In parts one and two of this series we looked at how Linton resident John Creedy found a treasure trove of letters that included a rare first-hand account of the sinking of the troop ship HMT Leasowe Castle in the Mediterranean on 27 May, 1918.
In part one John’s grandfather, Norman Howard, had been on board HMT Leasowe Castle when it was hit by a torpedo. Part two looked at how one of Norman Howard’s saviours may have been the model for Ian Fleming’s James Bond.
Hospital ship Gloucester [John Creedy article]
Norman Howard’s letters to his then-girlfriend (later wife), reveal that soon after being torpedoed with 2,900 men on board, the Leasowe Castle was moored by the bows to the HMS Lily and a daring rescue was under way, with some men jumping directly from the Castle to the Lily.
After two hours, with men still crossing – many breaking their legs as they did so – the Castle started sinking from the stern. At the last moment, the heavy duty hawsers (maritime ropes) joining the two ships were cut.
Cited by the subsequent Court of Inquiry, the captain of the HMS Lily, Captain Trepess, was asked if he wanted to make any recommendations.
George Hugh Jocelyn Evans, who changed his name to Alan Hillgarth, was a sublieutenant on the HMS Lily
Up first was Jocelyn Evans who was “instrumental in cutting hawsers which saved HMS Lily from being dragged down”. By cutting the hawsers and releasing his ship before being dragged down with the sinking troop ship, Sublieutenant Evans saved hundreds of lives along with all their eventual progeny, including our treasure trove specialist in Linton, John Creedy, who takes up the story.
“As it happens the man cited by Captain Trepess of HMS Lily for his critical actions when requested at his witness statement became a particularly important person as his career developed,” says John. “Sublieutenant George Hugh Jocelyn Evans changed his name formally in 1928 but meanwhile had adopted various identities based on his family names.
John Creedy, a retired scientist recently found a treasure trove of letters in a relative’s house. The letters were from his grandfather about his incredible Army career and how he was able to survive being torpedoed etc. They also referred to his commander, Captain Holl. Picture: Keith Heppell
“As Alan Hillgarth he became Vice Consul of Mallorca and ultimately chief of British Naval Intelligence Eastern Theatre in World War II.
“The author Ian Fleming worked closely with Hillgarth and they became good friends. Hillgarth always had a way with words and a passion to become an author himself. Hillgarth and Fleming had much in common. In parallel they independently developed a career in naval intelligence – Hillgarth as a diplomat and spy chief in World War II, while Fleming was recruited in May 1939 by Rear Admiral John Godfrey, the director of naval intelligence, to be his personal assistant.
“Ten years Hillgarth’s junior, Fleming reported to and worked with him as he developed his own career in intelligence. Hillgarth’s familiarity and understanding of both Spanish and Russian political developments combined with his flair for social interaction and a passion for writing, and he developed a friendship with Fleming. His depth and familiarity with the intelligence community presented a compelling background for the forthcoming 007 character.
HMS Lily, top, and Norman Howard in Alexandria, May 2018. [John Creedy article]
“No one would suggest this was the only influence but for certain he possessed many essential qualities of the future James Bond.”
Hillgarth enjoyed a post-war career that took in being an author of adventure yarns, alongside stints as a gold-hunter in South America, a diplomat and a spymaster. The associations make it easier to establish where Ian Fleming’s source material might have come from in the Bond series that began with Casino Royale in 1952.
Sublieutenant Jocelyn Evans, left, who cut the hawsers joining HMT Leasowe Castle to HMS Lily in the Mediterranean in 1918. Evans changed his name to Alan Hillgarth in 1928. Commander Hillgarth, right, bears a striking resemblance to James Bond star Sean Connery. The James Bond series was written by Ian Fleming, a naval intelligence officer in WWII, who worked with Hillgarth
John adds wryly that “despite an initial reluctance for Fleming to accept Sean Connery as lead actor, the final choice held an uncanny resemblance to both character and visual likeness with Commander Alan Hillgarth” – a likeness discussed in more detail here.
There’s no evidence that Norman Howard, John’s grandfather, got to know Hillgarth – Sublieutenant Evans as he was known in World War I – but they probably sat at the same dinner table to celebrate the success of the rescue operation.
The entire incredible story was put together when lockdown obliged John to spend more time at home where he had time to read the documents in the attic and subsequently examine the archive documents – some at the National Archives – which revealed the key facts.
John Creedy, a retired scientist recently found a treasure trove of letters in a relative’s house. The letters were from his grandfather about his incredible Army career and how he was able to survive being torpedoed etc. They also referred to his commander, Captain Holl. Picture: Keith Heppell
So where did Norman Howard meet the man who probably helped save his life on that dark night in 1918 when the ship he was on was torpedoed by a German submarine?
Alongside the letters which so astonished John when he first read them – as described in part one in last week’s edition of the Cambridge Independent – was something else: a signed dinner menu from the Majestic Hotel in Alexandria.
“Along with one letter was included a document which provoked further research into the names signed on the reverse by several individuals who were important key actors in the incident,” says John. “The document is a dinner menu on the back of which the diners at the table signed their names as was a common practice in those days when attending a function, such as this get-together following a memorable event.
“Seven names are identified, with five senior naval or merchant marine officers from ships involved having attended the naval enquiry two days after the sinking, on 29 May 1918. I have identified most.
Norman Howard’s dining card from the celebratory dinner at the Majestic Hotel in Alexandria for survivors of the torpedoed HMT Leasowe Castle
“FA Trepess was the captain of the escort and rescue ship HMS Lily.
“Basil Ray was second officer of the stricken ship.
“J Howell was medical officer of HMS Lily.
“GH Jocelyn Evans was the young man who chopped the hawsers and saved everyone’s life on HMS Lily.
“Two were officers from the troops on board.
“One unknown name which looks like ‘JH Hoare’.
“Plus there were two cryptic female names, perhaps Cynthia and Phrymette. These last two remain a mystery.
“This document was sent back with the letter to his newlywed wife Dorothy, whom he married when on leave in 1917 – my grandmother.”
John is sure that it was his grandfather’s dinner menu that the other guests – including Jocelyn Evans – had signed. And very probably, the hero of the hour and subsequent spy protegee met the rescued Norman Howard as they all recovered from the traumatic experience on board HMS Lily as the troop ship sank with 96 souls, including Master Edward John Holl, the mariner and a very successful and popular senior ship’s master on several Union Castle liners.
Norman Howard, John Creedy’s grandfather, after World War I service
The letters end towards the close of 1918, with Norman safely home and free to pursue his post-war career. After studying for his diploma in agriculture at Fitzwilliam College in Cambridge he was appointed manager of the university’s farm in Coton, then chosen to manage global trials for a plant development company and a short consultancy stint in New Orleans for a US bank.
Norman Howard went on to have two children, one of whom, Jean, was John’s mother.
Given that some of these stories – the full story of Captain Holl’s career, for instance, which was described in part one – are the only extant accounts of historic episodes, John is now determined to put as much as possible into the public domain.
“It takes a lot of time to put it together,” he concludes. “I’ve spent time going into the minutiae – I’m like a terrier with a rag in its mouth.”
The estate of Ian Fleming has been contacted for comment.