- Area:
- Wales
- Programme:
- Heroes Return
- Release date:
- 15 8 2012
As we commemorate the end of the Second World War with Victory over Japan Day (VJ Day) today (August 15), a veteran from Anglesey recalls the role he played in the Battle of the Pacific, known as the ‘Typhoon of Steel’, and how he survived desperate Kamikaze suicide attacks and cheated death in major naval battles stretching from the Mediterranean to the Pacific.
Thanks to a grant from the Big Lottery Fund’s Heroes Return 2 programme, 88 year old Caradog Jones from Holyhead, Anglesey, will be returning to Australia this year to recall where his War ended 67 years ago and to pay his respects to those who lost their lives in the bitter and bloody conflict between 1939 and 1945.
Caradog is one of numerous veterans from Wales who have made, or are making, a poignant return to the places where they served or saw action during the war. The Big Lottery Fund’s Heroes Return programme has to date awarded over £1 million to more than 830 Second World War veterans, widows, spouses and carers from Wales for journeys in the UK, France, Germany, the Middle East, Far East and beyond.
In November 1942 and only 18 years of age, Caradog Jones was called up by the Royal Navy as an Able Seaman. He joined the Torpedo Branch and was responsible for firing torpedoes from Destroyers on enemy ships and dropping depth charges to sink incoming enemy submarines. His War ended with the eventual surrender of the Japanese when the Americans dropped Atom Bombs on both Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
“I went to war completely innocent, not knowing what to expect,” explains Caradog.
“The funny thing is that I joined the Royal Navy and I couldn’t even swim a stroke, despite being surrounded by the sea growing up on Anglesey. I still can’t swim to this day.”
Joining the ‘Lucky Ship’
After successfully completing his training in Plymouth, in 1943 Caradog was acquainted for the first time with his ship, HMS Queenborough in Gourock, Scotland.
The Queenborough was dubbed ‘The Lucky Ship’ after the War in reference to all the near deadly scrapes she and the crew emerged out of unscathed despite fighting in some of the deadliest theatres of war around the world.
“I can’t really describe what I felt when I was on my way to join the ship,” says Caradog.
“I knew nothing about her or what I had to do, didn’t know any of the crew, everything was strange and I was quite worried. The only thing I knew is that I had to go. But soon enough I got to know the rest of the crew in the mess. We were all crammed in like sardines.”
Sicily – First taste of War
After a few days out on drills in the waters around Scapa Flow, Scotland, the Queenborough set sail for Gibraltar and the Mediterranean to prepare for her role in the invasion of Sicily, a major campaign in which the Allies took Sicily from the clutches of the Axis. The invasion began on the 9th of July 1943 and lasted until the 17th of August.
“The troops were being transported to Sicily from Africa after fighting in the campaign there,” recalls Caradog.
“Our job was to keep them safe from submarine attacks and from air attacks by enemy fighters when they made their way to invade Sicily. We also had the job of knocking out the German big guns along the coast that were pinning back our troops. We would shell the German positions until they pulled back so that our troops could move forward.”
“We used to deceive the Germans as well. We would create what we called a ‘mock landing’ by shelling a position on the coast to make the Germans think that we were going to land there so they would divert their forces to that area. Then our troops would land in a different location on the coast to surprise them.”
It was during the invasion of Sicily that Caradog and the Queenborough had what was to be one of their numerous lucky escapes of the conflict.
“We were getting bombed constantly wherever we were. On one occasion during Sicily, six German fighter planes came at us with a bomb each aimed at us. The bombs were so close that we ended up going right through a bomb water spout in front of us.”
The Invasion of Italy
Success at Sicily led to the invasion of mainland Italy during September 1943 and the Queenborough again had a major role to play in shelling positions and protecting other warships. She was one of the first warships to pass through the Mesina Straits and again, she emerged unscathed after being targeted by six German fighter planes.
“After we took Sicily, we went on to take Salerno and mainland Italy and moved up the Adriatic Coast to the port of Bari,” says Caradog.
“The Germans bombed us heavily. When we were in our action stations or when we came under attack, you didn’t have time to be scared. You just got on with the job at hand. The ship would speed up and would be rocking all over the place to try and dodge the bombs. With our guns going off and all the bombs coming down, the sound was deafening. It was only afterwards that you would think back at how lucky you were and say ‘thank God that’s over with’.”
