FOOTBALL TEAM of 1945 – 1946. BYMS 2035.
Caldwell. Cockrill. Lucus.
Tulk. Fletcher. Bastow.
Grourke. Atkinson. Deas. Laylor. Branch.
Harold front row, right.
Luke and myself relaxing before entering Ostend Harbour Aug. 1945.
Chief, Johnny, Myself, A few lines to the old folks at home, for’ard mess, Aug, 1945 Ostend.
HM BYMS 2035
Samuel (Sammy) Bernard Bastow
The “Old Girl” again in from sweeping. August 1945, Ostend.
BYMS 2035.
BYMS 2035.
Watch these short videos about the Wildfire III Minesweepers.
Minesweepers: https://youtu.be/aTsYiZFzv5M
D-day minesweepers: https://youtu.be/ZjlA5LxCAsg
Clearing the Scheldt: https://youtu.be/8ELsc9T3Lbw
The Relief of Holland: https://youtu.be/GghYEFHmOfY
Lucas, myself, Sparkers, Avery, (3.5 Gun Forward)
Harold “Paddy” Broadley, on right wearing lifejacket
If you, your father or your grandfather have any additional information about this ship, crew lists, stories, photographs, please send copies of them to be added to our records and this website.
Thank you.
Contact: johntenthousand@yahoo.co.uk
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From left, Fletcher, (?) G. Lucus and Samuel Grourke.
From left, Sammy Grourke, Sammy Bastow and G. Lucus.
Sammy Grourke.
MOVEMENTS.
14 Aug 43 Completed
5 Oct 43 New York.
11 Oct 43 Boston
15 Oct 43 Halifax.
18 Oct to 9 Dec 43 St John’s. Crossed Atlantic Ocean from Canada to the U.K.
22 Dec 43 Falmouth
26 Dec 43 Portland
27 Dec 43 Portsmouth
28 Dec 43 Southend
29 Dec 43 Harwich
6 June 44 Portsmouth.
June 6th, D-Day BYMS 2035 was sweeping off Sword Beach.
During the period from the 4 June 1944 (the day before D-day) to the end of July 1944 BYMS would have cleared pathways through the minefields to the Normandy Beachheads, cleared mines ahead of the Invasion Convoys, cleared mines from the ship assembly and disembarkation areas almost right up to the beaches, widened the cleared pathways and continuously swept for newly laid mines.
7 June to 23 June 44 Harwich
23 June 44 Southend.
29 June 44 Portsmouth
12 July 44, Portsmouth
24 July 44 Harwich.
24/25 July 44 Southend.
11 Oct 44 Sheerness
11 to 17 Oct 44 Harwich
17 Oct to 1 Nov 44 Harwich
2 November 1944. Force “A” came under heavy fire from the guns at Knokke on the south bank of the Scheldt estuary with four of the eight BYMS in 165 Flotilla being hit by shell fire. . BYMS 2035 was singled out with a shell smashing right through the engine room. Harold “Paddy” Broadley, Telegrapher, went down into the burning engine room, put out the fire and carried an injured crew member to safety for which he was commended for his bravery. BYMS 2035 was towed out of the minefield and back to Harwich for repairs.
5 November 1944, KEEN, Harold F, Engineman, LT/KX 149138, DOW (Died of Wounds) from a shell which hit his ship while clearing the Scheldt Estuary of mines
16 Jan 45 Ostend
17 Jan to 9 May 45 Harwich.
10 May 45 Ostend. The winter of 1944–1945 was very harsh for the people of Holland. Food was cut off by the Germans and 18,000 people starved to death. Relief came at the beginning of May 1945 when minesweepers cleared Dutch ports of mines and ships carrying humanitarian aid arrived. Minesweepers, the first vessels to arrive in Dutch ports gave their food to Dutch children.
2 June to 23 June 45 Harwich
23 June to 3 Sep 45 Ostend.
8 July to 3 Sep 45 Harwich
1946. Laid up at Queenborough Pier, Wildfire III, Queenborough after WW2 waiting to be returned to the United States Navy or sold.
21 Oct 47, returned to USA and sold to Egypt.
Harold on left.
Robo, Steward, Wires, Johnny, playing solo in the Mess, regardless of picture in the background, Aug, 1945, Ostend.
The following photographs of BYMS 2035 and her crew are from the Album of Seaman Samuel (Sammy) Bernard Bastow, by kind permission of his Grandson, Jason Bastow.
With her crew, Sammy sailed to the USA and bought the 2035 back across the Atlantic to England. He served on her as she and other minesweepers led the Allied Invasion Fleet to the D-day Landing Beaches. He helped to cleared mines from the Scheldt, opening up the port of Antwerp where she was shelled with one of her crew was killed. He helped to clear the Dutch Ports allowing urgently needed food and humanitarian aid to enter Holland and he cleared the German Ports allowing food and humanitarian aid to enter Germany at the end of the war.
Ship's football team, Sam is front row, left.
Sparks on same.
Jimmy (No.1) Sub. Lt. T. J. Lewis DSM. Liverpool.
Front left, Sam Grourke, ? Atkinson.
Back left G. Lucus and Sammy Bastow.
Seaman G. Lucas, Stoke on Trent.
Crew of BYMS 2035 and another BYMS, outside Wildfire III buildings, Queenborough. 1945/46
Samuel Grourke sitting in front with a cup of tea. BYMS, British Yard Mine Sweeper behind.
Tel. Frank Fisher, Newbury.
"Turn To" BYMS 2035
Lucas, myself, Sparks August 1945
BYMS 2035
Harold “Paddy” Broadley, Telegrapher. BYMS 2035
MID. Mentioned in Despatches. A MID was awarded to Sub. Lt. RNVR. Thomas John LEWIS, BYMS 2035, for Minesweeping - MID awarded for great gallantry and endurance in clearing the estuary of the Scheldt of mines during the period of September to November 1944.
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, June 1944
Temp. Lieut.-Com., R.N.V.R. F. K. Butler (act) 10 Jan 44 (In Command)
Temp. Sub-Lieut., R.N.V.R. T. J. Lewis, 14 Aug 43
OFFICERS ON THE NAVY LIST, July 1945,
Temp. Lieut, R. N. V. R., H. S. Kenyon 30 Nov 44..
Harold on right.
Tel. H. Broadley, Wallasey.
Yours truly on Carly Float.
BYMS 2035
British Yard Mine Sweeper 2035.
Nore Command, World War Two 1939 to 1945.
BYMS 2035. Flotilla 165.
Built by: The American Car and Foundry Co., Wilmington, Delaware, USA.
Laid down: 7 September 1942
Launched: 24 June 1943
Completed and transferred to Royal Navy: 14 August 1943
Reclassified: HM J-835 later HMS BYMS-2035.
Assigned to the Nore Command, Flotilla 165.
Took part in the D-day landings.
Samuel "Sammy" Grourke. JX286854. Able Seamen.
The following photographs are from the collection of Sammy Grourke by kind permission of Karen Stretten, youngest granddaughter of Samuel Grourke.
C.O. J. Sanderson, RNVR, Reading.
Sammy Grourke. BYMS 2035.
Sam Grourke is wearing the hat.
Sammy on Guard Duty.
L/Cook C. Bunce, Portsmouth.