Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

‘The food was good and on the whole the weather was not too bad, but the torpedo failures were discouraging. One cannot help feeling sore about the torpedoes. To be chased three times in one patrol by one’s own maddened torpedoes is surely an aspect of war which would lead one’s mother to write a stiffish note to the Prime Minister.’

Lieutenant-Commander Leslie Bennington, D.S.O., D.S.C., R.N., modestly describing an unexpected and unwelcome turn of events in November 1943.

A rare Second World War submariner’s D.S.M. and Bar group of six awarded to Engine Room Artificer 2nd Class J. M. Powell, Royal Navy, who, having been decorated and mentioned in despatches for his gallant deeds in the Proteus in the Mediterranean 1941-42, added a Bar to his D.S.M. for like deeds in the Tally Ho in the Far East in 1944: his first tour of operations witnessed the Proteus being rammed by an Italian submarine and his second tour the destruction of the Japanese cruiser Kuma with a ‘hose-pipe salvo’ - so, too, another hair-raising encounter of the closest kind, the screws of an enemy torpedo boat slicing Tally Ho’s ballast tanks ‘like crackling on pork’

Distinguished Service Medal, G.VI.R., with Second Award Bar (MX. 53617 J. M. Powell, E.R.A. 3); Atlantic Star; Africa Star; Burma Star, clasp, Pacific; War Medal 1939-45, M.I.D. oak leaf, the first with edge bruise, generally good very fine (6)
£4000-5000

D.S.M. London Gazette 30 June 1942:

‘For gallant and distinguished services in successful patrols while serving in H.M. Submarine Proteus.’

The original recommendation states:

‘For great devotion to duty. His efficiency and determination have largely contributed to the efficient running of all machinery. His tireless energy in carrying out repairs at sea has been outstanding.’

Bar to D.S.M. London Gazette 11 April 1944:

‘For outstanding courage, skill and devotion to duty in successful patrols in H.M. Submarines.’

The original recommendation states:

‘Engine Room Artificer Powell, as Chief Engine Room Artificer of H.M.S. Tally Ho, is an excellent leader and has set a fine example to his subordinates on all occasions. His courage and devotion to duty during the depth charging, which followed successful torpedo attacks upon an enemy cruiser and two supply ships, were outstanding and his technical ability was largely responsible for the rapid repair of damage sustained.’

Mention in despatches London Gazette 29 December 1942:

‘For distinguished services in successful patrols in H.M. Submarines.’

John Metford Powell was born in Penarth in January 1915 and entered the Royal Navy as an Engine Room Artificer 4th Class in September 1936, soon after which he assisted in ‘the evacuation of civilians from Barcelona during the Spanish Civil War ... and was serving on the battleship Royal Oak when she was hit by a bomb during the evacuation’ (an accompanying newspaper article refers). He then commenced his time in the submarine branch in July 1938.

“Proteus” - Mediterranean - First D.S.M. and a “mention”

An E.R.A. 3 serving in the Proteus by the outbreak of hostilities in September 1939, he was awarded his first D.S.M. and a “mention” in respect of that submarine’s 5th to 10th war patrols on the Mediterranean in the period September 1941 to April 1942.

Proteus was a 1929-vintage submarine, and the state of her machinery so decrepit that extra staff had to be enlisted for maintenance duties - in fact her oil consumption had risen so drastically that it took a good deal of mathematical ability to predict how long she could possibly ‘steam’ before it became necessary to run for port. So Powell in his capacity as E.R.A. must have been hard pushed during patrol work. No wonder then that his skipper, Lieutenant-Commander Philip Francis, D.S.O., R.N., ‘one of the most patient men that ever lived’, recommended him for a decoration.

In the course of 1941-42, the Proteus sunk four ships in convoy, seriously damaged a large tanker and a troopship, and destroyed by gunfire a schooner. She may also have sunk or damaged a fifth ship. But successful patrols aside, one of the most memorable events to take place during Powell’s time aboard her the following encounter with an Italian destroyer:

‘The next patrol, although it produced no sinkings, provided an excellent example of the quick thinking and cool courage of Lieutenant-Commander Francis. He twice attacked with torpedoes a vessel thought to be a submarine. The night was very dark and it was not until the enemy was only 500 yards distant and turning towards him that the Lieutenant-Commander Francis realised his opponent was a small destroyer attempting to ram. He appreciated immediately that if he dived he would certainly be rammed and so he most courageously and deliberately turned towards the enemy. As a result the two ships collided on opposite courses and Proteus’ port fore hydroplane, which was turned out at the time, tore a large hole in the enemy's bow before it was eventually wrenched off. Lieutenant-Commander Francis's bold action undoubtedly saved his ship’ (Admiralty records refer).

As it transpired, this was not to be Powell’s only experience of a collision.

“Tally-Ho” - Far East - Second D.S.M.

During the period of Powell’s employment in the Tally-Ho in the period December 1942 to January 1945, which commenced with a spate of patrols off Norway, Gibraltar and the South of France, his skipper, Lieutenant-Commander Leslie Bennington, added a Bar to his D.S.O. and Second and Third Award Bars to his D.S.C. for subsequent patrols in the Far East in 1944. Here, then, evidence of a remarkable operational record, in the course of which skipper and crew had to endure the appalling conditions - and the above cited ‘maddened torpeodes’. Submarine Victory, by David A. Thomas, sets the scene:

‘Submarine operations got into full swing in the new year of 1944. Boats were being sent to patrol the shallow waters of the Malacca Straits.

