By Andy Irwin I was born in Regina, Saskatchewan on May 28th, 1925. We lived in Yorkton until 1931, when, after my parents separated, my mother moved my sister and me to New Westminster, BC where we lived with my grandmother. I attended Lord Kelvin Elementary School, and then on to Lord Lister Junior High, which in those days included grades 7, 8 and 9. There were several minor diplomatic crises between Britain and France on one side, and Germany over the latter’s aggressive actions in Europe in 1937-38. Consequently, by 1939 Britain became very concerned and, to get Canada on their side, arranged a Royal Tour for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. New Westminster, known as the Royal City, annually held May Day events. On this particular occasion I was asked to lead a Andy Irwin, 1944 Semaphore Flag presentation in their In the fall of 1941 a Sea Cadet Force was honour. It was an exciting assignment for a being formed and I was one of the first to fourteen year old. leave ‘scouting’ and join Sea Cadets. I really When World War II broke out in enjoyed the training and discipline and in September 1939 I was a newspaper delivery less than a year became a Leading Cadet. I boy for the Vancouver Daily Province. think my Scout training helped. Newspapers were the main source of news In February 1943, at the age of 17, I in those days; television had not yet entered joined the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer our lives. On that fateful Sunday, September Reserve as an Ordinary Seaman. I earned the 3rd I was standing at a Street Car stop princely sum of $1.30 a day, plus room, yelling, “Extra! Extra! Read all about it. board and clothing. My Basic training was Britain and France go to war with done at HMCS Discovery in Stanley Park, Germany!” Newspapers sold for 5 cents, of Vancouver, just an hour away by electrified which I received just 2 cents. I was a Boy train. Following this, we went to HMCS Scout and enjoyed doing all the activities Naden in Esquimalt (Victoria). Every involved. second week I would catch one of the Living where I did, on the shores of Canadian Pacific Steamers and go home for the Fraser River, I was always going down a few days. to the docks watching the foreign vessels In late September 1943, after two unloading products from, to me, unknown weeks of ‘embarkation leave’ I boarded the countries; and loading lumber from the local Canadian National passenger train for the mills for their return trip to their homelands. trip to Halifax, Nova Scotia. I was to be The Fraser was a major source for stationed at the ‘Stone Boat’ HMCS the famous Sockeye Salmon and many other Stadacona. Shortly after, I was assigned to species of fish. I would spend hours the (British) Royal Navy Algerian watching vessels unload their catches, which Minesweeper, HMS Lightfoot. We did work- were then delivered to local canneries for ups (exercises in gunnery, ship maneuvers, processing. These activities and my attempts etc) out of Halifax. By early December we to build small boats wetted my appetite for were deemed ready for convoy escort duties. the sea. December 1943. Andy Irwin’s first convoy, SX, Halifax to Liverpool Slow Convoy SX, December 1943 where we handed Lightfoot to the Royal In mid-December we departed Halifax Navy. bound for St. John’s Newfoundland (Newfie On our first night in Rosyth, Port John) where we were to pick up an Watch was given shore leave until midnight. eastbound convoy to Britain. A few hours A group of us went into Edinburgh and out of Halifax we hit severe storms for Force discovered the Palais de Danse. There were 7-8 and had to seek shelter of 24 hours in two bands on a revolving stage. We had a Argentia, Newfoundland. The convoy we great evening dancing with the Scottish were to join was an SX, meaning slow lassies. However, when we returned to the moving (6 knots) so when the storm ship I discovered that one of those lovely subsided we, being able to do 15 knots, lassies had lifted my wallet! I had no ID and picked up our station before the convoy was this resulted in me being confined to the ship too far out to sea. for seven days. I had to remain on board Our convoy consisted of 40 ships in under an all Royal Navy crew! five rows of eight. The escort group was After confinement, I was sent to the made up of one destroyer, four corvettes and Canadian Manning Depot HMCS Niobe in HMS Lightfoot. We spent Christmas at sea, Greenock, on the River Clyde near Glasgow. and as we were only covering 170 miles a