Yes indeed, I had the feeling whilst writing the previous post that something wasn’t quite right and couldn’t put my finger on it, and, always the way, the answer woke me in the middle of the night. Well not quite, it was about 4 this morning.
Naturally, I resisted the temptation to get up and start hammering away at the keys, and just as naturally I couldn’t get back to sleep; consequently I’m exhausted but considered it would be a good idea to at least make a start; so here I am! 🐻 i
Those that actually read the post might recall that I mentioned a book my brother gave me for my birthday, ‘Yankee RN’, and I said it was on the first birthday I celebrated in Melbourne.
WELL I WAS WRONG! 😳
It was on the occasion of my second birthday in Australia that he gave me the book. Now I hear you/y’all ask, how can he be so sure, when he was equally certain in the original post. Easy, everything dropped into place when I started to think about what happened immediately after receiving the gift, I’ll try and keep it short and sweet.
As soon as I received the book I headed for my bedroom, and this is how I know I made the boo boo!
I had the bedroom to myself; Sonny was doing his ‘National Service’ training in the RAN, at HMAS Cerberus, named after the three headed dog in Greek Mythology who guarded the underworld, and if you want to know why, have a look at a map of Victoria, and see where it is; you’ll agree it’s aptly named. He gave it to me a few days after my birthday when he got a pass for the day and was able to get home for a few hours.
As I mentioned in the other post, at least I think I did, I could not put it down, I had never been so involved in a book. I literally laughed out loud in some chapters, and sobbed in others. Remember that this was almost seven years after the war in Europe ended, and the things written were still fresh in many memories, some events were inbedded in my memory.
I did not put the book down, I read it ’til I I could keep my eyes open no longer; grabbed a few minutes nap and carried on. By the Sunday afternoon, I had finished, read it completely and there was nothing left for me to do but to start all over again.
The book became an obsession I suppose, I don’t know how often or how many times I read it over the next few years, it’s of no great moment, but it did give me the incentive to start buying books, requesting books and collecting books. Pretty boring for most people, all history, mostly 20th century. It was some years before I ventured off into other realms.
On the 21st October 2005, I made my ‘pilgimage’ to Greenwich for what I hoped would be a celebration of the ‘Battle of Trafagar’ but the English, being English, had decided to hold the celebration a few months earlier, when they thought the weather would be fine, of course, I was completely unaware of this, however, no worries, I was able to wander around and see where Nelson had lain in state; he would have been in a fine state too, his body had been brought back to England, shoved into a cask of brandy to preserve it.
The Painted Hall where he lay was being prepared for a feast with Pince Andrew, Duke of York (a naval man himself) presiding. Just inside the entrance to the ‘Hall’ are two plaques to commemorate and honour those Americans, who risked all, to come to England, and join the Royal Navy to fight the Germans in WWII.
They were put there on the instructions of the Churchills grandson, also Winston, when he entered Parliament in 1970; something his grandpa should have done years earlier!. The pictures below are not the greatest, I haven’t got my buddy (he’s a Yank of sorts that’s why I used the b word) ej’s talent but you’ll get the idea of what the ‘Painted Hall’ looks like; and can see the list of those men who came to join the fight.
Commander Alex H. Cherry OBE RNVR was one of the first three.
LordBeariOfBow 
Thank you for acknowledging their contributions, Beari.
[I try to encourage as many people as possible to READ. Books can take you on more adventures than a person dreamed possible.]
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How true gp, I can’t imgine life without them, yet I have never been able to persuade my wife, and our son, to pick up a book and read it for the sheer joy of it. Neither have the least interest in a book. 😦
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Alex H. Cherry was not among the first three US citizens to volunteer as RNVR officers in WWII, as lordbeariofbow writes.
The first three “sea officers” as stipulated in the Painted Hall plaque were: Edward Ferris, John Parker, and Charles Porter. Five earlier arrivals were not “sea officers” but Fleet Air Arm pilots, and an unexploded bomb disposal specialist. Mr Churchill, MP was an important influence in obtaining permission to add the names plaque, but chief influence was Adm of the Fleet Lord Lewin and Serena Churchill whose mother, Lady Spenser Churchill was the daughter of the Duke of Marlborough. Serena married one of the American volunteers, Ed Russell.
And by the determined efforts of two Brits, Charlotte Hammond and R E White.
Details are in “Passport not required: US volunteers in the Royal Navy 1939-1941” (2010 US Naval Institute Press)
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Alex H. Cherry was not among the first three US citizens to volunteer as RNVR officers in WWII, as lordbeariofbow writes.
