# Friendly fire!



## Hugh Ferguson (Sep 4, 2006)

Sometime towards the end of 1944 I was in a ship in an American escorted convoy. All that day we had been struggling to keep up with all the Liberty ships but were gradually slipping back down the columns, and when this happened we had already lost the convoy and had become a straggler. We had on board a large contingent of gunners as we were equipped for beach-head landings (the ship had been on Operation Overlord and was armed like a war-ship). On this Western Ocean crossing we were heading for Bombay and thence, Burma. 
Just as the convoy was beginning to disappear ahead of us a gunner, John Hill, accidentally fired a round from a pistol he was cleaning and the bullet struck an R.N. Petty Officer Gunlayer in the leg. The wound bled seriously and we were obliged to get assistance from one of the escorting U.S.Navy destroyers which left the convoy and came at full speed and, in quite a heavy swell, took the wounded man off in a breeches buoy, (nearly shooting the 3rd mate in the process)! 
The unfortunate perpetrator of this mishap then had to endure many more days before our arrival in Bombay when, the last I ever saw or heard of him was his being marched ashore under M.P.escort, to be courts martialled. 
All I know of him was that he had been a miner, had lived in Aber Bargoed, had married, presumeably a Scottish girl, in Glasgow, and that his regiment was Maritime Royal Artillery. 
I shall never forget the sight of him being marched off the ship when I now wish I had wished him well and perhaps, given him a pat on the shoulder. He was grand fellow and what an awful thing to happen to somebody who had just come through that bloody war unscathed.
We did hear that the wounded man survived but heard no details. I do have the log entries made at the time. If anyone has any ideas how I might know more of the outcome I would be most grateful to hear from him.


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## John Rogers (May 11, 2004)

The accident in my opinion did not warrant a court martial,the accident investigating officer should of declared it a accidental firing of a weapon.

But thats my opinion, and I have done a few of that type of investigating in my life time.

John


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## Hugh Ferguson (Sep 4, 2006)

I'm pleased to know that, John: so that could be the reason I have never been able to discover the eventual outcome. However, it would still be of great interest to me to learn what became of John Hill. In the ship's articles his name is given as, John Hill, aged 29, wife, Dorothy, address, 243 Hospital St., Glasgow. Last ship, Fort McMurray, pay, 1 shilling a day (5 pence in new money) signed on s.s.Empire Capulet, 4th Aug.1944 in Newport, as in the case of all the other gunners, an A.B. deck-hand; paid off with £2.15. in Bombay, 4th Mar.1945. His service pay was not recorded in the ship's articles.
I wonder if any members of S.N. came from, or knew anyone, from Aber Bargoed!?


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## John Rogers (May 11, 2004)

Hugh I believe the town is just a few miles north of Cardiff. Maybe a member of SN who happens to be in the Newport MN Branch could help. In the case you mentioned he could have been cleared of any charges and they would of ruled it a accident at the Court Marshall,however they have to go through the drill to see if there was any evidence of a crime. I do hope he was cleared.

John.


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## Hugh Ferguson (Sep 4, 2006)

Yes, John, Aber Bargoed is in the heart of the South Wales coal-field: it would be great to hear from someone who may have known John Hill, ex. miner.
Here are some extracts from the Official Secret Log dated, 19th Jan.1945.
"To certify that this day, John Hill, Deckhand, whilst explaining the operation of the extractor mechanism of a .38 calibre revolver, to Raymond Ford, Deckhand, accidentally caused the weapon to be discharged, the bullet striking William Henry Browning, Deckhand, in the right foreleg, halfway between knee and ankle, fracturing the shinbone and embedding itself into the right of the bone. Hill had inserted a cartridge in order to demonstrate the mechanism aforesaid, and was recovering the weapon from Ford, when, with the hammer possibly not in the full forward position, the chamber must have accidentally turned, bringing the cartridge underneath the hammer causing it to fire immediately. Neither of the three men concerned can say for certain just how the gun came to fire.......................I (the master) personally went aft and questioned Browning as to how the accident had occurred. His answer was, "Don't know-only accident". He was in a dazed condition and obviously suffering from shock...............to certify that this day, William Henry Browning was transferred by Breeches Buoy to a U.S.Destroyer, suffering from a gun-shot wound in the right foreleg. Effects, as per attached list, remain on board. Browning was landed on the other vessel entirely without mishap (he was just lightly dipped in the sea), due in no small measure to the superb seamanship displayed by the destroyer commander in perfect command of his crew (about 20 men ranged along the foredeck were tailing on to the heavy line to keep the tension just right). Wind W.S.W., force 5; heavy and confused swell, scale 749 (whatever that is); speed of advance 10 knots. Vessel rolling and pitching heavily, cloudy, fine and clear". (signed by master, Captain "Anglesey" Evans; Chief Officer, Geoffrey Drake & Chief Steward, Jack Hurst. The entry was written in long- hand by Chief R.O., Geoffrey White, with whom I still have an occasional chat!)


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## Hugh Ferguson (Sep 4, 2006)

(nearly shooting the 3rd mate in the process)! This happened on account of a huge deck-cargo of military hardware in packing cases atop No.5 hatch. Hugh Davies, 3rd mate, and others were standing on top of this cargo waiting to get a hold of the light line as it was fired from the destroyer, but instead of the weight passing over-head it embedded itself in the packing case on which Hugh was standing. We had very nearly suffered another casualty!


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## non descript (Nov 18, 2005)

I did like the.... _"Browning was landed on the other vessel entirely without mishap (he was just lightly dipped in the sea),.."_ - just the cure for a compound fracture of the leg (Thumb)


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## John Rogers (May 11, 2004)

I liked the part where the Log described the accident ,"the bullet striking William Henry Browning, Deckhand in the right foreleg" glad to hear his hind-leg was not hurt,or the middle one for that matter. 
I cant remember ever hearing the lower leg called a foreleg,on animal yes, but never humans.

John.


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## Hugh Ferguson (Sep 4, 2006)

John Rogers said:


> I liked the part where the Log described the accident ,"the bullet striking William Henry Browning, Deckhand in the right foreleg" glad to hear his hind-leg was not hurt,or the middle one for that matter.
> I cant remember ever hearing the lower leg called a foreleg,on animal yes, but never humans.
> 
> John.


 That's very funny, John, I'd never given a thought to his middle having been at risk!! Hugh.


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