Frederic John Walker | |
|---|---|
 Captain Frederic Walker c.1944 | |
| Nickname(s) | "Johnnie" |
| Born | (1896-06-03)3 June 1896 Plymouth, England |
| Died | 9 July 1944(1944-07-09) (aged 48) Seaforth, Merseyside, England |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service | Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1909–1944 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Commands | HMS Shikari (1933) HMS Falmouth (1933–1935) HMS Stork (1941–1942) 36th Escort Group (1941–1942) HMS Starling (1943–1944) 2nd Support Group (1943–1944) |
| Battles / wars | First World War Second World War |
| Awards | Companion of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order &Three Bars Mentioned in Despatches (3) |
CaptainFrederic John Walker,CB, DSO &Three Bars (3 June 1896 – 9 July 1944) (his first name is given asFrederick in theOxford Dictionary of National Biography[1] and someLondon Gazette entries) was a BritishRoyal Navy officer noted for his exploits during theSecond World War. Walker was the most successfulanti-submarine warfare commander during theBattle of the Atlantic, and was known popularly as Johnnie Walker (after theJohnnie Walker brand of whisky).
Walker was born inPlymouth, the son of Frederic Murray and Lucy Selina (née Scriven) Walker. He joined theRoyal Navy as a cadet in 1909 and was educated at theRoyal Naval Colleges at Osborne andDartmouth, where he excelled. First serving on the battleshipAjax as amidshipman, Walker as a sub-lieutenant went on to join the destroyersMermaid andSarpedon in 1916 and 1917 respectively. Following the end of theFirst World War, Walker joined theQueen Elizabeth-class battleshipValiant. He married Jessica Eileen Ryder Stobart, with whom he had three sons and a daughter.[1]
During the interwar period Walker entered the field ofanti-submarine warfare. He took a course at the newly founded anti-submarine warfare training school ofHMSOsprey, on theIsle of Portland, which was established in 1924. Walker consequently became an expert in this particular type of warfare, and was appointed to a post specialising in this field, serving in a number of capital ships. In May 1933 he was promoted tocommander and took charge of the First World War destroyerShikari. In December 1933 Walker took command of theShoreham-class sloopFalmouth based on theChina Station. In April 1937 Walker became the Experimental Commander at HMSOsprey.
In 1940, he was appointed as Operations Staff Officer to Vice-AdmiralSir Bertram Ramsay. Even so, Walker still had not been given a command, despite his expertise in antisubmarine warfare that would no doubt be indispensable in theBattle of the Atlantic. During Walker's time in that role, theOperation Dynamo evacuation took place fromDunkirk, in which theBritish Expeditionary Force (BEF) was evacuated fromFrance. The evacuation was a success, with over 338,000 British and French troops being rescued and brought back to England, or toBrittany. He wasMentioned in Despatches for his work during this operation.[2]
Walker received his own command in October 1941, taking control of the36th Escort Group, commanding from theBittern-class sloopStork. The escort group which consisted of twosloops (HMS Stork andDeptford[3]) and sixcorvettes was based in Gladstone Dock,Bootle near the home of theWestern Approaches Command. Initially his Group was primarily used to escort convoys to and fromGibraltar.
