John Milner Ashby
John Milner Ashby
John Milner Ashby was born on the 14th August
1914 at Hayward Villa, Longley Road, in Pinner in Middlesex. His parents were
John Frederick Ashby, a financial journalist and Jessie Milner, the daughter of
Tom Milner the city treasurer of Hull.
At the time London was expanding and St George’s Headstone,
the parish where John was born, was a semi-rural area with unmade roads.
Longley Road was made up in 1908 but was still in a dreadful state in 1910.
A temporary church had been built in 1907, at its dedication
the rural dean and the vicar of Pinner almost lost themselves in the darkness
and turned up late. The permanent church’s foundation stone was laid in 1910
and consecrated in 1911 when a new parish was formed from the larger parish of
Hatch End. The old tin church becoming the church hall.
It was in the new church that John was baptised on 4th
October 1914 by Rev Ramsay W Couper. The sponsors were his father J F Ashby,
Stanley A Nettleton and Gertrude Nettleton.
The church remained part of their lives in Headstone, John
receiving the Senior Sunday School prize in February 1922.
At some time in the 1920s the family moved to Watford,
living at 2 Gade Avenue. John was educated at Watford Grammar School to 1932.
After school he worked for the World Auxiliary and the
Western Australian Insurance Companies before applying for a post at the
National Employers Mutual and General Insurance Association. John was called
for interview in May 1937 and on 24th May was offered a position as
insurance clerk in the fire department at a salary of £175 per annum. He worked
for the company up to his retirement in 1977.
1937 was a busy year. John had taken out his Provisional Driving
Licence on the 26th March 1937, and held a full licence from 26.6.37.
At the outbreak of war in 1939 the firm moved out of the
city of London to Great Missenden.
On 12th Nov 1940 John enlisted in the Royal Navy,
service number JX 229096. In his service record he is described as 5ft 5¾; 35in
chest; Black hair; blue eyes; sallow complexion; with a scar on his right knee
and left side of chin.
From 12th Nov 1940 to 11th June 1941 he trained
as a telegraphist at the Royal Arthur shore station, the former Butlin’s
holiday camp at Ingoldmells, Skegness and HMS Pembroke shore station in Chatham.
`````
The Kellet was one of the “Smokey Joes”, a coal fired minesweeper renowned for flames appearing from its funnel. One officer telegraphed to shore “Exodus 13 v22”. Columns of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. During its wartime service it covered 35000 miles.
Just two months later, on Tuesday 12th August
1941, he married Muriel Jessie Anne Hasel , whom he had met at the NEM.
His mother wrote a letter to his aunt Minnie:
“The bridegroom
arrived in London on Wednesday (sic: she means Monday) afternoon, and after calling on Fred at his office went on to
Cricklewood to see Muriel and make final arrangements. He did not reach home till
11pm. So had to get his clothes pressed on Tuesday morning. Bob fortunately,
was able to get 24 Hours leave, and he arrived before John.
We all went to
Cricklewood by train, and were met at the station by Mr Hasel with two cars
which took us round to his home to collect his family, and from there to St Michael’s
Church. There was no organ or choir, but the service was impressively taken by a
very understanding vicar, who did all he could to put the bride and bridegroom
at their ease.
After the ceremony we
all went back to the bride’s home at Cricklewood for cake and light
refreshments, where we stayed until they went away for their honeymoon. Muriel
wore a blue dress with a spray of pink roses for the ceremony, and travelled in
a black coat and skirt, with coral pink georgette blouse.”
The honeymoon was at Chorley Wood Hotel from the 12th
– 17th August at 30/- per night.
He then rejoined HMS Kellet as a telegrapher from 12 August 1941
(the date of his marriage) to 14 Oct 1942. Muriel returned to the NEM in Great
Missenden, living at The Laurels, Twitchall Road.
In June 1942 he was in Gorleston at the Floral Hall for a dance
for the 4th Flotilla to the Sherwood Foresters band. Tickets for
gentlemen cost 1/6.
From Oct 1941, The Kellet was clearing mines between the Faroes and
Iceland (Out Sweeps by Paul Lund).
A year later he went for further training at HMS Pembroke (15 Oct
– 27th Oct 42) passing his exam and being promoted to T.O (W/T))
from 1 Nov 1942.
John was then transferred to various shore stations: Flowerdown, Victory
and Kestrel in Winchester, and King Alfred (Hove). These were listening to
German and Italian radio traffic transcribing it and passing it on to the
codebreakers for interpretation. (28 Oct 1942 – 12 Oct 1943). Its possible that
Muriel joined him occasionally. There are invoices from the Westgate Lodge
Hotel for 2/3 Jan and 27/8 Feb 1943 at £1.1.0 a night; 5/- for lunch and an
extravagant 10/- for dinner.
A further months training at HMS Pembroke (17 Sept - 12 Oct 1943) led to a posting to the aircraft carrier HMS Pursuer from 13 Oct 1943 to 12th Dec 1945.
How much leave he had in the next two years is not clear, but we can assume that he was on board for most of these operations:
From
HMS Pursuer log:
1943 September – to October. Under modification in Liverpool
November – Prepared for operational
service; 16th sailed for Clyde
Deployed at Greenock
26th Under repair in
Belfast
19th December work-up in
the Irish Sea
1944 February. Cover for Atlantic
Convoys OS67/KMS41 and SL149.
Newspaper
coverage, including The Illustrated London News, shows that on 12/2/44 they were
involved in a battle 3380 miles west of Cape Finisterre where Bobcats from the
Pursuer shot down to enemy aircraft and damaged a third.