All waters are dangerous for submarines in wartime, as we have read; the northern waters of Norway, with their long daylight hours; the Arctic ones with their ice hazards; the shallows off the coast of Europe; the shallows and clarity of the Mediterranean. Now, in the East, submarines were subjected to the peculiar hazards of these oriental waters. Clear, shallow seas are dangerous in themselves. But the Malacca Straits and similar Eastern waters were not always reliably charted. This is no reflection on the magnificent work of the Admiralty's Hydrographic Department. Accurate charts demand frequent surveys to locate shifting sandbanks and similar peculiarities. Commanders and navigators were constantly perturbed by depths which failed to correspond with those shown on the charts. And the knowledge that there is plenty of sea room in depth is one of the many things commanders like to have when launching an attack.

Another aspect of this campaign was the long distance from base to billet.  A passage of one thousand miles from Trincomalee was not uncommon. The thought of being damaged on patrol with such a long haul back to base was one which commanders kept constantly in mind.

Perhaps the most worrying personal aspect of submarine service in those tropical waters was the heat. All sailors - in surface vessels as well as in submarines - are familiar with prickly heat, but the sailor in surface vessels rarely had to contend with the suffocating conditions in a submarine after a few hours of submersion. The electric motors generate heat while they are running, and this heat is circulated through the boat until conditions become almost intolerable.

The rig of the day became a sarong or towel wrapped round the waist; the crew were near naked as the sweat ran down in streams all over one's body. Temperatures of well over 100 degrees were typical while in motor-rooms 120 degrees was often reached.’

In terms of a full account of Tally Ho’s operations in the Far East, interested parties are referred to Ian Trenowden’s excellent history, The Hunting Submarine - The Fighting Life of H.M.S. Tally-Ho, in which Powell receives due recognition. Thus mention of him being selected by Bennington for look-out work on the bridge, for ‘he had exactly the degree of application look-out duty required - he often saw what younger men missed, and he welcomed a chance to be on the bridge, a chance he’d not had under previous captains’. And, as per the repair work he had carried out at sea in Proteus, Powell was equally diligent aboard Tally Ho, Bennington commending him on the occasion he worked for 36 hours to try and close a leak in the periscope - much of that time exposed to the sun - and risk of enemy attack - on Tally Ho’s casing.

By way of summary, there follows a list of Tally Ho’s major engagements in the Far East, commencing with her first war patrol in late 1943:

6 November 1943: attack against the U-178 off Penang. Five torpedoes fired, followed by surface pursuit. Unsuccessful owing to arrival of enemy submarine chaser.

8 November 1943: depth-charged off Penang - ‘first pattern rather close and damaged depth gauge.’

10 November 1943: torpedoes and sinks the Japanese water carrier Kisogawa Maru in the northern part of the Malacca Strait - ‘fired five torpedoes from 2600 yards’ and ‘a tremendous explosion was seen to blow the enemy to pieces.’

11 December 1943: performs a ‘special mission’.

5 January 1944: performs another ‘special mission’.

11 January 1944: torpedoes and sinks the Japanese cruiser Kuma north-west of Penang but then faces counter-attack by an enemy destroyer.

15 February 1944: torpedoes and sinks the ex-Italian submarine UIT-23 in the Straits of Malacca.

21 February: torpedoes and sinks the Japanese army cargo ship Daigen Maru No. 6 in the Straits of Malacca.

24 February 1944: hair-raising encounter on the surface with a Japanese torpedo boat - rammed and seriously damaged, her ballast tanks being sliced ‘like crackling on pork’.

14 May 1944: following extensive repairs at Colombo, Tally-Ho returns to operations with a mine-laying mission.

17 May 1944: launches an unsuccessful torpedo attack against the U-532.

22 August 1944: sinks a Japanese coaster with gunfire in the Straits of Malacca.

24 August 1944: sinks three Japanese junks with gunfire.

4 October 1944: has an inconclusive engagement with a Japanese coaster and torpedo boat.

6 October 1944: sinks a Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser with gunfire on the surface, but Tally-Ho’s gunnery officer is mortally wounded by the enemy’s return fire.

9 November 1944: carries out a ‘special mission’ with an O.S.S.-sponsored Free Thai team bound for Siam. Landed at Ko Kradan, Trang Province, on this date.

17-18 November 1944: sinks ten Japanese sailing vessels with gunfire off Langkawi and elsewhere.

20 November 1944: torpedoes and sinks the Japanese auxiliary minelayer Ma 4 off the southern tip of Great Nicobar Island - torpedoes set to six feet.

23 November 1944: completes her 12th wartime patrol and departs for home waters, arriving back in Portsmouth on 19 January 1945.

The sinking of the Japanese cruiser Kuma off Penang was by any standards a spectacular achievement, Bennington despatching a ‘hose-pipe salvo’ of seven torpedoes, two of which found their mark with devastating results. But, as confirmed by an accompanying newspaper report, the enemy’s ensuing response nearly ended in Tally Ho’s demise:

‘While making her escape, Tally Ho was hit by depth charges. One side of the submarine was holed in many places, and the crew thought they would never reach port safely. However, by skilful and careful manoeuvring the submarine was coaxed on to her undamaged side and was brought home.’

Powell attended a Buckingham Palace investiture with Bennington and other members of Tally Ho’s crew on 20 July 1945, and remained in the submarine service until October 1949; sold with four original wartime photographs, including Powell in group photographs of those members of Tally Ho’s crew who were decorated for their part in sinking of the Kuma, together with a feature from the Illustrated London News regarding the successful action of Proteus in the Mediterranean, and a file of research.