Walker's first chance to test his innovative methods against theU-boat menace came in December 1941, when his group escortedConvoy HG 76 (32 ships). During the journey five U-boats were sunk, four by Walker's group, includingU-574 which wasdepth-charged and rammed by Walker's own ship on 19 December 1941. The Royal Navy's loss during the Battle for HG 76 was oneescort carrier,Audacity, formerly the German vesselHannover; one destroyer,Stanley, and twomerchant ships. This is sometimes described as the first trueAllied convoy victory in theBattle of the Atlantic. He was given theDistinguished Service Order (DSO) on 6 January 1942, "For daring, skill and determination while escorting to this country a valuable Convoy in the face of relentless attacks from the Enemy, during which three of their Submarines were sunk and two aircraft destroyed by our forces".[4] Walker's group succeeded in sinking at least three more U-boats during his tenure as commander of the 36th Escort Group. In June 1942, Walker was promoted to captain dating from 30 June 1942 and he was awarded the firstBar to his DSO in July 1942.[5]
In October 1942, Walker left the 36th Escort Group and becameCaptain (D) Liverpool, granting him some time to recuperate. He finally returned to a ship command when he became commander of the2nd Support Group in 1943, consisting of six sloops, which was based at Gladstone Dock, Bootle. Walker led fromStarling, a newly commissionedBlack Swan-class sloop. The group was intended to act as a reinforcement to convoys under attack, with the capacity to actively hunt and destroy U-boats, rather than be restricted to escorting convoys. Walker had suggested the innovative idea to theCommander-in-Chief Western Approaches Command, SirMax Horton. The combination of an active hunting group and a determined, and innovative anti-submarine specialist such as Walker proved to be a potent force. One eccentric aspect of his charismatic nature was the playing of the tuneA Hunting We Will Go over the ship'sTannoy when returning to its base.
In June 1943, Walker's own shipStarling was responsible for the sinking of two U-boats. The first,U-202, was destroyed on 2 June 1943 by depth charges and gunfire, and the second,U-119, on 24 June 1943 by depth charges and ramming. Another U-boat,U-449, was sunk by his group on the same day. On 30 July 1943, Walker's group encountered a group of three U-boats on the surface (two weretype XIV replenishment boats known as "Milk Cows") while in theBay of Biscay. He signalled the "General Chase" to his group and fired at the submarines, causing damage that prevented them from diving. Two of them,U-462, a Type XIV, andU-504, aType IX/C40, were then sunk by Walker's group, and the second Type XIV,U-461, by an AustralianShort Sunderland flying boat.
Upon his return to Gladstone Dock, Walker was informed that his son, Timothy Walker, had been killed when the submarineHMS Parthian was lost in early August 1943 in theMediterranean Sea. On 14 September 1943, Walker was appointed as aCompanion of the Order of the Bath (CB) "for leadership and daring in command of H.M.S.Starling in successful actions against Enemy submarines in the Atlantic."[6]
On 6 November 1943, Walker's group sankU-226 andU-842. In early 1944 Walker's group displayed its efficiency against U-boats by sinking six in one patrol. On 31 January 1944, Walker's group gained its first kill of the year when it sankU-592. On 9 February his group sankU-762,U-238, andU-734 in one action, then sankU-424 on 11 February, andU-264 on 19 February. On 20 February 1944, one ship of Walker's group,HMS Woodpecker, was torpedoed and sank seven days later while being towed home. All of her crew were saved. They returned to their base at Gladstone Dock to the thrilled jubilation of the local inhabitants and theAdmiralty. TheFirst Lord of the Admiralty was present to greet Walker and his ships. Walker’s seniority as a captain was backdated from 30 June 1942 to 30 June 1940 and he was awarded a second bar to his DSO.[7]
In March 1944, Walker's group provided part of the 32-ship escort force for anArctic convoy of 49 merchant ships, codenamedConvoy JW 58. The powerful escort also included two escort carriers and two flotillas of fleet destroyers, as well as theU.S. Navylight cruiserUSS Milwaukee which was on its way toRussia as part of theLend-Lease programme. The whole force was commanded by Rear-AdmiralFrederick Dalrymple-Hamilton on the cruiserHMS Diadem, who initially tried to direct Walker's ships into a tight screen, but soon allowed him to independently command the two support groups from Western Command.[8] Walker's own shipStarling sank theU-961 on 29 March, the group's first day with the convoy,[9] and subsequently the ships under his command sankU-360 andU-288 before they arrived atMurmansk without the loss of a single ship.[10] The groups returned with the 36-ship convoyRA 58, but despite intelligence of 16 U-boats in their path, no contacts were made due to adverse conditions affecting theASDIC (sonar).[11]
