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                 \\\\\___H.M.S. FIJI ASSOCIATION___\"-._
                 /////~~~ we will remember them ~~~/.-'
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      Survivor's Story - W. J. Hoskins, D.S.M. - CPO Tel - HMS Fiji 
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 Published By Fiji Times - 23 May 1969 - Courtesy, Sadie Wright (daughter)
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  Britain named its first Colony-class cruiser of World War 2 after Fiji. 

On May 31, 1939, HMS Fiji was launched at Clydebank in Scotland. She went 
on patrol in the Caribbean before sailing to the Mediterranean in 1941. 

W. J. HOSKINS, now of Southhampton, England, who joined HMS Fiji in 
October, 1939, tells of her Mediterranean tour of duty and her death at 
the hands of the enemy on May 22, 1941
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WE found ourselves patrolling with our chummy ship Gloucester on May 21, 
off the western entrance to the Aegean Sea.

The atmosphere was absolutely electric. All of us knew that zero hour was 
not far away.

As a matter of fact there had been plenty of action on that particular 
night as we were to learn a few hours later.

The forces operating to the north of Crete, between the Aegean Islands 
and the vicinity of Suda Bay and Candia, had intercepted an invasion force 
of Germans and had practically destroyed the whole convoy. But the Germans 
were consolidating their attacks with aircraft and paratroops had made more 
or less successful landings at vital points.

On the morning of May 22, we were patrolling to the west of Crete, and 
trying to beat off the incessant bombing attacks of JU88's Stuka's and even 
the occasional Messerschmidt fighter.

The main body of the fleet were sighted to the west of our position, and 
we were ordered to take station on the starboard bow of Warspite.

And still the aircraft came, thousands of them, it seemed. While we were 
engaged on screening the main body, a pair of JU88's made a low level 
attack on Warspite scoring a direct hit on starboard battery and causing a 
number of casualties.

Several things seemed to happen after the attack, and when the smoke 
cleared we were steaming in the direction of Crete again but the fleet had 
turned 180 degrees. On our way in we were passed by Carlisle who had been 
hit and damaged, but still able to steam satisfactorily.

                               NO LET UP

Still steaming in the direction of Crete, in company with Gloucester the 
bombing continued without any let up at all, both ships sustaining 
casualties.

Arriving at a point between the islands of Kithira and Antikithira we saw 
the first casualty of that memorable day. The destroyer Greyhound was 
attacked by eight JU88 dive bombers after she had sunk a caique loaded with 
German soldiers.

She received direct hits and sank in a very short time. Her only damaged 
boat was a whaler which was in turn bombed by the attacking aircraft.

The destroyers Kingston and Kandahar endeavoured to rescue the survivors, 
while Fiji and Gloucester did their best to help by throwing up a 
tremendous anti-aircraft barrage which enabled the rescuing destroyers to 
do their work.

The enemy aircraft now concentrated their attacks on Fiji and Cloucester. 
I had experienced air raids in Britain but when you personally feel as 
though all the enemy aircraft are aiming their bombs at you it is slightly 
different.

It has been said that there is no place more naked under heaven than 
standing in the deck of a ship watching a stick of bombs coming straight 
at you. But I think that a more tense feeling is experienced by the 
personnel of any ship whose job is below decks in the engine and boiler 
rooms, remote steering positions, ammunition rooms and several other 
duties where every near miss could be a direct hit as far as one knows.

                              PENETRATED

We had penetrated rather a long way between the islands and the air attacks 
were continual. There were so many aircraft that working on the law of 
averages somebody must get hit.

In the late afternoon, Gloucester, who was apparently closer in then Fiji, 
was subjected to a violent attack by two waves of JU88's in quick 
succession and received many direct hits which started fires and damaged 
her so severely that her crew had to abandon her in a sinking condition.

Fiji closed the doomed ship and as we steamed round her stern, and up on 
the port side, our captain made a signal of comfort to the captain of the 
Gloucester who was still on the bridge of the ship.

Then we dropped most of our rafts for the men swimming in the water. 
It was heart-breaking to have to leave them in this plight but if we had 
stayed any longer we would have met the same fate.

The obvious next step that the aircraft would take was to concentrate 
their attacks on Fiji - being the most important unit left in the game. 
We were desperately short of ammunition, and had been even before we 
started the operation.

In fact all ships of the fleet had so many attacks to repel from enemy 
aircraft that there was not one ship that was not below the safety margin.

                                 UNCANNY

From the sinking of the Gloucester, air attacks on Fiji and her attendant 
destroyers - bless them - continued for the remainder of the afternoon and 
evening.

I was uncanny to watch the bombers making their dives and then the ship 
turning away from the intended target area, to sustain near misses instead 
of direct hits.

It was not all good luck, but cool and clever anticipation on the part of 
the captain and the navigating officer, throwing the crusier from one 
course to another of as much as 90 degrees while the bombs were on their 
way.

Every man in the ship did a magnificient job, and backed their efficient 
officers to the hilt.

Dusk follows afternoon and the period of watchfulness produced that 
something that we had been peeling our eyes for ever since we left the 
Tall o' the Bank.

Out of the falling mist a JU88 came in low, adopting the same pattern of 
attack as had been employed in the attack on Warspite that morning, 
dropping a bomb from a very low level so that it was almost impossible to 
miss.

