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HMS Barham — Scapa Flow: August 27th, 1940

Before joining Vice Admiral Somerville’s “H” Force in the Western Mediterranean in late August 1940, HMS Barham spent two months at Scapa Flow. My father, Surgeon-Commander E.R.Sorley, RN was the Principal Medical Officer and during this period wrote numerous letters to my mother. Extracts from these letters to my mother give an insight to life on the ship during the months leading up to Barham’s first major action at Dakar. The Battle of Britain was in full swing. This is the last letter from Scapa Flow. Barham would have sailed for Freetown, Sierra Leone very shortly thereafter.

27th August 1940: About to leave for Freetown

“I have just finished correcting the Midshipmen’s examination papers, and apart from a few errors, they have acquitted themselves very well. One young gentleman, in describing the method of treating a man apparently drowned said, “one must remove from his mouth mud, seaweed, fish, etc.” One can conclude that he is humourist, conscious or unconscious. He has conjured up a happy picture of the first aid man dragging with all his might to remove a cod or mackerel before getting down to the serious work of artificial respiration.

I am expecting a good mail from you today, as Sunday and Monday was blank. I enjoyed reading “The Listener”, and I find that I was wrong to say that we get it in the Mess. It is “London Calling” which we get. Dorothy Thompson’s broadcast speech was really effective, I thought. She has a pungent, vigorous style which she uses to the full when talking to, or of, the Fuehrer. As I’ve said before to you, if my letters become at any time few and far between, you will understand - “C’est La Guerre”. - and you will know that I am always thinking of you and the children.

What a stupid futile war this seems sometimes. I am not saying that because I think there should be a quick peace - far from it; we must go on until Hitler and his filthy disciples are thrown back to the gutter where they belong. I am saying it because I have commenced to read again “The Outline of History” by H.G.Wells - a most stimulating and thought-provoking volume. Looking upon our history of today, now in the making, do not his words make you regard all of us mortals as ants struggling on an ant-heap in a mere second of the world’s time? How contemptible the immensity of space and time makes all this fighting and scrabbling for power! Hitler seems tinier and more insignificant than ever.

The Germans seem to be trying new tactics - by sending over many planes singly. In single formation they are not so easy to detect and have more chance of getting over our cities before being attacked. Still, the R.A.F. are “clawing” them down all right, without very extensive damage having been done to our centres of production. It is my censoring day, and I must rush off to see what awaits me in the office.”

End of Letters from Scapa Flow

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