The first three “sea officers” as stipulated in the Painted Hall plaque were: Edward Ferris, John Parker, and Charles Porter. Five earlier arrivals were not “sea officers” but Fleet Air Arm pilots, and an unexploded bomb disposal specialist. Mr Churchill, MP was an important influence in obtaining permission to add the names plaque, but chief influence was Adm of the Fleet Lord Lewin and Serena Churchill whose mother, Lady Spenser Churchill was the daughter of the Duke of Marlborough. Serena married one of the American volunteers, Ed Russell.
And by the determined efforts of two Brits, Charlotte Hammond and R E White.
Details are in “Passport not required: US volunteers in the Royal Navy 1939-1941” (2010 US Naval Institute Press)
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The plaques do not show in which order they came but alphabetically , Gurdan Beck, Alex Henry Cherry, Oswald Birrell Detter, Edward Mortimer Ferris. along with 7 more names. This is the plague to the left the plaque on the right commences with Derek Armitage Lee and Parker is number 4 on this list. You may have noticed the photograph included in the post of the plaque. I’m afraid I cannot see the reference to which you refer, ‘the first three sea officers’, just the alphabetical list
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The original plaque is meant, the plaque installed and dedicated during the war. That’s the one with “sea-officers” inscribed, but no names because RNC authorities knew that it was a violation of the Neutrality Act for Americans to join British forces. Names were added in recent years when researchers Charlotte Hammond (a solicitor in Worthing) and “Chalky” White (a retired Sussex village policeman) collaborated in the search to identify all the US citizen volunteers.
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Thank you very much for this information.
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I think Commander Cherry was actually the 7th commissioned as an officer in the RNVR.he finished up as a full commander awarded the OBE (Order of the British Empire – we still had it then in 1945) and his last post was as the Chief RN Liaison Officer at Hamburg during the occupation.
When the US entered the war after Pearl Harbor, he was offered a full Lt Cmdr position in the USN with immediate command of a destroyer but he rejected this offer and stayed with the Royal Navy
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We all have our loyalties and we have to respect his choice!!
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As long ago as it was, if you were off by only one year, there are certainly no apologies needed. Especially not when you consider how many things in how many years you (and I) have to keep straight.
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Trouble is PT I like to kid myself that I’ve still got all my marbles and have 100% recall, as an aside, I just returned from seeing Michelle my dietitian and she was really happy and pleased with me, so seems that all’s well healthwise!😄
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That’s great news!
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ThanksPT XD
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Alex Cherry’s naval service is peppered with incidents that do not reflect kindly on his leadership abilities, including instigating a near mutiny as the senior officer present when his ship was parked dockside. He started well enough after reporting aboard but his reports of fitness trended sharply downwards over time. That said, he loved the RN and freely surrendered creature comforts and safety in a neutral country to put himself in harm’s way fighting a great evil. It is unlikely that the US Navy offered him a lateral transfer and command at sea. In writing “Passport Not Required” we found no evidence that Cherry was offered such an opportunity. (Buy the book and make us rich.)
American volunteers in the RNVR in order of their commissioning dates. * indicates the first three meant by the plaque installed in Painted Hall. That is, the first three who reported to Royal Naval College, Greenwich (RNC), as “sea officers.” The others were Fleet Air Arm pilots, a physician, a bomb disposal expert or trained in RN facilities other than the RNC.
William Taylor, September 14, 1939
David Epps, September 2, 1940
Draper Kauffman, September 27, 1940
Oswald Deiter, March 24, 1941
Derek Lee, April 10, 1941
*Edward Ferris, May 19, 1941
*John Parker, June 7, 1941 (killed in action)
*Charles Porter, June 19, 1941
Gurdan Buck, June 19, 1941
John Leggat, July 14, 1941
Alex Cherry, July 19, 1941
Edmund Kittredge, August 14, 1941
Carl Konow, August 23, 1941
George Hoague, August 23, 1941
David Gibson, August 23, 1941
John Stilwell, September 8, 1941
Henry Ripley, September 8, 1941
Edwin Russell, October 1, 1941
John Hampson, October 6, 1941
Francis Hayes, October 6, 1941 (killed in action)
William Homans, October 21, 1941
Peter Morison, November 10, 1941
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I don’t think it’s fair after nearly 80nyears to question hisleadership, what he did was an honourable thing the great pity is that there were not many Americans of that spirit or calibre, content to stay behind their cosy isolationist curtain and not bother in other peoples wars. How times have changed. Now they look for all the support they can get.
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Not sure that fairness is relevant. We did not start out to write a hagiography. Cherry’s personality-driven difficulties are part of the record. Chronic alcoholism no less than gallantry in action is reflected in the service of others of the volunteers. We dealt with both triumph and failure carefully, hyper careful not to negate the volunteers’ generosity of spirit and selfless disregard of their own personal safety.
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