Themes
Ken McDonald
Article Highlights
-
Action in Crete
Action in Crete
By May 1941
the Germans had overrun Greece with surviving Allied troops being
evacuated to Crete. On 22nd May 1941 HMS Gloucester sailed to Crete to defend HM ships against
heavy German air and seaborne attacks. The ship joined the Battle Fleet
under Rear Admiral Rawlings and by 1321 was heading eastward through
the Kithera Channel, to the north of Crete. The Luftwaffe had subjected the
fleet to air attacks all day and most ships were very short of
anti-aircraft ammunition.
The Battle Fleet joined up with another force under Rear Admiral King
with the object of stopping the German seaborne assault expected from
the north. The force turned west to sweep the Aegean Sea when two bombs
hit HMS Greyhound. Greyhound sank within 15 minutes. Rear Admiral King
ordered HMS Kandahar and HMS Kingston to pick up survivors while HMS
Gloucester and HMS Fiji gave them supporting fire.
The German forces subjected the men in the water to continuous bombing
and machine gun attacks while the rescue operations were going on. At
3pm Rear Admiral King ordered HMS Gloucester and HMS Fiji to withdraw because of their shortage of anti-aircraft ammunition.
Half an hour later witnesses saw the two ships approaching the relative
safety of the remainder of the fleet at full speed. But before HMS
Gloucester could reach the fleet several bombs hit setting the ship
alight and completely disabling it. The Luftwaffe’s Stukas finished the
ship off and HMS Gloucester began to list to port as she sustained hit
after hit. With Gloucester's speed diminishing the ship's commander
gave the order to ‘Abandon Ship’.
During the assault McDonald was serving at his action stations role in
HMS Gloucester’s Transmitting Station, the nerve centre of the gunnery
fire-control system down in the bowels of the ship. Following the
attack McDonald was the only one of 18 musicians in the Transmitting
Station to get off the ship alive.
When the call came to Abandon Ship McDonald chose to disobey Ship's
Standing Orders and entered the water from the low side of the ship.
His fear of heights and subsequent disobedience saved him his life as
another Stuka attack killed the men he would have accompanied over the
high side.
Rescue attempts by the remaining ships failed. HMS Fiji dropped all of
her boats and carley floats but due to the air attacks was unable to
help further. German attacks sank HMS Fiji later that day causing heavy loss
of life.
After dark, destroyers of
the 5th Flotilla began to search for the survivors of HMS Gloucester but by this time they had already been picked up by
the Germans and became prisoners of war. Out of a total of 50 Officers and 755 Ratings, only two Officers and 80
Ratings survived. Nine of the Royal Marines detachment had survived,
but one of them died in captivity. Ken McDonald was the only survivor
of the Royal Marine Band.
To discover the details of Mc Donald’s imprisonment, select Next