I thought it had missed as it did not explode immediately, but about three 
seconds or so later the ship was literally lifted almost clear of the water.

The bomb exploded in almost the same position as we had been hit by a 
torpedo in the Atlantic.

The same boiler room caught it agin, but more serious was that the 
compasses were put out of action.

                             COUP DE GRACE

The gun crews, despite the fact that they wqere reduced to one pom-pom 
and a couple of .5 machine guns, still gave them all they had and the ship 
staggered along at reduced speed. And believe me, every man on baord knew 
what to expect then. It was not long coming. The aircraft which was to 
administer the coup de grace seemed to actually hover until he had his 
plane pointed direct at the ship's bows.

He made no mistake, and the stick of bombs he dropped were spread along 
Fiji's port side, tearing open the deck and bringing the mast down.

It seemed that the whole ship had been blown to smithereens. You could 
see little things like armoured hatchway covers sailing above your head. 
And yet it seemed at the time to be quite normal to be taking part in 
this fight for preservation.

There was nothing more to be done. The ship had a distinct list to port 
and was heeling over quickly. It was almost impossible to get below but 
I saw several men trying to carry on with the hopeless job of preventing 
the ship from sinking.

How some of them got to the upper deck through the debris and damage I 
shall never know.

It was a matter of urgency now to get off the ship. The order abandon 
had already been given by the captain.

Those that were able had left the ship and were swimming away to safety, 
the boats taking the injured. This the intention but unfortunately the ship 
had heeled so far to port that difficulty was experienced in lowering the 
whaler on the starboard side and it rolled right over and capsized tipping 
its occupants into the sea.

                                SURVIVORS

Before leaving the ship a signal had been received from the Kingston and 
Kandahar still avoiding aircraft to say they would be back as soon as 
possible. The message was passed to the swimming survivors. Some had swum 
away from the main body and did not get the signal but to the majority of 
the remainder it certainly helped to keep them going.

The destroyers did return and picked up 501 officers and ratings, of a 
total of about 850. There were no exception in appreciation of the wonderful 
manner they had carried out the work of rescue.

Swimming away from Fiji seemed to be the general idea of the crew, for she 
was now upside down completely. There was a danger of boiler explosions or 
other possibilities to keep clear of.

Darkness swallowed up our last view of her. She was never seen again.

The men in the water had resigned themselves to wait and see if the 
destroyers would come back to pick them up and the situation appeared 
rather ludicrous when one found some of us talking to each other as though 
in a pub or in a drawing room.

On board Kingston we found she already had survivors from ships which had 
been sunk during the previous night, including some Commonwealth soldiers.

One soldier told me he was on the jetty at Suda Bay, when the end of the 
jetty had been isolated from the shore by a direct hit cutting the jetty in 
half. He was stranded with a few mates on the sea side of the pier.

The survivors in Kingston, after a couple of hours sleep (getting our heads 
down almost where we stood) awoke to find ourselves in company with the 
Mediterranean Fleet.

                                 HOMEWARD

Arriving at Alexandria and picking some items of kit, provided by the crew 
of Kingston we were delighted to learn that all of us, with the exception 
of the injured who were sent to various hospitals were to be sent home 
immediately.

Twenty-four hours later were were comfortably settled on board the 
S.S. Strathmore at Port Tewfik. A quiet trip to Durban allowed us to
recover the reaction effects with plenty of sleep.

The official casualty list of Fiji was 247 officers and men either killed 
or believed dead.

The ship - to quote from official publications - did all she was called 
upon to do.

I'm sure that all who served in her, especially during the Battle for 
Crete, would prefer to say that she did more than she was called upon 
to do, aand the Colony after which she had been named had every reason 
to be proud of her.

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 Published By Fiji Times - 23 May 1969 - Courtesy, Sadie Wright (daughter)
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                           NOTE FROM SADIE WRIGHT:

The article appeared in The Fiji Times on the 23 May 1969.   From what I 
can remember at the time, Dad wrote his story and then decided he would 
write to the Fiji Times to see if they would be interested in publishing it.   
He was highly delighted when they said they would, even more so because he 
received the princely sum of £12.00. for it.    
(Still I suppose this was quite a lot in 1969!).
 
Also with regard to the query raised by Mr Walker, Dad did receive his 
* DSM for his services on the FIJI.

Also I am really glad he survived in more ways than one, mainly because 
I was born in May 1942, so you can see what I mean!!
 
He was in the Navy for almost 30 years from December 1917 until 
February 1946, and also served on the Royal Yacht Victoria & Albert 
from 2 May 1936 to 18 October 1936 at the time of the abdication of 
Edward VIII, so very interesting times, although I must admit I heard 
more about HMS FIJI than any other ship he served on so I know she was 
very special to him.
 
Best wishes
 
Sadie Wright [Daughter of CPO W. J. Hoskins, D.S.M]
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                       C.P.O. W. J. HOSKINS D.S.M.

===========The following information provided by Brian Walker================ 

 * The citation for Chief Petty Officer (telegraphist) William John Hoskins,
P/J82553 reads:

'For outstanding gallantry, fortitude, and resolution during the Battle of 
Crete.'

This appeared in the London Gazette dated the 8th January, 1942, pp175/7.

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