Walker's last duty was protecting the fleet from U-boats during theNormandy landings, the immenseAllied invasion of France. This he did successfully for two weeks; no U-boats managed to get past Walker and his vessels, and many U-boats were sunk or damaged in the process. During this concerted effort Walker's dedication to his tasks was tremendous; he took no respite from his duties, which ultimately contributed to his death. In May, he was informed by the Commander-in-Chief, Western Approaches that he was to take a two-month rest starting August and subsequently take command of an aircraft carrier. Later that year, once accustomed to air procedures, he was to be promoted toflag rank and given command of a carrier task force to be taken to thePacific.[12] He was awarded the third bar to his DSO on 13 June 1944,[13] and was again Mentioned in Despatches on 20 June 1944.[14]
One highly successful tactic employed by Walker was thecreeping attack, in which two ships would work together to keep contact with a U–boat while attacking. Another approach was thebarrage attack, in which three or more sloops in line launched depth charges to saturate the area where the submarine might be. Walker was also adept at the 'hold down': after making contact with a U-boat, keeping it at a depth below depth charge detonation range until it was forced to surface and become susceptible to attack by running out of air or battery power.[15]
Walker was the most successful anti-submarine commander of the Second World War, being credited with 20 U boats destroyed, from various ships.[16]
Walker suffered acerebral thrombosis on 7 July 1944, and he died two days later at the Royal Naval Hospital atSeaforth, Merseyside, at the age of 48. His death was attributed to overwork and exhaustion.
His funeral service, attended by about 1,000 people, took place atLiverpool Cathedral with full naval honours. A naval procession followed, escorting the coffin through the streets of the city to thePier Head, by the River Mersey, where it was embarked aboard the destroyerHesperus, for a burial at sea.[17] As Walker's Group had already steamed out for combat duty, most of the naval personnel who manned the funeral procession were from theRoyal Canadian Navy.
A final honour was a posthumous Mention in Despatches on 1 August 1944.[18]
In 1998 a statue by Liverpool sculptorTom Murphy of Walker in a typical pose was unveiled at the Pier Head in Liverpool bythe Duke of Edinburgh.[19]
Memorabilia associated with Captain Walker including two paintings of Walker, naval ensigns, theGeneral Chase signal flags and the ships's bell from HMSStarling, which was given to the former Bootle County Borough Council on 21 October 1964 by Admiral SirNigel Henderson. Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth, can be viewed inBootle Town Hall.[20][21]
| Date | Honour/award | Rank | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 August 1940 | Mentioned in Despatches | Commander | Forstaff service duringOperation Dynamo (the Dunkirk evacuation) | [22] |
| 6 January 1942 | Companion of the Distinguished Service Order | For daring, skill and determination while escorting to this country a valuable Convoy in the face of relentless attacks from the enemy, during which three of their Submarines were sunk and two aircraft destroyed by our forces. | [23] | |
| 30 July 1942 | Bar to theDistinguished Service Order | Captain | For leadership and skill in action against enemy submarines while serving in H.M. Ships Stork and Vetch. Second DSO awarded as a bar for on the ribbon of the first DSO. | [24] |
| 14 September 1943 | Companion of the Order of the Bath | For leadership and daring in command of H.M.S. Starling in successful actions against enemy submarines in the Atlantic. | ||
| 22 February 1944 | Second Bar to the Distinguished Service Order | For gallant and distinguished services in the destruction of two U-boats while serving in H.M. Ships Starling, Kite, Wildgoose and Woodcock, patrolling in the North Atlantic. | [25] | |
| 13 June 1944 | Third Bar to the Distinguished Service Order | For outstanding leadership, skill and determination in H.M. ships Starling, Wild Goose, Kite, Woodpecker and Magpie in the destruction of six U-boats in the course of operations covering the passage of convoys in the North Atlantic. | [26] | |
| 20 June 1944 | Mentioned in Despatches | For outstanding leadership, skill and devotion to duty in H.M. ships Starling, Wild Goose and Wanderer on convoy escort duty in the North Atlantic. | [27] | |
| 1 August 1944 | Mentioned in Despatches | For his actions during the prolonged hunt for and destruction ofU-473 in May 1944 | [22] |
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