Being the author of the definitive account of the battle, Pedestal- the battle that saved Malta, on which much of the ceremony was based, and of which a special 60th Anniversary edition was published in both the UK and Malta in 2002, I was invited by Simon Cusens, the organiser. I met the Maltese Prime Minister, Mr Adami, and the Minister of Tourism, Mr Refalo, and attended all these events, meeting again many of the brave men who had fought the convoy through, and who I had originally interviewed for my book. I also gave a speech as the ashes of one of the British destroyer skippers, Roger Hill of the Ledbury, a hero of that battle, were scattered off the island from a Maltese warship. The week included interviews with BBC Radio, an ITV Documentary team which produced Running the Gauntlet- sink the Manchester; and the editorial team of the magazine Malta at War, the TekMed team which dived on the wreck of H.M.S.Manchester and the tanker Ohio, both from the convoy, as well as renewing friendships with the Arms, Armour and Military Society, and at the Air Museum, as well as conducting book signings. I met again an old Italian friend, Rolando Peraso, who had commanded one of the e-boats during the battle and who is now a famous artist, and we renewed old memories.

It was a truly memorable week and one I most certainly will treasure.

RESEARCH VISIT TO JAPAN

For my research for my Aichi D3A1/2 Val dive-bomber book, I spent some time in Japan and with my friends and fellow historians Sadao Seno and Tetsukuni Watanabe, visited historical centres, museums, military shrines as well as meeting surviving Val pilots in their homes. In addition to the usual tourist events, Mount Fuji, riding the Bullet train, shopping and night-life in downtown Tokyo, Nagoya Castle, the Kamkura's Gardens and Great Buddha,and so on, my wife and I were welcomed at places tourists rarely, if ever, see. We visited the preserved battleship Mikasa, Admiral Togo's flagship at the Battle of Tsushima when the Russian fleet was totally destroyed. Restored to pristine condition, thanks to the intervention in the 1950's of John Rubin a native of Barrow-in-Furness where she had been constructed half-a-century before, Mikasa is now the Japanese equivalent of H.M.S.Victory and just as historic. We were welcomed aboard with due ceremony by Vice-Admiral Tameo Oki, the Executive Director, who personally guided us around the ship.

 

With the famous dive-bomber pilot Zenji Abe, a veteran of Pearl Harbor and many combat missions, as our guide, we were guests of Chief Priest, the Reverend Tadashi Yuzawa at the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo. Here we attended a memorial service to honour the memory of Val pilot Takashige Egusa, whose life story I had recorded many years earlier. This was a particular honour for us, and especially for my wife Pat, for women are rarely granted access to such ceremonies. We were also shown around the Museum by the Curator, and viewed the only surviving Judy dive-bomber which is preserved there.

Another unique honour was our attendance of the Pre-Sailing Reception for the departure of the Japanese Navy's Training Squadron for their South American cruise. Here we were guests of The Suiko Association, and met veterans of the Pacific War, while my wife was attended upon by the young female sailors of the new Navy of Japan.

South, to Aichi Province, where the original Val factory had operated and still partly survives. We visited the Kakamigahara Aerospace Museum, and were again given a conducted tour by the Curator. We also visited an operational Air Force base, and were guests at the Mitsubishi Museum, where I was allowed to seat myself in the cockpit of the preserved Zero fighter there.

Also in Aichi, we were permitted to view the last surviving war memorial dedicated to the young Kamikaze pilots who, in the last days of the war, flew the Val on suicide missions against the Allied fleets, sacrificing their lives for Emperor and Nation, another unique experience.

 

Naval History
Destroyer Leader	British Pacific Fleet	Calabria, North and Spartivento	Operation Pedestal
English Channel	Convoy PQ.18	Battle of Midway	Laforey Class destroyers