Exceptional Naval and Polar Awards from the Collection of RC Witte
‘Without the slightest warning, a perfect storm of machine-gun and rifle fire broke out from the woods on the bank, at a range of about 50 yards. The few on deck scuttled for cover, or froze like rabbits behind anything handy. For what seemed like a very long time, but was probably only a few minutes, the enemy had it all his own way, the bullets beating on the side and upper works with a deafening clatter, like the noise of an automatic riveter, sweeping across the deck and lashing the water into foam ... ’
Then in preparation for an Allied offensive on 9 August, M. 33 took two more hits from enemy batteries at Selmenga Road. Notwithstanding damage caused on that occasion, she was back in action for the main event the following day:
‘When trouble was announced at Borok, the Navy soon set to work and banged shell after shell into the village. The result of that shoot was exceedingly beneficial to the infantry, who were not having too pleasant a time in front of Borok. All through the afternoon the guns of the Navy dropped shells on to points selected for special treatment. They enjoyed the hurricane bombardment of Seltso amazingly ... as one Naval officer described it, ‘A pleasing sight was to see Seltso on fire, the whole sky glowing a beautiful red. I suppose this was an everyday sight for the Army, but I must confess it impressed us vastly, as it seemed such a fitting climax.’ ’
The offensive was a complete success, the enemy suffering some 3,700 casualties in addition to the loss of considerable quantities of military supplies. But in the subsequent evacuation of the Naval flotilla, the river level became so low that M. 25 and M. 27 ran aground, could not be refloated, and had to be destroyed. For her own part, the M. 33 safely reached Archangel at the month’s end: and today may be seen in a dry-dock at Portsmouth harbour.
Michell was mentioned in despatches (London Gazette 17 October 1919 refers), and recommended for early promotion, but the latter distinction was denied him.
Between the Wars - M.V.O. and Royal Humane Society’s Medal
Having then served as Senior Officer of the Danube Motor Launch Flotilla from November 1919 until September 1920, and been employed as senior Lieutenant-Commander in the battleship Revenge, Michell was appointed C.O. of the minesweeper Truro, in which capacity he was awarded the M.V.O. for escorting the royal yacht during King George V’s visit to Cowes in 1925. While in the following year, as mentioned above, he added the Royal Humane Society’s Bronze Medal to his accolades, the Society’s records stating:
‘At 21.00 hours on 18 November 1926, attempting suicide, a woman threw herself into the river, 30 feet from the side, at a depth of eight feet. Michell jumped in from a dinghy, caught her and they were picked up by a boat from a ship.’
Michell, who was serving as an instructor at the London Division, R.N.V.R. training establishment President at the time of the above incident, was placed on the Retired List as a Commander in April 1931, following a period of attachment to the Royal Australian Navy.
Greece and Crete - D.S.O. and another D.S.C.
Recalled on the renewal of hostilities in September 1939, he was appointed Sea Transport Officer (S.T.O.) at Dieppe, but returned to take up an appointment at Portsmouth in April 1940. Then in the following year he joined the Staff of the Senior Naval Officer in Athens, which appointment led to his subsequent awards of the D.S.O. and second D.S.C.
In the closing days of April 1941, in what was code-named “Operation Demon”, the Royal Navy plucked over 50,000 troops to safety from assorted Greek beaches and harbours at Kalamata, Kithera, Megara, Milo, Monemyasia, Nauplia, Raphina and Tolon. And in his capacity as Sea Transport Officer (S.T.O.), with command of a flotilla of caiques and local craft, Michell performed a pivotal role in the operation’s success.
And glimpses of the gallant Michell’s at work are to be found in Heckstall-Smith’s Greek Tragedy, initially as S.T.O. at Piraeus:
‘Helped by the Greek Navy, Michell and his party, braving the hazard of mines, moved other transports under steam or by tow to the small ports of Volos and to the roadsteads of Eleusis, Scaramanga and Keratsini. They performed astonishing feats of seamanship and were repeatedly dive-bombed. Often, the vessels they had struggled so hard to save were sunk under them or blown to pieces before their precious cargoes could be off-loaded. But in spite of their courage and determination, from that fateful night Piraeus virtually ceased to exist as a port. The hours that members of the German Legation in Athens had spent watching our troops and supplies landing at Piraeus had paid a handsome dividend.’
With Piraeus all but closed to traffic, Michell was next ordered to form a flotilla of caiques and other local craft, in order to assist in the imminent evacuation of our troops. Rear-Admiral H. T. Baillie-Grohman, the Flag Officer attached Middle East, refers to this directive in his relevant despatch - see the London Gazette of 19 May 1948 for all the relevant despatches, as received by Admiral “ABC” Cunningham, the C.-in-C. Mediterranean:
‘I could appreciate at once that the bottle-neck of any evacuation would be the small craft required for ferrying troops to H.M. Ships and transports from the beaches. It would have been a bad risk to use what quays were, left available at Piraeus, and Kalamai in the S. W. Morea was the only other port with quays. A "Caique and Local Craft Flotilla” was formed this day [17 April 1941] under the direction of Commander K. Michell (of the Divisional Sea Transport Officer's Staff) with military and Greek representatives, its purpose being to charter and fit out as many caiques, motor boats and local craft as possible. As it turned out hundreds of soldiers owe their escape to caiques and small craft taken up in this manner.’
But the caiques came at a cost. Greek Tragedy takes up the story:
‘So far as small craft were concerned, it was lucky that at the time they were most needed, Commander Kenneth Michell, then working on the D.S.T.O’s staff, had already been ordered to charter as many caiques as he could to be used as minesweepers in Egypt and on the supply run to Tobruk. For this purpose he had drawn ten million drachma from the Legation funds. But with the Germans on their doorsteps, the Greek ship owners had not only asked extortionate charter rates, but had demanded payment in gold on arrival in Alexandria. However, by offering a month’s payment in advance, Michell had managed to collect together about a dozen caiques.’
Greek Tragedy also refers to Michell’s final operation:
Kenneth Michell and Lieutenant Trevor in the Thalia made for Aegena when the evacuation ended at Megara at three o’clock in the morning of 26 April. At dawn, as they neared the port, they were dive-bombed, but escaped damage.
At Aegena, they were refused entry by the harbour-master on the grounds that their presence would attract the enemy bombers. Michell then proceeded to another small port five miles farther south, but there again he was turned away.
By then, it was after six o’clock and broad daylight, and Michell knew that his chances of survival were slight unless he found shelter. But, at seven o’clock, as she was heading for the entrance of the harbour at Metharia, Thalia was once more dive-bombed and machine-gunned. During these attacks, while Michell was dodging the bombs, one of his Greek crew jumped overboard.
At Metharia, the Thalia was coldly told to go away. But Michell insisted on being allowed ashore, where he demanded a motor-boat to search for the missing man. After an hour’s search, it was discovered that he had been rescued by a fishing boat. However, by the time Michell returned to the Thalia, he found that her Greek crew had deserted her.
‘This,’ as he wrote in his report, ‘made things rather difficult, as I did not want to spend the rest of the war in Metharia. Also, I had about seven million drachmas on board which I did not want to fall into the hands of the Germans or anyone else. So I got hold of a policeman and a doctor, who said they would find me another crew.’
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