The ‘Lucky Ship’ lived up to her name on further occasions during the Italian campaign.
“We would be shelling positions in the day and every couple of nights we would go out across the Adriatic to Yugoslavia on patrol searching for enemy ships and submarines. The motto of our ship was ‘Seek and Slay.’” explained Caradog.
“One evening whilst we were out on patrol, the port of Bari where we were based was raided heavily by the Germans. Seventeen of our ships were sunk in the harbour that night. We were told not to go back there and we had to dock at another port.”
“We would also regularly go on patrol with one of our sister ships. One day, she went out on her own and we stayed behind. She had only gone about one hundred yards out of the port when all of a sudden she was blown up by a mine in the water and we lost her. We were lucky that day I guess and it could have been us.”
Kamikaze attacks in the Battle of the Pacific
After departing the Mediterranean and attacking Japanese positions along the Indian Ocean and the West Coast of Malaya, at the end of 1944, the Queenborough was deployed to the Pacific Ocean to support in the war against Japan.
This is where Caradog and the Queenborough took part in the Battle of Okinawa, the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War on the island of Okinawa off the south coast of Japan. The battle lasted from early April until mid-June, 1945.
The battle has been referred to as the ‘Typhoon of Steel’ in reference to the ferocity of the fighting, the intensity of Kamikaze attacks from the Japanese defenders and the sheer numbers of Allied ships and armoured vehicles that assaulted the island.
From the 23rd of March to the 29th of May 1945, the Queenborough was part of an escort protecting British carriers as their aircraft attacked Japanese airfields around Okinawa and the surrounding Ryuku islands.
This is where Caradog witnessed firsthand the carnage inflicted by Kamikaze suicide attacks on Allied warships. Thousands of Navy personnel died and at least 47 vessels were sunk by Kamikaze attacks, with about 300 damaged.
“The Japanese were trying their best to stop us and they threw everything at us,” recalls Caradog.
“We had a huge task force there. There were 1,400 ships in all and 882 assault ships. The Americans also had around 182,000 troops on Okinawa. We were there for thirty one days in total and it was non-stop.”
On one occasion whilst escorting four aircraft carriers (HMS Victorious, Illustrious, Indomitable and Indefatigable), they were attacked by Japanese Kamikaze suicide planes.
“We knew they were coming and we all went to our action stations and braced ourselves,” says Carardog.
“Our job really was to distract Japanese aircraft from attacking our troops on Okinawa. We were sitting ducks. I remember the guns on every ship opening up at the aeroplanes as they came through the clouds at our carriers. Our aircraft carriers were their priority targets. The Illustrious and Indomitable were struck, but their decks were only slightly dented.”
“When the Kamikaze would hit our aircraft carriers, what was left of them on the flight deck were dragged and pushed over the side to make way so that our planes could continue to land and take off on the deck during battle. Such was the impact, sometimes they would have to change the damaged plates on the deck.”
Dropping the Bomb
The war culminated in the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, resulting in the surrender of Japan and the end of fighting on the 15th of August, 1945. Carardog vividly remembers being told by the ship’s Captain of the plans to use atomic bombs against Japan. While the role of the bombings in Japan's surrender and their ethical justification are still debated today, Caradog has no doubt in his mind that it was the right thing to do.
“We suffered heavy losses in Okinawa and that’s why they decided to drop the ‘Atom Bomb’ on Japan as they didn’t want a repeat of what happened there,” he says.
“They estimated we would lose around one million troops if we attacked Japan and the Japanese would rather die than surrender.
I remember the Captain explaining that they were dropping the bomb on Hiroshima. He got us together and said that the Allies had given the Japanese three days to surrender or they would drop another. They dropped the bomb on Nagasaki when the Japanese refused to surrender. That’s when the War finished. The Japanese knew they’d had it when they dropped the second. I personally think it was the right thing to do because it probably saved my life and the lives of countless others. We weren’t dealing with a conventional enemy. They were desperate fanatics and we were in the thick of it at that time and there was no end in sight. You had to be there to understand that.”
