Ahoy - Mac's Web Log

August 16, 2010

My Grandfather was a prisoner on Raider Wolf. He was on the Jumna. His name is Thomas Harold Williams he was very young born on
5th June 1898. He was involved in the escape at Sunday Island. He was going to  escape with Cleeland and Steers and they were going to be helped by  Buckingham and Cuthill. At the last minute Buckingham, who was a friend and shipmate held on to him and he did not go.

He wrote about the escape in a lot of detail. He was then a prisoner in Brandenburg Camp along with Buckingham (as I discovered from your list "Count Nicholaus Graf zu Dahna-Schlodien, who so ably captained the German Armed Merchant Raider Moewe in WW1"). While he was there he witnessed the naval mutiny at the rail yard in Kiel.

He wrote about this experience in detail as well. I don't know what his rank was on the Jumna. He died 12th Aug 1941 during the
battle of the Atlantic when his ship Picotee was torpedoed.

I hope this information  will help you update your website. I found it very interesting.

Sara  Blincoe

Sara,

Thank you for your E-Mail with its very interesting content.

Your Grandfather's Certificate from the Commonwealthy War Graves Site. He is recorded on the Chatham Naval Memorial.

Casualty Details
      Name: WILLIAMS, THOMAS HAROLD
      Initials: T H
      Nationality: United Kingdom
      Rank: Lieutenant
      Regiment/Service: Royal Naval Reserve
      Unit Text: H M.S. Picotee.
      Age: 43
      Date of Death: 12/08/1941
      Additional information: Son of the Revd. John
Williams and Mamie
Jessie Loring Williams; husband of Alice Maud Williams, of
Poole,
Dorsetshire.
      Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
      Grave/Memorial Reference: 49, 3.
      Memorial: CHATHAM NAVAL MEMORIAL

Here is the story of the loss of HMS Picotee:

At that time your Grandfather is shown as a Lieutenant.

      From: The BBC's The History of H.M.S Picotee: K63

INTRODUCTION:

      HMS Picotee, a Flower-class corvette, was completed on September 5th 1940 at Harland and Wolf and was employed on convoy escort duty in the North Atlantic. Allocated to the 4th Escort Group and based on Greenock, she left port on the morning of 7th August 1941 to join part of convoy ONS.4 at sea, proceeding to Iceland. On the morning of the 12th August she was torpedoed by the German submarine U-568.

      THE LOSS OF THE PICOTEE

      11th August 1941 

The PICOTEE took station on the starboard bow of the convoy, with the anti-submarine trawler AYRSHIRE on the port side. At 2200/11th the PICOTEE relayed by light signal to the AYRSHIRE an intercepted wireless report of an unidentified submarine in the vicinity of the convoy. The AYRSHIRE had already received a similar report on a different wave length but the position given differed by one degree of longitude and the PICOTEE's attention was drawn to the discrepancy. However, it was estimated that the submarine would be about 30 miles eastward of the convoy and the PICOTEE, informing the AYRSHIRE that she intended to sweep astern of the convoy, proceeded accordingly. This was the last signal received from the PICOTEE. The AYRSHIRE commenced to sweep ahead of the convoy, considering it desirable to remain with the convoy unless otherwise ordered by the PICOTEE.

      12th August 1941

      At about 0150/12th in approximate position 62° North, 18° West, the PICOTEE was observed to steam up the port side of the convoy at full speed, cross ahead of the AYRSHIRE and disappear into the darkness down the starboard side. About five minutes later a pattern of six depth charges was heard exploding, the PICOTEE by this time being out of sight from the AYRSHIRE (visibility was about one mile). Nothing unusual was observed despite a keen lookout; the PICOTEE was not seen again and, assuming that she had been called away to rejoin the 4th escort group, the AYRSHIRE went on with the convoy to Iceland.

      When the PICOTEE failed to return to base enquiries as to her whereabouts were started at once. She failed to answer signals requesting her to report her position and it was found that she had not been seen by aircraft flying from Iceland. She had to be presumed lost with all hands when a careful air search of the area failed to find her or any trace of survivors.

      A subsequent inquiry found that two officers of one of the merchant ships in the convoy had seen a large cloud of smoke and heard the sound of escaping steam from the direction of the PICOTEE. When the smoke cleared they saw the bows of a corvette rising out of the water at about 45°. They had seen no flash, heard no loud explosion - only "dull thuds". They were convinced that the corvette had not been torpedoed and that the explosion had occurred on board the ship itself. But opinion on the cause of the disaster was divided and the problem had to remain unresolved for some years.

