry I only managed to say, “Thanks, you saved my life.”

The answer to Mark's question would be 'Yes' if Herbert Jones had been that cook in a Petty officer's uniform. Such is not the case, however. But my father met other members of the British crew. He continues in memoirs:

The Reina was a ship purposely for fellows like me who were tired out, and I was fed everything good, given a big tot of rum and placed in a hammock. I slept the clock around twice - 24 hours - then went back to work. In seven days I went back aboard the Reina Del and headed for Gibraltar to regroup for the trip back to England. ("Dad, Well Done", pages 25 - 26)

Reina Del Pacifico, 'Underway'. Photo by J. Hall, Gourock, Scotland

As found at Imperial War Museum, FL18191

I think my father would have much appreciated the members of the ship's crew who delivered the good food and drink, especially the "big tot of rum," perhaps even would have recalled a face or two, likely any big man with a ginger beard. (Dad had red hair himself for many years, until it went grey, and quickly remarked to me how much I reminded him of his father - a WWI stoker in the RNR - when I arrived at his house upon my first motorcycle in the 1990s, sporting a deep red beard like my own Grandad). 

If the quartermaster serving up the tots of rum was not Mark's Grandad, perhaps the two sailors passed each other in the mess or narrow passageways as the ship returned 100 - 200 Canadians to their training camps in the UK after their services were no longer required at Torch.

The odds - not impossibly thin, but one will never know. However, the idea of them meeting is very pleasant to consider!

My follow-up email to Mark is next. Note the date, almost 6 years ago to the day I began preparing this entry, Nov. 21, 2022:

From: Gord Harrison 
Sent: 20 November 2016 18:36
Subject: Re: Reina Del Pacifico

Hi Mark,

As I build the web/blogsite '1000 Men 1000 Stories' re Canadians in Combined Operations, I would like to include stories related to veterans from other forces that crossed paths with the Canadian men.

In the near future I would like to use a good deal of the news clipping you showed me from your local paper regarding your grandfather Herbert Jones, because he served upon a ship very closely linked to the Combined Operations' planned invasion of North Africa.

I am hoping you can supply me with the name of the local paper (I have the names of the writer and photographer, and all the print work is very clear except for the name of the band, last paragraph). The paper may have an archive of earlier articles related to Canadian Navy men, like my Dad. I may have mentioned... more than once Canadians boarded ships in Liverpool, spent time in Wallasey at a prominent pub, The Crown. An older cousin recently confirmed that our grandfather came from Liverpool.

I have attached pictures taken by the same photographer, Lt. F. A. Hudson, official Royal Navy photographer, (all found at the Imperial War Museum).... It would not surprise me if the first was taken from aboard the Reina Del.

In the distance a destroyer is laying a smoke screen round one of the transports

off Oran. Two landing craft assault and one landing craft personnel (ramped)

can be seen in the foreground they are LCA 85, LCA 394 and LCP (R) 838

American troops exiting their landing craft assault on the beach

at Are, near Oran. Some of the ships of that convoy can be seen

in the distance (Americans were aboard Reina Del).

American troops landing stores on Arzeu beach from a landing

craft. Various sized ships can be seen in the distance.

American troops making their way inland after landing at Arzeu. Several

small landing craft can be seen in the foreground whilst in the distance can

be seen some of the troopships that helped transport the men. (Reina Del

may be among them, location is right for that date, early Nov. 1942.)

