History & Learning

Information provided by Margaret Franklin (daughter).

Ian McGregor Hutchison

1923 – 1991

Royal Navy Service

20 Jul 1942 – 11 Jul 1946

Service number JX 350724

My father, Ian McGregor Hutchison, joined the Royal Navy, aged 19, as an Ordinary Seaman, on 20 July 1942. After his initial training he was sent to the Mediterranean where he spent most of the next two years on HMS Harrow, a minesweeper of the Hunt class, which was part of the 2nd Minesweeping Flotilla operating mainly along the North coast of Africa. He became an Able Seaman on 20 April 1943 and Seaman Torpedoman on 29 October 1943.

On 18 September 1944 he was transferred to HMS Redmill (K554), one of six Captain Class frigates comprising the newly formed 21st Escort Group, the others being Byron, Conn, Deane, Fitzroy and Rupert. They sailed from Scapa Flow on 21 October 1944 and, on 22 October, met Arctic convoy JW61 which had left Loch Ewe on 20 October. The convoy arrived in Murmansk on 28 October. The return convoy RA61 departed Murmansk on 2 November. HMS Redmill left the return convoy on 7 November and arrived in Belfast on 9 November and the convoy itself arrived in Loch Ewe on 9 November. Both convoys experienced atrocious weather especially on the return trip, so much so that HMS Redmill had a short period in dock for repairs to her underwater fittings on her return, but despite a few attacks there were no losses.

My father remained on HMS Redmill escorting incoming Atlantic convoys and carrying out anti-submarine sweeps in the Channel entrance, during which Redmill was fired on by shore batteries in the Channel Islands. In late January 1945 Redmill was sent as an escort to a large floating dock heading for India. They accompanied it to Gibraltar and the crew enjoyed some time ashore there before rejoining the group on 9 February.

In mid-March the 21st Escort Group was sent to search for U-boats suspected to be in the Minches and over a period of four days, 27-30 March, they sank three U-boats. HMS Redmill was involved in the sinking of U-722 on 27 Mar 1945. There was a triumphant return to Belfast after the three U-boat sinkings and Admiral Bevan greeted them in person but after a few days they were back at sea off the south west of Ireland. On 8 April they sank a fourth U-boat fifty miles south west of the Fastnet Rock. They returned to Belfast and then were sent on one last patrol before the end of the war in Europe. Their luck had run out though and on 27 Apr 1945 HMS Redmill was torpedoed off Sligo Bay in the west of Ireland. She was hit by two “GNAT” torpedoes from the German submarine U-1105, killing twenty eight men and losing about sixty feet off the stern of the ship. She was taken in tow by HMS Rupert with HMS Fitzroy standing by for protection. Tugs were sent out from Londonderry and she was towed there, arriving on 29 April. The crew apparently had to remain above deck for the duration of the tow. My father had been at the stern of the ship just before it was hit and amongst those lost was a particular friend of his. When we were young he used to make light of it and say that if he hadn’t had to visit the heads he, and subsequently, we, would not be here. Despite his playing it down for us, I’m sure it affected him profoundly. HMS Redmill was beyond repair and was eventually scrapped in 1947.

After some home leave my father spent the rest of his time in the Navy in the Far East on Tank Landing Ship LST 3025. I know he was in Singapore, Sarawak and Borneo after the defeat of the Japanese and I think he enjoyed his time there. He returned to his native Dundee, went to college in Loughborough, and became a power station engineer, building on skills learned in the Navy.

Reference: Collingwood, Donald. The Captain Class frigates in the Second World War: an operational history of the American-built Destroyer Escorts serving under the White Ensign from 1943-46. Leo Cooper, 1998. ISBN 085052 615 9

There was one incident on the return convoy RA61, described in great detail in two of the Imperial War Museum’s Oral Histories – It involved two of the 21st Escort Group’s ships, HMS Byron and HMS Redmill. The captain of HMS Byron, Lt Cdr Southcombe, developed acute appendicitis and the First Lieutenant, Lt Repard took over command of the ship. The Medical Officer for the 21st Escort Group, Dr Thornton Hargreaves, was aboard HMS Redmill, so a whaler was launched from HMS Byron to transfer him. When the whaler got back to HMS Byron the sea was so rough that lifting the boat out of the water all went horribly wrong and the steadying chains gave way. Whilst the crew scrambled up ropes to safety, the doctor, still clutching his medical bag, fell into the sea. Despite all the odds he was rescued after quite some time, semiconscious after a blow to the head and with severe hypothermia. He survived but was obviously in no state to treat the patient. The captain appeared to have recovered a little so thoughts of allowing a medical orderly, who had once seen an appendectomy, to operate on him were abandoned and he was treated with sulphonamide (an antibiotic) and seemed stable. HMS Byron was released from the escort and sailed back to Belfast at full speed to get him to hospital. The Captain and the Medical Officer made full recoveries. The full oral histories are worth listening to as there is quite a lot more detail to the story than this brief summary.

They are: IWM Catalogue no. 22161 Interview with John David Latimer Repard, Reel 17 from 9.10 mins to 23.20 mins

IWM Catalogue no. 26842 Hargreaves, Thornton (Oral History) Reel 1 from 22.50 mins to 28.20 mins.

Photos: Ian in uniform in 1945, and Ian’s Arctic Star

Click to expand photos