“After the war finished, we had to wait five days before we could move from our position because the Japanese had to call back all its submarines and make sure they were all accounted for. Some of the submarines might have been out of the reach of radio signal. In effect we were still in action stations just in case we were attacked.”
Hong Kong and freedom for the Australian Prisoners Of War (POW)
“Once we were given the all clear to move, we went to Hong Kong where the Admiral of our Fleet went to meet a Japanese Commander to find out where all the POW camps were,” explains Caradog.
“We were taken to an island near Hong Kong where most of them were kept and there were a lot of Australians there. We took about thirty from there on our ship. They were in a sorry state and we were warned not to give them any food because they could die.”
Heroes’ Welcome
The Queenborough had the honour of escorting an aircraft carrier full of released Australian POW’s back to Sydney harbour at the end of the War.
“We had a huge welcome as they were expecting us in,” says Caradog.
“The Sydney Harbour Bridge was black with people. It was a huge celebration. The POW’s were malnourished and some of them couldn’t walk. We went up to Katoomba in the Blue Mountains for a break for ten days and then I was invited to stay with a family in Sydney. He was a Major in the army and we were friends for many years after that.”
Christmas back Home
The Queenborough was handed over to the Royal Australian Navy on loan after the conflict and Caradog returned back to the UK on another ship, HMS Norman, before arriving home in Anglesey a week before Christmas Day, 1945.
“I hadn’t been home for two and a half years and I got home a week before Christmas,” he says.
“My brother had been fighting out in Burma and luckily, he came home two days before Christmas. It was wonderful to be home with everyone safe. My brother had joined since 1939 and the war ended for him on VJ day as well. It was strange that we were both back at the same time. My Mother was delighted to have her boys back home safe and sound.”
The Hero Returns
Sixty seven years after he sailed into Sydney Harbour a hero with a precious cargo of freed Australian POW’s ready to be reunited with their families and loved ones, Caradog will be returning down under for three weeks in November to pay his respects to fallen comrades and retrace his steps.
During his visit, he will be taking part in Australian Remembrance Day in Canberra on November 11 along with his daughter, Gwenda.
The Big Lottery Fund has extended its Heroes Return 2 programme. The programme has no fixed deadline for applications at this time. This extension is for those veterans who have so far been unable to undertake a commemorative visit.
More information and details of how to apply for a Heroes Return 2 grant are available by calling 0845 00 00 121 or visiting www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/heroesreturn
BIG is continuing its support for UK veterans through its new £35 million Forces in Mind initiative to establish an independent trust to provide long term support and advocacy for former service personnel. The funding will help veterans who served in conflicts including Iraq, Afghanistan and the Gulf War struggling with the transition to civilian life, especially those whose psychological well-being subsequently impacts on the quality of their life and others around them.
Heroes Return was the centre-piece of the Veterans Reunited programme including Home Front Recall which awarded £19.2 million to support UK-based group events and activities to commemorate those who contributed to the war-effort on the home front, and Their Past Your Future with an ongoing £9.6 million scheme funding a UK-wide schools and education programme to give young people the opportunity to learn first-hand from veterans about their experience of war.
Further Information
Big Lottery Fund Press Office – Oswyn Hughes: 02920 678 207
Out of hours contact: 07760 171 431
Public Enquiries Line: 0300 123 0735
Textphone: 0845 6021 659
Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on the website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Notes to Editors
- The Big Lottery Fund (BIG), the largest distributor of National Lottery good cause funding, is responsible for giving out half the money raised for good causes by the National Lottery.
- BIG is committed to bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need and has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since June 2004. The Fund was formally established by Parliament on 1 December 2006.
- Since the National Lottery began in 1994, 28p from every pound spent by the public has gone to good causes. As a result, over £28 billion has now been raised and more than 383,000 grants awarded across arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.
- Heroes Return £17 million scheme provided funding to Second World War veterans, their wives or husbands, widows and widowers and, where required, their present-day carers to visit the overseas areas where the veterans saw active service. By linking with activities funded through the Their Past Your Future scheme, Heroes Return is also helping to give young people a better understanding of the efforts and sacrifices made by veterans.
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