Americans In Britain During Ww2 [Archive]

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George Randall King

11-09-2007, 01:55

While I may have lived in Utah for the last 30 years or so I was born on Burtonwood RAF base near Warrington in Lancashire. I understand that made me a royal subject. Whether or no I'm still very proud to have once called Britain home. My father was with the U.S. Air Force during the Korean war and was stationed about as far from Korea as one could be. He was sent over on one of those terrible American troopships while my mother was sent over a bit later aboard the Queen Mary while she was carrying me. We came back to the U.S. a few years later.
I never served but my uncle was a 5 inch gunner aboard U.S.S. Alabama during WWII. He is almost 90 now but remembers Scapa Flow and inviting Tirpitz to come out and play with South Dakota, Malaya and the 'bama. He was with her during her entire combat career. He has visited her in Mobile, Alabama and I have made the trek twice to her as well as to Texas, Arizona and Missouri.
I'm a modeler and avocational historian and am sure to enjoy membership here. Just call me Randall. Sounds friendlier somehow.

John Brown

11-09-2007, 12:57

Hello Randell

I was very interested in reading your post. My father served in the RN during WW2 and was, for a time, aboard the Queen Mary when she was a troopship ferrying GI's to the UK. I actually spent a few nights aboard her in Longbeach, where she is a hotel and conference centre, back in 2001. Interested also to hear of your trips to the WW2 Battleships. I have been on board the USS Iowa. It was several years ago now and not long after she had the explosion in a forward gun turret that killed more than 40 men. I also went on board the liberty ship, USS Jerimiah O'Brien, when she came over here for the 50th Anniversary of the D Day landings. My wife and I have a friend who lives in Charlotte NC and we are hoping to visit her later in the year. I intend to visit the USS North Carolina berthed in Wilmington whilst I am there.

Hope to hear more of you in the forum.

Alan B

12-09-2007, 13:49

Hiya John and Randell

I've, hopefully, added a photo of the Iowa on her visit to Portsmouth UK.
I was lucky to live near to Portsmouth Harbour in the 50s and 60s and remember well the visiting US Warships, Essex class Carriers The USS Newport News etc,. It was always a treat to go on board some of these ships and get a genuine Coke :)

All the best
Alan

Melv.

12-09-2007, 14:13

Excellent photo John! Must have looked fantastic passing by.

I too am a "Pompey Boy" from the 50's and 60's and often used to go to the entrance to Portsmouth Harbour as a Lad and watch the ships coming and going when we had a Navy that was bigger than the Gosport Ferry.
What people don't realise, for those who have never been there, is the sheer narrowness of the harbour entrance.
If you stand on the quayside (Spice Island) you feel like you can almost reach out and touch the ships as they enter the harbour.
Of course it has to be mentioned "The Still and West" Pub bang alongside the harbour entrance. Spent many a happy hour in there as well (and I still do when visiting my Roots).

Alan B

12-09-2007, 16:18

Hi Melv

Some people did when the Vanguard popped in the Still and West for a last one. :)
The story went that the ghosts wanted a last pint.
I used to live in the tower blocks on the Gosport side and got many a warship photo from up there.
This is the USS Winston S Churchill

Camarogenius

14-09-2007, 17:31

Hello, Gentlemen.
If that's the Portsmouth port of call from july 1989, I was actually on board at the time. I had a bunch of fun there.
Jeffrey Watts
R-Division
U.S.S. IOWA

Alan B

14-09-2007, 19:46

Camarogenius

14-09-2007, 20:23

Hi Jeffrey
Was it really that long ago? Time flies.
I was one of the lucky ones to be aloud a visit. The sheer size of her and her sisters was/is amazing.
The only other Battleship I ever saw was HMS Vanguard in Portsmouth Harbour and her hesitance to leave for the scrapyard.

Alan
Yes, It was a long time ago. I remember a great little tavern, and two "birds", I believe you call them. They kidnapped me for the weekend, and showed me all over the place.
I also remember getting a tattoo in portsmouth.

jonti

15-09-2007, 02:24

HI Guys. I signed up today, how new is that !
The day I joined the RN in 1949, I had to use the Torpoint Ferry across the Tamar River from Plymouth. There were about 4 battleships 'swinging around the buoy' in the river, all leftovers from WW2 except the Vanguard which of course never fired a shot in anger. Sometime in the first few weeks of service, we were taken on board Vanguard, upperdeck only, to have a look around. Jonti

gunnersmate

15-01-2009, 22:25

Ednamay

13-12-2009, 15:53

My father was cox'n on something or other during the 30s, before finishing his 22; he tried to explain to a young officer that there are difficult sandbanks off the Gosport side so you steer (?) by using the Naval War Memorial going east until you line up with a particular monument (fort?) on Portsdown Hill, that will take you north through the narrowest part of the entry at Sally Port, once past Portsmouth Harbour Station you aim for your allocated berth - not exactly as described in the Rule Book !!!

Edna

nigelweysom

13-12-2009, 18:41

my mother was evacuated from Guernsey to Halifax during ww11 that's Halifax north Yorkshire , where she met a number of American soldiers at least 2 of whom proposed to her , as it happens she refused them both on the grounds that if she moved to America she would never see her family again so after the war she returned to Guernsey and married my Dad , so i could easily have been born in America and not Guernsey
Nigel

Ednamay

14-12-2009, 15:33

Hi Alan,
I was in HMS Dolphin when they towed HMS Vanguard out in 1960, her bows were in the Still and West and stern in Dolphin or was it the other way round. A sad sight to see them towed out for the scrap yard, but she seemed determined not to leave, she broke her tow rope. Blocked the harbour for hours. As was mentioned before Portsmouth is literally a bottle neck.
Baz

Hi, all -

I have just posted elsewhere the joke about (a) Pompey being fond of Vanguard (b) Vanguard being fond of Pompey and ergo (c) Vanguard calling at the Still and West for a quickie before departing !!!!

Edna