And so I come to the morning of 8^th April 1940.  I was asleep in my hammock when suddenly the loud ring of alarm bells sounded and all the off watch men scrambled to their action stations. Mine being in the after part of the ship, in the magazine supplying shells for the gun crews.  Not a very nice place to be in. 

As I made my way along the upper deck I saw another destroyer in the distance and wondered who it could be.  After a short while I soon found out.  Our Captain, Lt Cdr Roope sent a signal asking her nationality as she flew no ensign.  The next moment she answered us with a salvo from her guns.  Then the fun started.  After exchanging round for round with her she turned and steamed away with us in pursuit.  After a while we were told we were chasing her into a squadron of our own fleet who could be seen in the distance.  However, we soon found out our mistake as it was a German squadron that we were being led into.  But instead of turning and running for it, our Captain took the Glowworm into action against the German Cruiser Admiral Von Hipper and her escort of four destroyers.  While we kept hard at it supplying the guns it seemed as if all hell broke loose.  The Hipper opened up with her big guns and started to knock us about.  She seemed to be hitting us hard as we were chasing around in the heavy sea getting into position. 

All our guns were firing, but our torpedoes which we fired missed the Hipper although they went very close to her.  Our Captain was a good seaman and he knew how to handle his Ship.  By now, we were badly damaged but he kept manoeuvring the Glowworm so that it was easier for the gun crews but this could not go on much longer as we had a very bad list to the starboard side.  Most of the guns were soon out of action.  I was still in the magazine when the Glowworm gave an extra thrust forward and there was a crash and a shudder.  The lights went out, the ship rolled and tossed and suddenly seemed to settle well on her starboard side.  Then came the order to abandon ship.  We had just made our last big play.  Our Captain had done all he could and what was right to the last.  He had turned the Glowworm and drove her straight at, and rammed the Hipper. Causing quite a bit of damage to her. 

By this time I and others had made our way to the upper deck.  As I passed the place where my Brother's action station was, I called to him but there was no answer, so I went to look for him.  I got to the hatchway and looked down, it was pitch black, water swirled around.  I kept calling but had to get out as we were well over on our side by now.  I reached the Upper Deck and was shocked by the mess we were in.  The Germans had shot us to pieces and were still doing so.  Only one of our guns was firing now and it seemed strange to me as it was the aftermost gun.  He must have been a very brave man as the ship was sinking and men were jumping over the side, but he kept that gun going for quite a time. 

As I reached the Upper Deck I got my first look at the Hipper.  She seemed to be such a huge ship with her Swastika painted on her foremost deck.  They were still firing at us with their big guns and machine guns. I crawled on my hands and knees along the deck to a lifebelt locker and was lucky to find some there.  I passed some to others and strapped one around me although I was in two minds whether to jump or stay where I was, as it was a big thing to leave the ship and jump in the North Sea.  So I waited and talked to a stoker who had his leg blown off.  Another young stoker locked himself in the galley. 

One thing struck me as funny at the time, yet another stoker had jumped over and had got washed back again.  As he picked himself up he said he would rather stay put as it was too cold in the water.