A highly-decorated Royal Navy veteran who was involved in intense maritime battles throughout World War II has died aged 103.
Douglas Sayles was just 17 when he joined the Royal Navy on the Queen’s birthday, April 21, 1937.
The following year he was posted to the HMS Imperial destroyer to patrol the Spanish coast during the Spanish War.
Their mission was to stop war material being delivered into Spain but the ship was bombed, meaning Douglas was involved in a sea battle well before the Second World Ward had begun.
It was whilst sailing in the Mediterranean off Crete picking up Jewish immigrants that news first came through to Douglas and his crew that Britain was at war with Germany.
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They were ordered to return to England via Malta and Gibraltar and told to hunt down any German submarines on the way home.
Once into Plymouth, they took up mine sweeping in the North Sea and then became part of the Atlantic convoys sailing to Russia.
On one such convoy the seas were so violent that the waves ripped off the surface deck of the destroyer, trapping Douglas and others for five days below deck.
Douglas was also on the Imperial during the Battle of Norway.
Losses were heavy so the ship stood off the coast landing soldiers and taking off casualties whilst under constant attack from the Luftwaffe and from batteries on shore.
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During the assault, one Navy ship started sinking and was tied to the Imperial and another ship in a bid to keep it afloat.
An enduring memory of this frightening episode for Douglas, who was only 20-years-old at the time, is that he and other young men went down below decks to talk to and comfort the stricken sailors who were trapped – men who knew that they were about to die.
Douglas suffered from nightmares after this terrible experience and whilst today he would likely have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress syndrome, in the 1940s he was simply told ‘to pull himself together’ and get back on duty.
After leaving HMS Imperial, Douglas completed an advanced electronics course including torpedoes and explosives and became an instructor.
He was then posted to HMS Orion where he was involved in intense battles in the Mediterranean, was part of the Crete, D-Day Landings along with intense fighting in Korea and other theatres of war.
Douglas’s incredible 24-years of Royal Navy service saw him decorated with ten military medals including the Atlantic Star, the Arctic Emblem and the Italy Star.
In April of 1942 Douglas had married his wife, Margaret Barnes – known as Betty – and the couple initially lived in Plymouth.
They had two children, Ian and Chris, and were employed by the General Electric Company.
A promotion saw them move to Newton Aycliffe and Douglas later became the Quality Assurance Manager for the world production of GEC's products manufactured in the town.
In later years the couple lived in the Darlington village of Heighington and Douglas retired to look after Betty following a diagnosis of dementia, which he continued to do until she died.
Douglas continued to drive into his 90s, and would make the long journey down to Plymouth to join reunion events for his ship-mates, though with advancing years he did resort to travelling to Plymouth by train.
On July 22 this year, Douglas died peacefully at St Clare's Court in Newton Aycliffe aged 103.
His friend and fellow Heighington resident Gerald Lee remembers him fondly, describing him as ‘a wonderful man - proud, independent and reliable’.
He added: “Douglas served his country and our local community for many years.
“He lived by example.
“He was held in great respect by the residents of Heighington and will be remembered with much affection.”
A service in celebration of Douglas's life is being held at St Michael's Church in Heighington tomorrow on (Tuesday, August 9).
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