March. Returned to Clyde; sailed to
Scapa Flow; Cover for Arctic Convoy JW58
And
attacks on Tirpitz (operation Tungsten)
April: Force 8
3rd
Cover during further attacks on Tirpitz.
5th Return to Scapa Flow
resumed Atlantic Convoy cover.
26th – 28th
Operations Ridge Able and Ridge Baker off Bodo, Norway. Received storm damage
and returned to Scapa Flow for repair.
May/June D Day support in Western
Approaches (operation Neptune)
In
June, John went to take his exam for W/T3 at Greenock on 17th but he
failed.
July/August. Pursuer provided support
for allied landings in South of France (Task Force 88 - Anvil)
September. To Alexandria for support
of the reoccupation of the Aegean
Islands (Outing 1)
October: returns to home fleet service.
November. Scapa Flow (Operations
Counterblast, Steak, Handfast and Provident.
John
retook his W/T3 exams on 21st Nov 1944 at HMS Rodney and failed
again.
In December HMS Pursuer took passage
to Norfolk (US) for repair.
While
there John visited the Union Jack Club, 412 West Freemason Street. There he was
given an introduction to “Miss Sniffen” of Washington DC – “Ring the bell and
walk in and you will be looked after”. A bus weekly ticket shows he took
advantage of the offer.
On the return trip in February they
provided transport for aircraft to Belfast.
1945. March/April took passage to
Durban en route to join the East Indies fleet at Trincomallee.
May 3rd Refit in Durban for
Far East service.
While
the refit was going on John went for further training at the South Atlantic Communications
school: HMS Afrikander in Simonstown SA. (12/5/45 – 3/7/1945 exams 29/6/45 –
1/7/45) This time he passed and was promoted to Temporary Acting Leading
Telegrapher (W/T3) from 1/7/1945
July Pursuer took passage to Colombo
and joined the 21st Carrier Squadron for operation Zipper, providing
support for landings in Malaya at Port Swettenham, Fort Dickson and Morib.
John
took time out to dine at the Cungking Hotel Rangoon on 2/11/45. 7 Rupees for 1
Chicken Noodle, 3 “F. eggs” and 4 cups of tea.
The
war in the Far East ended on 15th August and in November Pursuer
could return to the UK for paying off, arriving in the Clyde on 12th
Dec. John passed through customs at Greenock on 18/12/45.
John M Ashby
was given a final posting to HMS Pembroke from 13th Dec 1945 to 3
March 1946, but his release order showed he was released on leave from 18/12
and was then released Class A. His medal card shows service from 1939 – 45 in
the Atlantic, Burma, Italy, F & C (France and Europe) and service for the 1939
- 45 star. The Arctic Star was not instituted until 2012.
His discharge papers comment:
Has
knowledge of various sets with which he has been employed as operator. A very
good type, hardworking and reliable, but unsuccessful in getting through for a
commission.
After the war John returned to the NEM. He and Muriel bought
a house in St Albans, 18 Pondfield Crescent, moving there on 29/5/1946. Their
two children were born there: John Philip on 8th November 1946 and
Peter George in 1949. In 1953 John was promoted to be Superintendent of the Policy
and Endorsement drafting Department and in 1956 he moved to Reinsurance.
To mark the promotion John borrowed £3600 from the firm and the
family moved to a newly built detached house: 165 Gurney Court Road, St Albans.
Settling in to life in St Albans, catching the 8.05 from St
Albans to St Pancras each morning and returning on the 5.30 left little time
for leisure. (The working pattern at the time included most Saturday mornings,
occasionally Peter was allowed to join him). But John and Muriel were active in
the church, initially at St Albans Abbey and later at St Peters. Although John
never joined the church council he assisted the treasurer, Mr Ernest Mileman.
Holidays were largely taken in the UK. Trips to John’s aunts,
Faith and Nellie, in Colwyn Bay were a regular feature as well as Devon,
Scotland and the Lakes. In 1959 a more adventurous trip took the family to
Guernsey and from 1964 Switzerland and Austria became regular destinations. At
first these were by car, stopping in France on the way and John coaxing the car
over the Vosges mountains with regular stops to top up the water in the
radiator and adjust tyre pressures.
At the NEM, John was further promoted to Reinsurance Manager
from 1968. On 23rd June 1977 he was presented with a silver
sweetmeat dish as a token of the board’s appreciation of 40 years service.
The forty years of commuting together with his war service
had taken their toll on his health and John developed asthma. He was refused
early retirement on health grounds but retired anyway in August 1977 and he and
Muriel moved to Serai, 11 Sherbrook Hill, Budleigh Salterton, Devon. With more
time on his hands, John could join the Probus club and take part in National Trust
outings.
Nearly ten years later illness
struck again and John had an operation for Gall stones on 8th April
1986. The operation was successful but followed by a stroke on the 24th
June and a further stroke on the 21st June 1988. Muriel was unable
to give him the care he needed and on the 24th September 1988 he
moved to Links Pinewood Nursing Home in Budleigh Salterton, where he died on the
15th December. His funeral took place on the 20th
December 1988 at Exeter and Devon Crematorium and his ashes scattered in plot
BT022. His name was inscribed in the Book of Remembrance at the crematorium and
also in the book at St Peters Budleigh Salterton.
His assets declared for probate amounted to £161718 gross, £160961
net.
posted by Peter G Ashby at
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