Clyde steamers at war
The September meeting saw 60 members of the Arran Historical Society and visitors hear a fascinating talk by Ian Quinn – a real master of his subjects. Ian, who admits to being a ‘steamer dreamer’, can be found wherever and whenever PS Waverley is sailing, and is always ready at the drop of a hat to talk to groups interested in his favourite subject, writes Norma Davidson.
A few years ago he collaborated with others to produce a book, Paddle Steamers at War, 19141918. Proceeds from the book contribute to the upkeep of the Waverley. In partnership with Fiona Laing of Arran, a talk and slideshow was produced and delivered at Pirnmill Village Hall to generate funds for the Pirnmill war memorial restoration.
The talk given to us included that content and also continued between the wars and then into the Second World War. Next year will see the centenary of the armistice, and as yet there has been no recognition of these ships and their crews in official remembrance. Ian feels it his duty to promote the work they did and the sacrifices made to this and future generations.
The First World War paddle steamers were strong boats, but armed usually with one gun and had little protection from armaments or the weather. Most of them were Clyde-built at yards such as John Brown’s at Clydebank, Fairfields in Govan, Harland and Wolff, Glasgow, and Denny’s in Dumbarton. They operated on their West Coast routes in a variety of liveries which were instantly recognisable – the Glasgow and South Western Railway, Caledonian Railway, the North British and LMS Railway, to name but a few. On their call-up for war service, they obviously operated in Admiralty grey with the exception of the ‘Loch’ boats which had a camouflage green.
A picture was shown of the Duchess of Fife, built in 1903, loaded with Territorials passing Largs in 1914. The Duchess of Hamilton and the Duchess of Montrose were both early war casualties. The role of these ships was usually troop transport, hospital ships or as mine clearing vessels.
We saw a wonderful picture showing a rowing boat lowered from the Duchess of Rothesay, and the poor man in the bow was instructed to catch a mine floating on the sea. The audience hoped he, the rowing boat, its crew and the Duchess of Rothesay survived the encounter.
There was also a picture of the Dunoon-Cloch antisubmarine boom across the Clyde. This stretched four miles across the estuary and was used in both wars, allowing ships to pass through in daylight hours only, at a charge of £1 per ship, paid to the Admiralty. No inflation there, the same charge in 1918 as in 1945.
Some vessels had a long life. The Duchess of Fife, launched in 1903, served at war and in peacetime right up to 1953, while some lasted a mere few months. The Glen Sannox, built in 1892, a fast, elegant vessel, was quickly released by the Admiralty as she was too costly to run. The King Edward, built in 1901, was the first commercial turbine steamer in the world, and was a forerunner of the Atlantic liners. She went to war as a hospital ship and eventually returned to Oban in 1919 from Archangel, Russia. The Queen Alexandra, built in 1902, sank a U-boat by ramming it, obviously damaging itself. She sailed home at full-astern all the way. The first PS Waverley, built in 1899, saw service in the First World War and the Second World War.
A total of 45 men lost their lives on those ships between 1914 and 1918. After the war, the ships were repaired and restored to their old liveries in the Clyde dockyards.
By the summer of 1939 with war being imminent, the ferry timetables were issued monthly, the September issue lasted a mere three days. Again, the ships were called into service as escort vessels, salvage vessels, tenders and mine sweepers, with King Edward again becoming a hospital ship.
One skipper, John Cameron, a well-kent face in Brodick, had the distinction of being on the Waverley when she went down, also serving on the Glen Sannox and the Queen Mary. Members heard a recording of him describing the demise of the Waverley at Dunkirk on May 29, 1940. She had tried to help the Oriel (Eagle III), which was beached. The attempt was unsuccessful, so she tried to rejoin her convoy and was bombed by German aircraft. One bomb put the steering gear out, a second hit the sick bay and a third sank her. Those on board clung to life-rafts, but were heavily shelled and many died. Ironically, the Oriel survived. Altogether 313 men were lost in the Second World War from the steamers, of which 300 were soldiers from Dunkirk on the Waverley.
The Jeanie Deans and Talisman both went to war and survived until 1967. The King George V made seven trips to Dunkirk and received a commendation for bravery. President Roosevelt and Winston Churchill sailed on her on one occasion also.
To come full circle, the meeting saw pictures of the Marchioness of Graham, one of the first Arran car ferries, the much-loved Glen Sannox car ferry, the Queen Mary, recently returned to the Clyde for renovation and a permanent home, and our old friend, PS Waverley, launched 70 years ago and still flying the flag in her familiar CalMac colours for all the many brave steamers of the past century and more.
The next meeting of the historical society will be on Monday October 16 when the speaker will be David Anderson, a civil engineer, who is a well-known speaker on the history of the electricity industry and its development in Scotland and its future.
The meeting commences at 2pm in Brodick Hall and, as usual, visitors are most welcome.