Lewin of Greenwich Naval History & Forum

“LEWIN OF GREENWICH”.
The life & times of AoF Terry Lewin
1920-1999

So many people have asked for individual chapters that I have decided to serialise the entire book for all Forum Members; if any of you have anything to add, comments, photos, memories, memories from parents, then please add them to the end of each chapter.

INTRODUCTION

Terry Lewin, TTL, joined the RN as a cadet in 1938; he remained with the RN until 1982-3 when with the Falklands Victory secured he retired from the Service.

He was not much of a one for memoirs, he always thought that those who wrote their memoirs had come to realise there was no future, it was only when he became terminally ill with pancreatic cancer in November 1998, diagnosed on his birthday November 19th. That he realized he himself had such a limited future it might be important to get things on paper.

He asked former colleague Admiral Richard Hill, a recognized Naval historian and editor of the Naval Review to undertake the task.

All of the research underpinning the book is thoroughly documented but some readers who were there may feel that they “have something to add”.

For this reason I have decided to post the book to all of you as a serial, after all, TTL’s Navy was your Navy; if you served between 1939 and 1983 then this book is for you, you were there at some point and may well have served with him which makes your comments essential to flesh out the record made by Adm. Hill.

The book was originally published by Cassells who issued it in hardback, the plan to issue a paperback was scuppered when Cassells were taken over by Orion. Orion did not want to continue with Military Biographies and thus after a lengthy negotiation I succeeded in securing the rights from them and Richard Hill to republish the book as an eBook on all well-known platforms.

So, here it begins; if you have memories, photos or anything else to add, we want to hear from you.
Tim Lewin (1947)

some photos to go with Chapter 1. including the house in Quarry Gardens where TTL grew up, as it is today.

and a few more from training days as a cadet.

CHAPTER 2
THE WARTIME CHAPTER, HMS ASHANTI

here are some photos of Pedestal in which Ashanti became the flagship of the convoy after the Italian submarine fired the luckiest spread of torpedoes imaginable, of the 4 fired one hit Nigeria, another hit Cairo which had to be scuttled later, and a 3rd. hit the vital tanker Ohio.

Some of Ashanti's people...

photos from The Long Tow; Somali has been hit between the gearing room and engine room, she has a huge hole in her side from keel to upper deck but is not in immediate danger of sinking. Her hull is visibly twisted. most of her people are taken off but 80 remain, some of the Ashanti's go across. Ashanti rigs the tow that will last 400 miles before overcome by a storm Somali breaks in half and sinks with the loss of 42 of the volunteers onboard. One of those lost is Sub-Lt. Smarden from Ashanti, known as "the dormouse" following a time he fell asleep at the dinner table, overcome by fatigue.

the famous photo of PQ18 was taken from Ashanti by a war photographer, it shows a bomb exploding in the sea between Eskimo, nearest, and Wheatland, neither was damaged.
During her wartime service Ashanti was "protected" by a Ghanaian Juju presented to the ship on her visit to Ghana in 1939, he lived on the shield abaft the pom-pom. Clearly he worked hard as Ashanti was one of on four out of sixteen Tribals to survive the war. Beside him are the profiles of two JU88s dispatched by the gun crew on convoy duty.

And here is Chapter 3, Gunnery officer

CHAPTER 4 First posting to Whitehall

Excellent Tim , bring it on , I had no idea he had done so much as he cut his wake so to speak and worthy of compliment .

More please but after you give me the details of the forthcoming victory celebrations you offered three weeks ago