A fascinating collection of a World War II sailor who helped sink the Bismarck comes to light, revealing an unlikely friendship with one of the few German survivors.
Lieutenant Aubrey Hollick served on the heavy cruiser HMS Dorsetshire, which took part in the infamous destruction of the German battleship on May 27, 1941.
He wrote a letter to his mother four days later that included her sketch of the giant ship’s final moments, along with the caption: ‘Bismarck on fire before we torpedoes’.
The picture shows smoke coming from the distressed vessel and in the distance, Royal Navy ships HMS Rodney and HMS King George V can be seen.
Between them, the British heavy cruiser fired 3,000 shells at the feared German vessel. 2,200 people died due to its sinking. All 115 survivors were captured.
Lieutenant Hollick retrieved the life jacket of one of the survivors and kept it for decades as a souvenir.
Thirty years later he decided to try to return the touching souvenirs to Germany and contacted the German Embassy in London for help.
They put her in contact with Herr Burkhard von Mullenheim-Reichsberg, the highest-ranked survivor of the sinking after being rescued by Lieutenant Hollick’s ship.
A fascinating collection of a World War II sailor who helped sink the Bismarck comes to light, revealing an unlikely friendship he had with one of the few German survivors. Lieutenant Aubrey Hollick (pictured left) served on HMS Dorsetshire, which took part in the infamous destruction of the feared German battleship on May 27, 1941.
The last two enemies became friends of the pen and after exchanging letters they arranged for Herr Mullenheim-Reichsburg to meet with Lieutenant Hollick at his home in Hertfordshire.
However, Lieutenant Hollick’s ill health meant that the meeting never took place and he died in 1986.
One of Lieutenant Hollick’s letters, written in 1971, reads: ‘I would have welcomed the opportunity to meet you when I was serving in the cruiser Dorsetshire at that time.
‘We raised about 100 survivors, so I hope you’ve been one of them.
‘I was a 19-year-old sailor at the time and I carried a Bismarck lifejacket to commemorate the incident.’
His German counterpart replied: ‘I am glad to receive your very kind letter.
‘Unfortunately I never got to answer you immediately or to come to your house and see you, which I would have preferred to do.
On May 24, 1941, Bismarck (pictured) scuttled the battlecruiser HMS Hood – the pride of the British fleet – killing 1,415 of its crew. The devastating attack prompted Prime Minister Winston Churchill to issue his famous order to ‘drown the Bismarck’
Lieutenant Holick wrote a letter to his mother four days after the Bismarck sank, which included her sketch of the giant ship’s final moments, along with the caption: ‘Bismarck on fire before we torpedoes’
‘I look forward to meeting you the next time I come to England.’
Lieutenant Holick Herr becomes a pen friend of Burkhard von Mullenheim-Reichberg (pictured), the highest-ranking survivor of the Bismarck drowning
Lieutenant Holick was able to return the lifejacket to Germany where it was displayed in a museum.
Lt Hollick’s collection, including photographs of him commanding a Motor Launch 837 against the Japanese in the Far East, has come up for sale with C&T Auctions in Ashford, Kent for £600.
It was discovered during a clear-out at a military collector’s estate.
Tim Harper, expert at C&T Auctions, said: ‘It usually seems like they were all doing their job rather than doing individual work, so once the guns went silent they were all in the same boat. Were.
‘There was mutual respect as they fought on different sides.
The lifebelt was a unique memento and Lieutenant Horlick decided he wanted to return it to the sailor who was in Germany.
‘She contacted the German embassy which put her in touch with Rechberg, a Bismarck survivor, and they exchanged heated letters.
‘They wanted to meet but never got a chance to do so because of Lieutenant Horlick’s ill health.
‘It is an unusual and fascinating collection, and the sketch of Bismarck ‘On Fire’ is remarkable.’
On May 24, 1941, Bismarck sank the battlecruiser HMS Hood – the pride of the British fleet – killing 1,415 of its crew.
The devastating attack prompted Prime Minister Winston Churchill to issue his famous order to ‘drown the Bismarck’.
The Bismarck was damaged during an attack on Hood in the Danish Straits and was attempting to reach the Nazi-occupied port of Brest in France for repairs when it was spotted and pursued by the Royal Navy.
On the night of 26 May, 15 Swordfish biplanes swooped down on the ship. The attack jammed two of his rudders and left him paralyzed.
Lieutenant Aubrey Hollick (left) served on HMS Daedulus, Pembroke and Mauritius. He is seen above with members of the crew holding artillery shells
Lieutenant Hollick’s collection captured tense moments at sea. Above: Three crew members are seen on a Royal Navy vessel
The collection’s photo album depicts life at sea. Lieutenant Hollick died in 1986, after serving on ships including HMS Dorsetshire
Lieutenant Hollick retrieved the lifejacket of one of the survivors and kept it for decades as a souvenir. Thirty years later he decided to try to return the touching souvenirs to Germany and contacted the German Embassy in London for help. Above: Thank you letter for sending the life jacket
Lieutenant Hollick’s archive also gives details of some of the places he visited during his military tours. He incorporated Tunisia and Sukin in Sudan.
The lieutenant also visited Sri Lanka, which was then known as Ceylon and was part of the British Empire.
Images of Lieutenant Hollick showed other ships, aircraft and coastal scenes. Lieutenant Hollick’s collection, including photographs of him commanding a Motor Launch 837 against the Japanese in the Far East, has come up for sale with C&T Auctions in Ashford, Kent for £600.
Smiling crew members are seen enjoying themselves on the deck of one of the ships on which Lieutenant Hollick served during the war. A British submarine was also seen
Lieutenant Hollick also took photographs of guns firing at a Royal Navy vessel, while another showed a craft painted in camouflage paint.
Throughout the night and in the early hours of the next morning the ship was hit by about 3,000 shells fired by HMS Rodney, HMS King George V, HMS Norfolk and HMS Dorsetshire.
There was a suggestion that the crew had tried to surrender before the ship sank.
Had Bismarck been captured, hundreds of German lives could have been saved.
It would also have been a prized catch for the British, allowing naval engineers to spot weaknesses in the German fleet—including Bismarck’s sister ship Tirpitz, which wreaked havoc on Arctic convoys.
But this would have been an extremely dangerous operation due to the number of U-boats and Luftwaffe aircraft in the area.
The destruction of the ship was famously featured in the 1959 film Sink the Bismarck!
Lieutenant Hollick, a talented artist who made watercolor paintings at sea, also served on HMS Daedulus, Pembroke and Mauritius.
After being rescued, Herr remained a prisoner of war in Ontario, Canada, until the aftermath of the Mullenheim–Reichberg conflict.
He became a German diplomat and served as West Germany’s ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the 1960s. He died in Bavaria in 2003 at the age of 92.
The sale will take place tomorrow.
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