Within a few days I, along with 50 others, day, the trip took close to two weeks. We was sent to the John Brown’s Shipyard encountered one U-boat, which managed to (builders of the famous Queen Mary and get inside the convoy lines, and sunk one Queen Elizabeth) as the pre-commissioning freighter before being driven off by a depth crew of the HMCS Algonquin. charge attack. We were formally commissioned on Finally we docked in Liverpool, the February 17, 1944 under the command of Western Approaches HQ city for Britain’s then 30-year-old Lieutenant Commander Atlantic operations. After delivering the Desmond W. Piers, DSO, RCN. ‘Debbie’ as convoy we left for Rosyth, a journey that he was known, was a permanent Navy type took us north along Britain’s west coast, and previously served for a short time as the across Scotland’s north coast and south Commanding Officer of HMCS Restigouche along the east coast to Rosyth (Edinburgh), (Rusty Guts) when he was 29. Portsmouth on the south coast of England. We actually anchored off Seaview on the Isle of Wight on May 27. I turned 19 the following day. We could tell that something big was going on because of all the shipping. Speculation was running wild. We carried out several night patrols in the English Channel on June 4. On the afternoon of June 5, we learned that Operation Neptune, the naval component of the invasion of Europe Hits on the Tirpitz was to commence that evening. We undertook workups on the At 1600hrs, we weighed anchor and Clyde and in the Irish Sea. In early march proceeded to our rendezvous point off we proceeded to Scapa Flow, the British Cowes, Isle of Wight where we joined with Home Fleet base in the Orkney Isles. We HMS Hillary the Headquarters ship of Force were the junior vessel attached to the 26th ‘J’ (Juno Beach). Enroute we passed HMCS Destroyer Flotilla. Here we did some more Prince Henry and HMCS Prince David, two serious workups, practicing gunnery and former passenger liners from the BC coast. anti-submarine exercises, along with torpedo Our initial role was to escort HMS Hillary, and anti-aircraft shoots. which carried Major General Keller, On March 31 we sailed from Scapa Commanding Officer of the Third Canadian Flow for a major offensive against the Division, and his staff, to the assault area off German Battleship Tirpitz, holed up in Alta the Normandy coast. Fjord in Northern Norway. This was known HMS Hillary got underway at as Operation Tungsten and consisted of the 1800hrs with HMCS Algonquin astern Fleet Carriers HMS Victorious and HMS followed by a flotilla of LCI (Landing Craft Furious, the Victory Carriers, HMS Infantry) carrying Royal Marine Searcher, Emperor and Fencer, carrying 40 commandos. As we steamed through the barracuda bombers and 40 fighters. The 26th Solent, Clear the Lower Decks was piped Destroyer Flotilla with eight destroyers, and all hands gathered around the CO, Lt. including HMCS Algonquin and our sister Commander Piers, DSC. The route to the ship, HMCS Sioux, formed the escort group. beaches of Normandy was swept of mines The Tirpitz was located and 15 and the channel marked with Dan Buoys direct hits were made doing extensive (Blue Lights). While a surface attack was damage to her upper deck, including possible, the biggest danger was drifting destroying her 15-inch ‘B’ Guns. There mines. were also casualties, 122 of her crew of We closed up action stations at 2400 were killed and over 300 injured. We midnight and sailed in darkness until 0500 were designated to be the rescue vessel for hrs when the sky started to brighten. What a the operation. One of the fighters overshot sight! Ships of every size, landing craft and the carrier deck and we proceeded to pick up barges as far as the eye could see. It was the pilot. We put our whaler (an 8 man amazing that there had been no collisions rowboat) over the side and eventually picked reported during the crossing. up a cold and soggy pilot. This was a risky At 0600 hrs the battleships and business because Algonquin was at a dead cruisers opened fire on the shore batteries stop for 30 minutes and we were an easy U- and other defense positions. The noise was boat target. thunderous. I believe HMS Rodney was We continued operations along the outbound on Juno Beach and it was eerie to Norwegian coast until May 25, 1944 when see her 16-inch shells passing overhead, our destroyer Flotilla was ordered to inbound for the beach. Around 0630 hrs the sky was thick the next was a bit long, then 13 on target to demolish the position.