To Newfoundland with Churchill

After relating his memories of his time as the first Radar Officer on the Prince of Wales and, along with the Hood, the encounter with the Bismarck, Rear Admiral Stuart Paddon continues with memories of the occasion when the Prince of Wales transported Winston Churchill to Placentia Harbour in Newfoundland, then still a British colony,  for a secret meeting with the American President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Surprise Passenger

The next event worth mentioning was that we were very surprised to receive Mr. Winston Churchill, whom we transported to Placentia Harbour in Newfoundland, where he met Roosevelt for what is now called the Atlantic Charter meeting. We were a private ship, no flag officer carried; however we had a tremendous amount of brass present on this occasion: all the Chiefs of Staff and a myriad of staff officers who were in Churchill’s entourage.

On the approaches to the Canadian area, or at the time the Newfoundland area [not a province of Canada until 1949] we were met by three Canadian destroyers [HMS Ripley, HMCS Assiniboine and HMCS Restigouche]. This was my first opportunity to see the Canadian Navy at work. They escorted us into Placentia Harbour.

Shooting Crap with Roosevelt's Son

I have a host of memories of this occasion. One of these was going over to HMCS Restigouche to buy some Canadian cigarettes, which I had been without for too long a period. I knew none of the Canadian officers, but I was well received in the Wardroom and asked to join in a crap game in progress on the deck. The person at my left turned out to be Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr., then a young ensign in the US Navy. He had been invited to this occasion, along with his brother who was in the Army, in order to meet Churchill.

I purchased ten thousand Buckingham cigarettes and this occupied two huge cartons. I was intending to call my ship to send a boat when FDR Jr. suggested that he take me back in the boat allocated to him. I was duly delivered to my ship along with my ten thousand cigarettes.

On another occasion, all the officers of the Prince of Wales were introduced to Mr. Roosevelt. He took a particular interest in me because I was at that time one of only two Canadian officers in the wardroom, the other being Ralph Ripley. As a matter of interest, a midshipman, Dick Leir, was also aboard the ship at that time; he had joined during the repair period as well.

Old Man Not Amused

Each evening during the crossing both going over to Newfoundland and on the way back to the UK, Churchill would come directly into the wardroom after deck, over the upper deck to the bridge structure. At one point, the Sub placed his hand on Churchill’s elbow as if to help him along, and was told in no uncertain terms, to keep his hands off him. Mr. Churchill was perfectly capable of looking after himself. He’d been to sea before this boy was born and would he please just lead him up to the bridge.

Churchill Saluted Merchant Convoy

We final left Newfoundland and proceeded back on our own as we could do thirty knots. I remember very well, at one point, we passed through a huge convoy of ships, which I would guess was doing about eight or ten knots, and at this time Churchill made his famous V sign to many of the merchant ships as we passed them. I have seen pictures of him so doing on many occasions in later years. He finally left us with his group at Iceland, at Reykjavík. We then returned to Scapa Flow. I presume he took passage in some other smaller ship back to England from Iceland.

Churchill aboard the Prince of Wales