The Escape of the 2nd MTB Flotilla

Lt Ron Ashby H.K.R.N.V.R. on patrol in MTB 07 in Hong Kong 1941

Lt Ashby tranfered from C/O of MTB 26 to C/O of MTB 07 on the 26th April 1940.

Ashby gained a DSC for his action while attacking the Japanese invading forces in Kowloon Harbour on the 19th December 1941. Later as Commander he added a bar to the DSC for operations on the Arakan Coast.

The Flotilla C/O Gandy reported: "I strongly recommend him for promotion to Lieutenant Commander, Imperial R.N.V.R. for his general efficiency and reliability in this MTB Flotilla. (As a Lieutenant only, his powers are not being used to fullest capacity, and he should continue in more modern MTB's".)

Ashby kept the ships log of the events in Hong Kong and the escape which his son kindly relayed to me as well as photos.

After 3000 miles traveling overland through China and Burma he arrived in a deserted Rangoon. After five weeks he left onboard the SS heinrich Jessen bound for Calcutta along with Lt-Cmdr Gandy & Jix Prest, Buddy Hide, Charlie Evans, Al Rutter, John pawley, Jack Holt, Les Barker, Ron Priestley, Bill Schillemore,& Lofty Gurd. From Calcutta it was by train across the Indian sub-Continent to Bombay where they boarded the SS Narkunda bound for the UK via Durban at 15.30 on 26th March 1942.

In Durban they took 657 Italian POW's onboard before shaping course for Cape Town where another eleven of the flotilla crew had arrived onboard the SS Larconia including Lt Kennedy, Bill Dyer & Al Downey, who then transferred to the Narkunda. Arriving in Glasgow in the afternoon of the 22nd May there were three officers and 27 ratings of the flotilla who had escaped from Hong Kong 148 days previously.

 

In 1943 while he was the Commanding Officer of the 33rd MTB Flotilla he was resposible for sinking two German U-boats on the 4th May 1943 when the U-Boats fired on the flotilla thinking they were a convoy. It was only when survivors that he picked up did not all know each other that he realised that two U-Boats were sunk.

 

Lt Ron Ashby four days into the escape at Waichow 29th December 1941

Quote  from the diary of Colin McEwan of the SOE: Wednesday 24th December 1941:
“One last feat of gallantry worth recording is that of that gallant sailor Lieut. Ashby who, when a shell burst, instead of going flat, bowed gracefully showing a shiny polished blue serge ‘bottom’ as his means of all round defence. Again, though, one had the feeling that it was good to be with such people.”
Published in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch Vol 45 2005

Click here to read Ron Ashby's obituary

 

The crew of MTB 07 in Kowloon 1941

• Lt: R.R.W. Ashby DSC
• Sub-Lt: McGill ??
• P.O. Coxswain: John.W. Prest P/JX.128494 [Mentioned in Dispatches]
• Telegraphist: T.G. Duckworth [killed 19th Dec 41] Mentioned in Despatches (Posthumous)
• Acting P.O. Stoker: S.J. Hide [Mentioned in Dispatches] Joined MTB 07 on 1st January 1940
• Leading Stoker: R. Barker [Killed 19th Dec 41]
• A/B: Albert E Rutter
• A/B: Pawley
• A/B Stoker: G. [Bones]Arnold [C/JX.154986]

Photo from Buddy Hide's collection ©

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo taken in Summer 1941

 

 

Lt R A M Hennessy RN and crew of MTB 07

26/09/1914 - 01/07/1996

Hennessy was C.O.of 07 September 1938 -April 1940
A/B Kenneth Holmes is front row right
Lt Hennesay went on as Senior Officer of the 7th MTB Flotilla [MTB 59] from mid 1942 to May 1943.
From there he went as S.O. of the 8th MTB Flotilla 

Photo from Buddy Hide's collection ©

 

 

 

For more information on Ron Ashby click here.

 

 

 

 

Lt Ron Ashby with S-Lt McGill on the conning tower

Note the depth charge racks each side

 

Photo from Ron Ashby's collection ©

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MTB 07 alongside in Mirs Bay

Photo from Buddy Hide's collection ©

 

 

 

 

 

 

A 1/24 scale model of MTB 07 takes to the water in 2009 in memory of Ron Ashby & the crew. MTB 07 on patrol in Hong Kong

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo from Ron Ashby's collection ©

 

 

 

 

 

MTB 07 on high speed patrol in Hong Kong waters 1940

MTB 07 Log entry for 2nd July 1941:

10.36; Dropped depth charges; 9 seconds.

