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Memories of Harold Drew from his daughter

I am Virginia Drew Larsen, the eldest daughter of Harold E Drew, Virginia Drew Larsen.    A friend suggested I check out this website for  the USS Bergall, and what a moving and unexpected experience it has been.    Harold passed away suddenly and unexpectedly ten years ago in Western Australia.

The woman in the "Liberty" photo is Zelma G. McLeod from Fremantle, who married Harold in 1947 and gave birth to me nine months later.   They moved back to the States, had three more children and were married thirty years until they divorced.   At that time they lived in Perth and Harold remarried another Australian woman who survived him and still resides in Southwestern Australia.   It is her son, Abner White, who first made contact with this site.

Dad's third wife sent me some old negatives a while back, many of which are of his submarine service.    If anyone is able to provide more information, it would certainly be appreciated.

Lt.jg Harold Drew in "Officer Country"


Harold on the forward deck.


Climbing the rungs to the forward cigarette deck.


(unknown)


Unknown officer and crew.   Note the nasty angle on the boat... and tied at the pier too!


Looks like laundry day and "Tex" got the chipping hammer and paint brush detail.  He must have got on the COB's bad side?   At least he signed his "art"!   The COB will understand, right?   Nobody will notice, huh?


Harold is second from left, others are unknown.


His Executive Officer, Lt. Cmdr Thomas Kimmel at the bridge.


Chief in the engine room.


Looking forward, tied up at Pearl Harbor.


Unknown mechanical pumps?


Unknown Compartment


Inside, looking aft from"?" to crew working in "?"


Close-up of crew from above.


Forward Torpedo Room


Crew on Cigarette deck, unknown, unknown, F1c Ed Siska, unknown.



Looking forward as she prepares to dive.


A wet shot from the tail looking forward.


Starboard edge of the Conning Tower looking forward.


USS Chopper (SS 342) underway.

Virginia Drew Larsen
virginialarsen@msn.com

Memories of Harold Drew from his step son

I am Abner White.    After finding your webpage I have been following it with interest. My step father is Harold Espe Drew.

After Harold's death, a lot of pictures and some film footage were returned to his family in the states.   Some are still in Australia, including one which has a lot of service men at a dance in Fremantle, Western Australia, ... I am not sure how many people from the sub are in it.

I'm afraid I don't know to much info any stories, but one in particular was the one where the sub was holed in the conning tower.   Harold told me that the Navy asked them to scuttle the sub but they didn't and decided to take the sub to Fremantle, Australia where repairs where made, thus saving the sub.

I'm not sure how many men where involved but those who were , received a medal ...any other details your existing members may have.....

Harold kept strange things from his time in the sub... a fully working Jap sniper rifle , which was confiscated upon immigration to Australia, but returned many years later ...in full working order.

He was buried lying next to an old Aussie digger from WW 1 ... he would have liked that and if I remember and on his grave stone ( a big rock) the emblem of the "Bergall" was fixed... I will attempt to get a picture for you...  His navel uniform was returned to his family ....still in excellent condition.

As for other photo's, there are heaps ....... I remember seeing a lot of pic's of ships sinking, taken thru the periscope etc etc ....

Abner White
abnerw@bigpond.com
 

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