Acting Stoker Petty Officer Steve [Buddy] Hide

In Hong Kong

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

[ 4448 SUPPLEMENT TO THE LONDON GAZETTE, 13 OCTOBER, 1942 ]

Photo from the Ted Ross collection ©

Click here for Buddy Hide's account of the escape

Click here for the letter that no mother wants to receive

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 & Lt Ashby, Jix Prest, Charlie Evans, John pawley, Al Rutter, 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.

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 in 1955.

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 from Ron Ashby's collection ©;

A/L Stoker Buddy Hide joins MTB 07 in Kowloon, 21st March1940.

Promoted to Leading Stoker 19th August 1940

Promoted to Acting Stoker petty officer 7th April 1941

Promoted to Stoker Petty Officer 7th April 1942

Promoted to Stoker Chief Petty Officer 7th May 1945

Promoted to Chief Petty Officer Stoker Mechanic 1st May 1947

Retired from Royal Navy 28th May 1955