Ms journal of Lieutenant V J Robinson RN

The first entries in this journal cover Robinson's final weeks in Laertes, which were marked by an upsurge in U-boat activity in the Western Approaches (p 161). While on convoy escort duty on 29 April, Laertes made a determined but probably unsuccessful attack with two other destroyers on a U-boat which was sighted (pp 170-8). At the beginning of July 1918 Robinson was appointed to HMS Retriever in the 10th Destroyer Flotilla, Harwich Force. He writes "... if there is one place where destroyer people do want to get to it is Harwich: you get a decent amount of leave, carry out a sensible amount of work and, above all things, there is a very excellent chance of a scrap ..." (p.181). During August the Harwich Force took part in an unsuccessful sortie into the North Sea with coastal motor boats and seaplanes (pp.184-7), while on 15 August the destroyers Ulleswater and Scott were lost on a minefield when escorting a convoy (pp. 188-96). In the last weeks of the war there was a period of "... hard, arduous and unpleasant work ..." (p.201), keeping a watch on the German destroyers in Ostend and Zeebrugge, and on 4 October there was a one-sided night action with two German trawlers (pp.202-6). Robinson's reactions to the news of the Armistice are given on pages 215-6 and he describes at length the celebrations in Harwich that night (pp.217-9) and the arrival in the port on 20 November, "... a truly momentous day ...", of the first group of surrendered U-boats, whose crews did not impress him by their bearing (pp.221-32). In December Retriever made the first of what became a regular series of runs to ports in North Germany, carrying mail and supplies to the members of the Allied Naval Commission sent there to enforce the terms of the Armistice and to supervise the progress of German disarmament. Although, under the terms of the Commission, Retriever's ship's company were not allowed ashore, the ship did proceed through the Kiel Canal (pp. 235-38) and Robinson saw at first hand signs of the food shortages and civil unrest prevailing in Germany and heard, at second hand, about Allied interrogations of German naval officers (pp.238-41). Robinson was also disturbed by the labour unrest in Great Britain in early 1919, which he attributed to the influence of Bolshevism, and, although he was encouraged by the Government's firm stand against strikes (pp.248-53), his last entries reflect the general uncertainty throughout Europe about the future political and social situation.