R J STONEHOUSE - HIS WAR STORY

1941 - HMS Voltaire / 1941 - 1944 POW

By Laurie Stonehouse

My Grandfather, Robert J Stonehouse, served as a merchant seaman aboard the Voltaire (13248 Tonnes). With a top speed of 12 knots this vessel was converted in 1939 to a armed merchant cruiser, after which she was known as the HMS Voltaire. She was fitted with 6 inch guns, these particular guns dated back to the 1910's, a rather strange addition. In the spring of 1941 she met her fate. The Voltaire was en-route to Freetown to escort a North Atlantic convoy, but on the 4th April 1941 she encountered the German raider KMS Thor 900 miles southwest of the Cape Verde Islands. The Thor was much smaller (3144 Tonnes) and faster, her top speed being 17 knots. She also had modern 6 inch guns and could  fire torpedo's. Unfortunately the Thor scored a hit on the Voltaire with her first salvo damaging the steering gear. The Voltaire was now doomed for she was steaming round in circles and completely at the mercy of the German raider. The crew of the Voltaire put up a brave fight firing many shells back, but she was soon on fire and sank a few hours after the initial encounter. 197 of the Voltaire's crew were rescued, some from the sea including leading seaman R J Stonehouse. He was wounded in the eye by a stray bullet, apparently the German crew were firing at the sharks that infested these warm waters.

The 197 rescued crew members were now POW's and were probably sent to the merchant seaman camps at Marleg 30 miles southwest of Hamburg. My grandfather was in a camp called Milag Norg for two and a half years until he was repatriated in 1944 due to the bullet lodged in his eye. Tragically after his repatriation he caught septicaemia following an operation, and died aged 32.