At the Holy Loch, in Scotland, on the 19^th April 1949. Lt, Scott, and other members of the ‘subs’ crew saw a large canister being loaded onboard, but none of them had any sort of inclination, as to what was really within that container, that had been labelled ‘optical instruments’ and that’s how it remained from the time of leaving the Holy Loch, in Scotland, 19^th April, until surfacing just before dawn on the 30^th April 1949 off the Spanish coast near Huelva. (This I will return to.)

The person that was instrumental, in having that canister loaded onboard the H.M.S. Seraph, was a young Lieutenant Commander, Ewen Montague, a reservist, in the Royal Navy, who represented naval intelligence on the interservice XX Committee, and it can be said that, it was as result of skill’s during World War 11 that in 1943 ‘Operation Mincemeat’ was put into practice, when just before dawn on the 30^th April 1943 Commander, N.A. Jewell, along with two other officers, on the upper-deck casing of H.M.S. Seraph, opened the canister labelled, ‘Optical Instruments’ and prepared a body of some one that was within the canister named Major Martin, dressed in the uniform of a Royal Marine Uniform, for launching over the side of the submarine as Lieutenant Scott, on the conning-tower bridge, edged the sub slowly, closer to the Spanish, land fall.   

Following the ending of the Second World War, Ewen Montague, in 1954 wrote and published his novel titled, “The Man Who Never Was” an novel that flowed from the orchestrated plot he conceived and put into practice under the heading of, ‘Operation Mincemeat’ in 1943. The plot from within Mr Montague’s, novel was also produced as a film in 1956 titled, “The Man Who Never Was”.

“The Ship That Never Was”
 

China’s, Yangtze River, by Flag Officer, Second-in-Command Vice Admiral A.C.G. Madden, C.B., C.B.E., and this was at a time, following the broadcast that was made by the Chinese Communist Authorities, on 9^th April 1949 giving their intention to interdict the river to all shipping, and that, had to be seen as a reasonable military precaution, being that, from early April 1949 the Chinese Communist Authorities, with is Peoples Liberation Army, controlled the north bank of the Yangtze river and were prepared presumably, to back up the interdict by gunfire from the north bank, a matter that was known to Madden.

It was also known to Madden, that prior to April 1949 Admiralty Orders, had been put in place that were to the following effect; all Royal Navy Warships making passage on the Yangtze River, those ship would remain at the stood to positing in order to respond in a defensive action only, if fired upon from gun batteries on the north bank of the river. The encircled area on the photograph above shows the absence of Amethysts, secondary armament; make of that what you will.

On the 20^th April, 1949 this Naval Signal being shown below was sent out from H.M.S. Amethyst.

The above signal was picked up by H.M.S. Consort, at Nanking.  When Madden, learned of the situation, he immediately ordered the H.M.S. Consort, to go to H.M.S Amethyst’s assistance.

Following three valiant efforts, to take the Amethyst in tow, all the while under the fire power of P.L.A. gun emplacements, H.M.S. Consort had to retire from the action. The photograph being shown below is that of H.M.S. Consort, undergoing repairs in dry-dock at Singapore, repairs to the damage that had been inflicted upon her at the time of the incident.

At the time of these repairs being carried out, those of the ships company that survived the ordeal, were used to re-commission the H.M.S. Mendip, that the British Government, loaned to China, in 1948 but repossessed following the 1949 Yangtze Incident.   (H.M.S. Mendip, was a Hunt Class Destroyer, that had been renamed the Lyn Fu, while on loan to the Chinese.)

On the 21^st April 1949 Madden, while onboard the County Class Cruiser H.M.S. London, attempted to take that ship along with the Frigate H.M.S. Black Swann, to the location where the Amethyst, had grounded, both of those ships got to a distance of 30 miles from where the Amethyst, had grounded, when they also, were forced to retire.

The humane cost to the four ships was, 46 dead and 68 wounded.

In 1952 an author by the name of Lawrence Earl, published a book titled “Yangtze Incident”, and in 1957 the film titled “Yangtze Incident” produced.

Both the book and the film were published and produced long before the release of official documents appertaining to the incident. 

