Mr Stephen Camplejohn (Able Seaman)

Mr Camplejohn pictured here on HMS Belfast on 12th March 2005

HMS Belfast was in Chatham Dockyard being repaired after being badly damaged by a magnetic mine. In September 1940 Mr Camplejohn was on guard duty on board at night during the Blitz on London.

Mr Camplejohn’s first ship was HMS Legion which he joined in October 1940. For his first action he took part in a commando raid on the Lofoten Islands in Norway. The Commando had only just been formed and at first thought that this first action was a bit of a joke because they did not find any Germans, but they did however blow up some oil tanks and installations. However, the main aim of the operation was to go up to the West Fiord, which leads up to the Lofoten Islands, because the Scharnhorst was up there just miles a few away.

Four destroyers and two troop ships were involved in this operation. One object of this operation was to tempt the Scharnhorst to come down the West Fiord and attack us, because ships of the fleet were waiting a few miles off the Norwegian coast in hope of sinking her. HMS Legion was also involved in chasing the Bismarck which was eventually sunk later in the War. Mr Camplejohn served on HMS Legion from the day she was commissioned to when she sank.

Pictured here is the HMS Legion and the HMS Ark Royal

The HMS Legion, an L Class Destroyer is seen taking off the survivors from the stricken HMS Ark Royal. HMS Ark Royal was sunk on 13th November 1941, off Gibraltar. The Aircraft Carrier was torpedoed by the German U-boat U-18 and severely damaged. She sunk the following day. The Destroyer HMS Legion took the ship’s company off the sinking carrier.

On 23rd March 1942, still on the HMS Legion, Mr Camplejohn went into action with the Italian fleet and pictured above is the HMS Legion going in for a torpedo attack out of a smoke screen. On 12 December 1941 HMS Legion in company with three other destroyers sank two Italian cruisers within five minutes of each other. This happened off North Africa near Cape Bon.

On 23rd March 1942 HMS Legion, in company with HMS Penelope, joined a force from Alexandria which found itself in action with the Italian fleet. The picture shows HMS Legion going in for a torpedo attack against the Italian Battleship the Littorio. HMS Legion managed ‘one hit’.

Below; the First Lieutenant of the Legion, Lieut Cartwright taking a bearing, while Commander Jessel, the Captain, keeps a look-out for enemy planes as the destroyer leaves the West Fiord.

Below; A smoke and a chat being enjoyed by the HA Guns Crew during a short period of relaxation. These men were part of Mr Camplejohn’s Guns Crew on HMS Legion.

The next day following this action with the Italian Fleet the Legion arrived in Malta with no ammunition on board. At this time the bombing was very intense, so with no ammunition the crew had no option but to leave the ship to her fate. Needless to say she was sunk.

Meanwhile HMS Penelope was damaged and had to go into dry dock for repairs. For the next 12 days she was constantly bombed. During this time she had a number of men killed and injured. They asked for Gunners so Mr Camplejohn volunteered to join the ship having lost his own ship. After 8 days, on 8th April 1942, HMS Penelope managed to get away from Malta and sailed for Gibralter. Unfortunately after being repaired in America HMS Penelope was sunk later in the war off the coast of Italy.

Below; HMS Penelope – the ship’s company on her starboard side in good spirits after the ordeal. Note the hundreds of splinter holes, some plugged with wood.

Mr Camplejohn returned to England and spent time at Gunnery School whilst the ship was being repaired in America. He completed some advanced training to achieve a higher rating in gunnery. He was therefore able to work on the Director Control Tower and later he joined the HMS Eskimo later in 1942. HMS Eskimo had also only just been repaired as she had had her bows blown off in an attack in Norway.

King George VI aboard HMS Eskimo at Malta in June 1943

During his time on HMS Eskimo, Mr Camplejohn’s first action was the North African invasion. Mr Camplejohn’s ship helped with the North African invasion from Oran, assisting with landing the First Army and from November 1942 went right through North Africa and then onto Sicily aboard HMS Eskimo.

Pictured below is the HMS Eskimo patrolling of the coast of Sicily, while in the distance a supply ship burns after being hit by enemy aircraft

Mr Camplejohn explains that HMS Eskimo was what was called a ‘Captain D’ - the skipper was a Senior Captain over all of the destroyers in that area. The next day after the above photograph was taken as it was just getting light the ship took the Admiral on board with the intention of taking him to Syracuse to set up Headquarters there. Just after the Admiral’s barge was leaving the ship an air raid attack started and as the ship was stationery a bomb landed in the aft part of the ship and exploded in the engine room. Quite a lot of the crew were killed (One of which was a man from Leicester his name was Frank Beesley of Filbert Street).

After arriving back in the UK from HMS Eskimo Mr Camplejohn was in Gourock in Scotland when an urgent call came from HMS Ettrick (A Frigate) - They wanted a Seaman and Mr Camplejohn was sent to Londonderry to join the ship on its way to a base in St Johns, Newfoundland. She was eventually manned by a Canadian crew. Nicholas Monsarrat was the skipper of HMS Ettrick, who was also an author who went on to write ‘The Cruel Sea’ of which there is also a film. Monsarrat was a RNVR (Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Officer).

When this took place in December 1943 Mr Camplejohn’s crew went from Halifax Nova Scotia Canada to Boston USA. They eventually took over a new ship which was built in the states called HMS Perim.

Mr Camplejohn in August 1944 in Reading near Boston Massachusetts

Mr Camplejohn spent nine months in Boston and left in September 1944 and went to Bermuda to do Gunnery Trials. After these the ship did escort work and was based at Gourock.

Mr Camplejohn explains that during 5 years and 9 months' service in the Navy he only had two weeks' leave spent at home.

Mr Camplejohn’s last role during the war before leaving the Navy was aboard HMS Perim was rounding up U-Boats in the Atlantic. It was now the end of the War in Europe. During VE Day Mr Camplejohn did not have much opportunity to celebrate as he was aboard HMS Perim picking up the surrendered U-Boats. Sometimes they would pick up as many as half a dozen and they followed HMS Perim back ‘like little ducklings following the duck’, as Mr Camplejohn explains. There was now no opposition from them as the war had ended. HMS Perim rounded up a total of 24 U-Boats. The U-Boats were taken to Gourock on the Clyde to be scrapped. The enemy would be sent to prisoner of war camps for a short while but were sent back to Germany with the war being finished.

Mr Camplejohn left the Navy on 26th February 1946.