It was a daring dash for vital ball bearings, organised at the height of the Second World War, which set sail from the Humber. Will Ramsey finds out about Operation Bridford.
THEY sailed from Hull under the cover of darkness to land a formidable strike in Britain's war effort.
The ball-bearing runs, crewed by Yorkshire fishermen, were a vital component in the battle against the Nazis.
Organised in the strictest secrecy at the height of the Second World War, the mission, known as Operation Bridford, saw motor gun boats set out on high-speed shuttle runs from the Humber to Sweden.
"It is a really good example of the way fishermen from the Yorkshire coast and the Humber played all sorts of roles – often unsung – in both the Great War at sea and, in this case, the Second World War," said Dr Robb Robinson, of the University of Hull's Maritime Historical Studies Centre.
"Both sides had problems with supplies of ball bearings, which were crucial to the war effort because they are a fundamental part of all machinery.
"The world leaders in producing ball bearings were the Swedes, who were neutral. They would trade with either side, providing they were picked up, which was easier said than done.
"So a plan was formulated to run a series of vessels, ostensibly flagged as Merchant Navy, to make the runs."
The crews' bravery was highlighted in an exhibition at the Carnegie Heritage Centre in Anlaby Road, Hull.
Compiled by Judy Galloway, the display detailed the extraordinary backdrop to Operation Bridford.
Co-ordinated by George Binney, a leading metallurgist, the boats were based in Hull under the management of the Ellerman Wilson Line.
He personally selected the seamen – 80 per cent of whom lived in and around Hull – to crew the flotilla, which had been requisitioned from the Turkish Navy.
"The officers were from the Ellerman Wilson Line, with many of the deck hands trawler men from the Humber," said Dr Robinson, who has long been fascinated by the operation.
"They would make high-speed dashes between the occupied countries of Denmark and Norway into Swedish ports, where they would load up and make the dash back.
"It was fraught with difficulty."
Under the cover of darkness, the boats, given names including Hopewell, Nonsuch and Master Standfast, were first deployed on October 26, 1943.
Plagued by bad weather and mechanical problems, only one of the flotilla completed the first mission, the Gay Viking, which returned from the Swedish port of Lysekil with 40 tonnes of cargo.
"It is one of those spectacular and largely unrecognised operations," said Robb.
"It was a crucial period in the war. We were relying very heavily on the United States, and, at a time when the U-Boat war was desperate, it was a very inventive way of obtaining supplies."
While the Master Standfast was later lost, many successful runs followed. By the summer of 1944, the operation had brought back more than 340 tonnes of ball-bearings and engineering equipment.
But the story was to hold one final twist years after the Nazis' defeat.
In September 2007, Mike Kemble, who runs the history website www.mikekemble.com, received an intriguing email about Master Standfast.
Sent by David Broadley, whose late father, Reginald John Broadley, was a member of the crew, the letter, reproduced here, was found in the Ellerman Wilson Shipping Offices.
Written by Erich Matern, the captain of a German minesweeper, it relates to the capture of the Master Standfast in November 1943.
"It was written in 1950, with the help of a secret diary, so the author's memory was probably quite fresh and accurate," said Mike, who is based in Sutton Coldfield.
In the letter, Matern pays particular tribute to the captain of the Master Standfast, skipper George Holdsworth – who was buried with military honours in Frederikshavn Cemetery, in Jutland, Denmark.
"I spoke to him in his last hours, knowing from the German doctor that the brave hero would soon sleep his eternal sleep in Jutland, far away from his family and his country," wrote Matern.
"When the land was behind us, I had time to think of Mr Holdsworth, as there were long solitary hours on the wintry waters, when we were gazing from the bridge across the wide spaces of the everlasting sea."Have you seen our new homepage?Bookmark hulldailymail.co.uk for the very best and exclusive local content.