Only recently, within the letters column of the Daily Mail, newspaper a woman asked a question that was to the effect; “Was the 1957 film Yangtze Incident, accurate in its portrayal of events ?. Well the answer to that question is; ‘No’, neither the book nor the film comes anywhere near to providing an accurate account of what caused and brought about the 1949 Yangtze Incident, in truth it is a demeaning film, and part and parcel of a propaganda stunt to cover up the wrongful acts and omissions that caused an brought about the Yangtze Incident in the first instance.

Here being shown below is the campaign medal that was struck to be awarded to those involved in the 1949 Yangtze Campaign.

Here are the prescribed qualifying dates for four units that have been seen to have qualified for the above award:-

Unit (1) H.M.S. Amethyst. From; 20^th April 1949.       To; 31st July 1949  

 …   (2) H.M.S. Consort.      …     20^th April 1949.        To; 20^th April 1949

 …   H.M.S. London.            …     21^st April 1949.        To; 21^st April 1949

 …   H.M.S. Black Swan.     …     21^st April 1949.         To; 21^st April 1949

But what about,” The Ship That Never Was” awarded that prestigious medal.

Sometime ago, in an article I was reading about the late Rear Admiral Sir David Scott, who just happened to be the same Lieutenant, David Scott, who was serving onboard H.M.S. Seraph, in 1943 at the time when the body used in “Operation Mincemeat” was removed from a canister and prepared for launching from the Seraph, into the sea just off the Spanish coast.

Whilst reading that article I came across a paragraph and for its importance I am now going to quote the same. I quote * “ In 1948 he was appointed flag lieutenant to the C-in-C Far East Fleet and was on the fringes of the famous escape of the frigate Amethyst, from under the guns of the Chinese Communists on the Yangtze river. This unfortunate entanglement resulted in damage and casualties to four naval ships before Amethyst, made her exit. Because she had destroyed all her secret radio codes against capture, Scott’s contribution was to devise and signal to Amethyst a “one time pad” encryption system based on her nominal crew list which was fortunately available at both ends.” * Unquote.

Within the terms of that chapter are read into, that which is revealed is; Scott, was the flag lieutenant to the Commander-in-Chief, Far East Station, Admiral Sir E. J. Patrick Brind, K.C.B., C.B.E. onboard the flag ship H.M.S. Belfast, at the time of Amethysts, escape from China’s, Yangtze River, 30^th and 31^st July 1949.

Also reported in the article is the fact that Scott, blew the whistle on the Chevaline development to the First Sea Lord on the grounds that that costs and time had not been properly evaluated and that certain facts had been concealed. By 1957 the costs had doubled  to £600 million; it was  eventually to cost over £1billion at contemporary values.

As a result the department was reorganised and Scott, became chief Polaris executive, reporting to the First Sea Lord and with responsibility for both scientific and naval aspects.

On January 20, 2006. Rear Admiral, Sir David Scott, RN.,  passed over the bar but even in his demise, in a fashion it can be said, he blew the whistle on the wrongful acts and omission of those from fifty nine years ago that by their wrongful actions hung the appendage of; “The Ship That Never Was” involved in the 1949 Yangtze Incident on the dates 30^th and 31^st July 1949. That ship was H.M.S. Concord.

Within the naval papers, letters, signals and a telegram that were the possessions of, Rear Admiral, Sir David Scott, RN., when upon his demise they were bequeathed to the Churchill University, Archives, Cambridge, and documented under the reference; DKNS  I  1/3       

Rear Admirable, Sir David Scott, RN left behind the irrefutable evidence of the part played by H.M.S. Concord, when ordered into to Yangtze River, 30^th 31^st July 1949 to assist and cover H.M.S. Amethyst, in its escape bid, and as such Qualified for the 1949 Yangtze Campaign Medal Award. Perhaps now the Naval Papers, of Rear Admiral, Sir David Scott, RN that have been bequeathed to the Churchill University, Archives, in Cambridge, will be scrutinised in order to find remedy and reparation in addressing this particular aspect appertaining to naval matters of fifty nine years ago.

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