Cheers, G. Harrison

Mark's quick response follows:

Date: November 21, 2016 4:52:54 AM EST
To: 'Gord Harrison' 
Subject: RE: Reina Del Pacifico

HI Gord,

Great to hear from you, thanks very much for sending these photos.
The name of the newspaper is the Wirral Globe. http://www.wirralglobe.co.uk/

I used to find, and purchase, many articles and things relating to the Reina Del and the Merchant Navy, for my Grandad, over the years. He passed away over two years ago now. Unfortunately, some of my relations cleared his home before we could blink I don’t know what happened to all of these things. If I can help in any way please let me know.
Thanks and best wishes. This has stirred my interest again and a way of helping me come to terms with our loss.
I’ll keep you posted on any findings.
Best wishes

True, I didn't sit on my hands for the next six years, but neither did I follow up on a lead or two that came to mind while engaging with Mark's helpful correspondence. The Wirral Globe may be home to many WWII stories from the 1940s, stored on long lasting microfilm. There may still be original copies of the newspapers in a storeroom. I have only to email the newspaper and ask. Craig Manning, the writer of the article/interview with Herbert Jones, is still listed with The Wirral Globe. Would he perhaps be interested in a follow up story? Would his imagination be stirred if given a link to this entry re correspondence?

As well, not only would the article/interview re Herbert Jones make a good entry itself for my website, but it provides leads for other stories or lines of research as well. And I think I've waited long enough to share it here.

Veterans to Remember the Battle of the Atlantic

by Craig Manning, The Wirral Globe

A Wirral war veteran who served in the Battle Of The Atlantic has recalled his experiences ahead of the conflict's 70th anniversary commemoration.

Herbert Jones, 93, was granted Freedom of the City of Liverpool in recognition of his bravery. Mr. Jones is a member of the Atlantic Convoy Association, which has met for the last 30 years at the Royal British Legion's headquarters in Park Road East, Birkenhead. The ten members range in age from 88 to 94.

Mr. Jones, from Seacombe, was a Defensively-Equipped Merchant Seaman aboard the warship Rene del Pacifico (sic) - or "Queen of the Pacific". He was involved in four major maritime actions and later awarded the Freedom of Liverpool for his wartime service. He will be among those taking part in the commemoration service on Sunday, May 26.

Mr. Jones told the Globe: "I was involved in four invasions, Norway, North Africa, Sicily and Italy. One of the biggest battles was in 1943. We were on our way in a convoy of eight ships to the Mediterranean to try to get vital supplies into Malta. I knew a wing of Luftwaffe planes was flying after us, and then they attacked us. There were 64 planes and the ships managed to shoot down five of them."

Photo associated with Luftwaffe losses over the Mediterranean

Photo credit - ww2wrecks

"The worst part of it was waiting for action. You could be standing at the guns for two hours or more. The next morning I'd just come off watch and was having a shower when the alarm went again. There were 34 planes this time. We won 3 - 0."

"In 1942, my father was going to work when he read in the morning paper that a merchant ship had been torpedoed and there were no survivors. My family thought I was dead for two days. We got 48 hours' leave to go home when we docked to show ourselves. The family was in a terrible state but were so relieved to see me. I know what people are going through in conflicts today."

The human cost of the Battle of the Atlantic was immense. The Royal Navy lost 50,758 lives while the British merchant service lost more than 32,000 men. Many thousands of civilians on both sides of the battle were caught in bombing raids on shipyards and ports. Germany lost an estimated 28,000 U-boat men - 60% of those who served on frontline boats. Of the 859 U-boats that carried out war patrols, 648 were lost.

The memorial service at the Anglican Cathedral in Liverpool will be followed by a veterans' parade along Rodney Street, Mount Pleasant, Hope Street, down Upper Duke Street, finishing at the Anglican Cathedral. 

On the day there also will be a special band concert by the Royal Marines Band Ports.

Excellent interview, in my opinion. And there are a few 'research threads' I could easily follow with Herbert Jones' and Doug Harrison's shared experiences in mind:

- travels in/with convoys

- duties of a quartermaster, gun layer

- experiences re large troop ships in North Africa, Sicily and Italy

Part 2 soon to follow.

Please link to memoirs sent to me by another reader, dealing with Canadians in Combined Operations. Click here - Memoirs: William Eccles, at D-Day France, Parts 1 - 4

Unattributed Photos GH