The terror of Tobermory - Richard Baker

Without any preliminaries, he flung his gold-braided cap on the deck and said abruptly to the Quartermaster - 'That is a small unexploded bomb, dropped by an enemy plane. What are you going to do about it!!?' The sailor ...promptly took a step forward and kicked the cap into the sea ...the Commodore warmly commended the lad for his presence of mind, and then, pointing to the submerged cap, said: ' That's a man overboard! Jump in and save him!' This was the legend of 'Puggy' Stephenson, Vice-Admiral and Commodore of the Western Isles, best known simply as 'The Terror of Tobermory'. But Puggy was a terror for a purpose. Tobermory and the Western Isles were a theatre in the Battle of the Atlantic and Gilbert Stephenson knew well the responsibility he faced in training up raw and inexperienced crews into a trained and effective ship's company. His methods were directly responsible for the sinking of over 130 U-boats and the shooting down of 40 enemy aircraft. Behind his ferocity lay a marvellous sense of humour and a deep humanity. 'Terror' he may have been but he was loved and respected by all who met him. Even today he remains a legend. This is the story of his life.