      Not until long after the end of the war, when captured U-boat logs were examined, was it established that the PICOTEE had been torpedoed by the German submarine U568. Entries in her log showed that her Captain had sighted a Corvette (which he could not identify) near convoy ONS.4 soon after the PICOTEE had last been seen by the AYRSHIRE. He fired torpedoes, one of which hit the corvette amidships just below the bridge. She broke in two and sank almost immediately, some of her depth charges exploding as she sank in approximate position 62° I5' North, 17° 59' West, about 70 miles south of Iceland.

      There were no survivors: the entire ship's company of 5 officers and 61 ratings was reported missing presumed killed.

      The Crew of HMS Picotee -

      HARRISON,RONALD ARTHUR Lieutenant

      BRISLAND, HENRY EDWIN Sub-Lieutenant

      ROBERTS, JOHN PAUL Sub-Lieutenant

      WILLIAMS, THOMAS HAROLD Lieutenant

      WYMER, JOHN ARTHUR Sub-Lieutenant

      ANDREW, RICHARD JOHN Ordinary Seaman

      BRINKLEY, HENRY JOHN ERNEST Stoker 2nd Class

      CAMPBELL, JOHN BOUSIE Telegraphist

      CHADWICK, SIDNEY JOHN Petty Officer

      CHAMBERS, ARTHUR

      CHICK, ALBERT EDWARD Able Seaman

      COLLINS, WILLIAM STANLEY Leading Stoker

      CROMACK, CHARLES ABEL Able Seaman

      DEXTER, PETER ALAN Ordinary Seaman

      DOWNEY, THOMAS FREDERICK Stoker 2nd Class

      FAGG, MARTIN THOMAS Engine Room Artificer 5th Class

      FAIRLEY, BERNARD WILLIAM Able Seaman

      FARMER, ALBERT ERNEST Able Seaman

      GALLAGHER, JOSEPH Ordinary Telegraphist

      GELDART, RAYMOND SEWARD Telegraphist

      GOODWIN, ERIC CHARLES Leading Supply Assistant

      GOTOBED, ROBERT THOMAS AINGER Stoker 1st Class

      HALL, MAYLAND Able Seaman

      HARPER, GEORGE ISAAC SAMUEL Sick Berth Attendant

      HEIGHT, FRANK Ordinary Seaman

      HOBBS, CHARLES FREDERICK JAMES Stoker 1st Class

      HORNER, FRANK ALFRED Leading Stoker

      ILES, FREDERICK ROBERT Stoker 2nd Class

      IRONMONGER, CECIL Chief Engine Room Artificer

      JOSOLYNE, ERNEST CLARENCE Ordinary Signalman

      KEAM, HENRY Leading Seaman

      KINDER, HENRY GORDON Able Seaman

      KING, HENRY JAMES Leading Seaman

      LINFIELD, ALFRED Able Seaman

      LOWMAN, LESLIE JOHN Ordinary Signalman

      McINTOSH, MAXWELL ADAM Leading Telegraphist

      McNULTY, RONALD ALEXANDER Steward

      MATTHEWS, ALFRED GEORGE Able Seaman

      MATTHEWS, JAMES Able Seaman

      MAYSTON, FRED WILLIAM Able Seaman

      NEVILLE, The Hon. GEORGE ROBERT LATIMER Ordinary Seaman

      NEWMAN, WILLIAM CHARLES Stoker 1st Class

      NORRIS, STANLEY GEORGE Petty Officer Stoker

      O'CONNER, DANIEL Stoker 1st Class

      PAYNE, ARTHUR JOSEPH Able Seaman

      PEACOCK, ROBERT WALTER STANLEY Stoker 2nd Class

      ROBINS, EDWARD JOHN Able Seaman

      ROONEY, MATTHEW Stoker 2nd Class

      RUSSELL, MAURICE LLOYD Able Seaman

      SAMUEL, DONALD JOHN Ordinary Seaman

      SANDOM, JOHN FRANCIS VICTOR Ordinary Seaman

      SHAKESHAFT, WALTER ALBERT Leading Cook (S)

      SMITH, HENRY FREDERICK Coder

      SMITH, JOHN Able Seaman

      SMYTH, WILLIAM ROBERT Stoker 1st Class

      STONE, FREDERICK CLEMENT Coder

      SYMM, NORMAN Stoker 1st Class

      TAYLOR, DONALD ALAN Ordinary Seaman

      TUCK, ALFRED JOHN ARTHUR Able Seaman

      VAUGHAN, CYRIL Cook (O)

      WATERS, ARTHUR Leading Signalman

      WILDE, LAWRENCE Able Seaman

      WILKES, EDWARD Able Seaman

      WILLS, ALEC Petty Officer Stoker

      WILSON, ARTHUR JAMES Petty Officer

      YOUEL, HENRY CHARLES LEE Signalman

Best regards,
|Mac.


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