10.40 -11.10; Fishing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MTB 07 on patrol with the 2nd MTB Flotilla in Tathong Channel Hong Kong

Photo from Buddy Hide's collection ©

 

 

 

 

 

 

Entry from MTB 07's log:

Tues, 21st October 1941.
1804.
Stopped, cut engines to pick up 4 Chinese from smashed and overturned junk. Chinese said they were bound from N of Taishan Bay to Hong Kong with a cargo of sweet potatoes when they were stopped by a Jap trawler, their cargo stolen and themselves beaten before Japs wrecked junk and left them.

1818 Proceeded into Deep Bay.

1828 Stopped to put 4 Chinese on a junk.

 

Photo from Ron Ashby's collection ©

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hiding in Telegraph Bay

 

 

MTB 07 alongside the stone pier with 09 covered in straw and branches hiding from enemy aircraft in Telegraph Bay on the day of the escape, Christmas day 1941. 07 still has a full complement of depth charges on deck.

 

Photo from Ron Ashby's collection ©

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MTBs 07 & 09 hiding at the dairy farm pier in Telegraph Bay on Christmas Day prior to the escape that evening.

 

 

 

Lt Collingwood, Sub-Lt Brewer, Warrant Officer Wright, & Lt Ashby with ratings. A/B Ed Brazel MN is front row right.

 

Photo from Ron Ashby's collection ©

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the road to Mandalay

Lt Ron Ashby got a surprise when they reached the Burmese border at Wanting and found that the trucks that had been commandeered were from Dodwell and Co, for whom he used to work in Hong Kong before it fell. At last they were entering British territory and this was "celebrated in suitable manner." The trucks then took them to Lashio, where they waited five days for a train to Rangoon.

 

Photo from Ron Ashby's collection ©

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo from Ron Ashby's collection ©

Ron Ashby's tally of medals including his Distinguished Service Cross gained in Hong Kong and Bar.

 

 

 

 

 

The medals are, from left to right

The D.S.C. and bar
The 1939-1945 Star.
The Atlantic Star
The Africa Star, with clasp North Africa 1942 to 43.
The Pacific Star with Burma clasp
The Italy Star
The Defence Medal, for service in Southampton and Felixtowe in 1942 with the 33rd MTB flotilla.
The 1939-1945 Medal, sometimes known as the Victory Medal, with oak leaf clasp for Mention in Despatches in Arakan, 1945.
The Volounteer Reserve Decoration (VRD) for more than 20 years' service in the RNVR.

The DSC is awarded to all ranks of the RN, RM, Army, and RAF in recognition of exemplary gallantry during active operations against the enemy at sea

 

 

MTB 07 was scuttled along with the remaing boats of the 2nd MTB Flotilla at Nan'ao in Mirs Bay on 26th December 1941

 

 

Steve [Buddy] Hide

 

29/01/1914 - 06/03/1977

In Hong Kong

Acting Petty Officer Stoker Steve [Buddy] Hide was " Mentioned in Despatches" for his action while attacking the Japanese invading forces in Kowloon Harbour on the 19th December 1941.

Buddy married his long suffering girlfriend Dorothy in Lewes UK, just eleven days after getting back home.

He went on to serve a total of 22 years in the Royal Navy before emigrating to Mwadui in Tanganyika East Africa.

For more information on Buddy Hide click here.

Photo from Ron Ashby's collection ©

 

 

Photo from Buddy Hide's collection ©

 

 

 

 

Lt Ron Ashby with Buddy Hide, Coxswain Jix Prest, & Sub-Lt McGill behind him on the conning tower of MTB 07

 

Photo from Ron Ashby's collection ©

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo from Buddy Hide's collection ©

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The medals are, from left to right

The 1939-1945 Star.
The Atlantic Star
The Pacific Star with Burma clasp
The 1939-1945 Medal, sometimes known as the Victory Medal, with Oak Leaf Clasp for Mention in Despatches in Hong Kong, 1941.
General Service medal Minesweeping 1945-1951. 180 days afloat on active clearance in Home, Atlantic or Mediterranean waters 4 Sep 1945 to 30 Sep 1951
Long sevice and good conduct medal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo from Ron Ashby's collection ©

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some of the crew of MTB 07 on a jolly by skiff. It looks like Buddy Hide & Bones Arnold both seated

 

 

 

Stoker A/B George [Bones] Arnold leads the crew of MTB 07 on their jolly

 

 

Photo from Ron Ashby's collection ©

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shiukwan [Kukong]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo from the Ted Ross collection ©

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Albert Rutter, Chinese Guerilla Leader Liang Yung Yuan with StokerPetty Officer Buddy Hide, & Bones Arnold. Hanging out the truck are Les [Lofty] Gurd, Bill Schillemore, & John Pawley during the epic journey across China.

The padded jackets were obtained by Colonel Owen-Hughes at Lung Chun. Owen-Hughes was the British Liaison officer to the Chinese army. The party later swapped the jackets with an incoming detachment of British Marines.

Buddy Hide wrote a detailed account of the escape upon his return to the UK in May 1942.