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The Ball-bearing Runners
We’ve all heard of gun runners, drug runners, booze runners, ciggy runners, and so on. A friend of mine even told me of his tee-total, staunch Methodist, aged great uncle whose weekly ‘running’ consisted of taking a bottle of Irish Whiskey to his equally aged, though by then no longer staunch, Methodist sister, who was incarcerated in an old peoples’ home.
However, back to the serious stuff.
Let me introduce Frederick George Binney, a largely unsung hero who’s daring secret missions involved running ball-bearings from Sweden to England at the height of the World War II.
George was born on 23 September 1900 at Great Bookham, near Epsom, Surrey. His father was the Reverend Maximillian Frederick Breffit Binney. George’s mother Emily (nee Blinkhorn) didn’t live long enough to celebrate her son’s first birthday.
Along with his older brothers, George was packed off to Summerfield School, Oxford, where he excelled, winning a scholarship to Eton and from there another to Merton College, Oxford.
At Oxford, George Binney became involved in expeditions to the Arctic. He played a substantial role in the Spitzbergen Expedition of 1921. However, during the Merton College Arctic Expedition of 1923, and the Oxford University Spitzbergen Arctic Expedition of 1924, Binney became the first to use a seaplane (an Avro 504 fitted with a 180 hp Lynx air-cooled engine supplied by Armstrong-Siddeley) for survey work. His book With Seaplane and Sledge in the Artic was published by Hutchinson & Co in 1925.
After university, Binney spent five years working for the Hudson’s Bay Company prior to joining the United Steel Company where he rose to the post of export director.
On the outbreak of the second world war, the metallurgist-cum-Arctic explorer was despatched to Sweden as the representative of the Ministry of Supply (Iron & Steel Control). His remit was to negotiate the continued supply of Swedish ball-bearings, machine tools, and specialist steels, all of which were essential to the British war effort.
Though Binney, wasn’t quite a James Bond character, he was well-connected to the twilight worlds of British military and naval intelligence. He also had connections with the Ministry of Economic Warfare.
Marooned in Sweden by the German invasion of Norway, Binney engineered and organised the despatch of small quantities of ball-bearings etc by air. However, something grander was called for and Operation Rubble was conceived. At the time, there were 42 Norwegian merchant ships of various types interned at Gothenburg. Known collectively as the Kvarstad vessels, the ships had been trapped in Sweden ever since the German invasion of their country.
Binney’s plan was to breakout five Kvarstad ships, all freighters, run the German blockade of the Skaggarak and make for a UK port laden with around 25,000 tonnes of highly desirable machine tools, ball-bearings, special steels, ingots, and engineering equipment. The vessels were to be the 5450 grt (gross registered tons) Elizabeth Bekke; the 4718 grt John Bekke; the 5263 grt Dicto; the 6962 grt Tai Shan (with Binney aboard), and the 4767 grt Taurus.
The broad plan met with Norwegian approval as His Majesty King Haakon VII had signed the necessary legislation requisitioning all Norwegian vessels not in German hands for use by Notraship, the Norwegian Shipping Trade Mission of the government in exile in London. At the same time, the ships were being claimed by the pro-Nazi Norwegian government of Vidkun Quisling.
However, as the ships’ crews were under strength, Binney contacted the masters of four British ships, the Blythmoor, Mersington Court, Riverton, and Romanby, which were interned to the north of Stockholm, asking for volunteers. Though the ships’ masters themselves declined, other officers and ratings from these ships answered Binney’s call as did survivors from British ships sunk at Narvik. Norwegian, Swedish, and a handful of Polish seafarers were eager volunteers.
The plan might well have been scuppered when the skipper of the Dicto telegraphed the ship’s owners for instructions. The message fell into the hands of the Gestapo, resulting in the Dicto being scratched in favour of the 6355 grt Ranja.
On New Years Eve 1940, the ships quietly slipped out of Gothenburg, one at a time so as not to arouse suspicion. They then steamed for Brofjorden where they anchored awaiting a suitable weather front. They were also out of sight of Luftwaffe reconnaissance aircraft. At last, on 23 January 1941, a cover of thick fog enabled the ships to sail for the UK. They were commanded by British officers though their Norwegian skippers remained aboard.
The operation was a complete success though it hadn’t been without danger. For the first 24 hours the Royal Navy or Royal Air Force would be unable to provide support whilst the ships ran the German naval blockade and cleared a minefield. Additionally, they narrowly missed crossing the path of the German battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau.
Just how close ‘Binney’s Convoy’ came to the battlecruisers isn’t clear. The battlecruisers were fitted with Seetakt surface search radar which had a range of 6-10 nautical miles (6.9 – 11.5 miles, 11 -19 km). It was accurate to within 50 metres (160 ft). They were also fitted with FuMO 22 gunnery radar. It had a range of 13.5 nautical miles (15.5 miles, 25 km) and a +/- accuracy of 5 degrees.
However, as these warships were deploying into the North Atlantic under the command of Vize Admiral Gunther Lutjens to attack convoys (Operation Berlin), they wouldn’t have wanted to draw attention to themselves. This wouldn’t have prevented Lutjens from finding a way to pass on contact information.
Royal Navy cruisers and destroyers despatched to provide cover arrived in time to drive off Luftwaffe strafing attacks on the John Bakke and Ranja. All five ships docked safely at Kirkwall on 25 January, though Nils Rydberg, the Swedish 1st mate of the Ranja was mortally wounded during the strafing. He was posthumously awarded an Honorary OBE (Civil Division).
On 13 June 1941, the Edinburgh Evening News reported that: ‘Official secrecy still hangs over details on an exciting exploit carried out by Mr George Frederick Binney on whom a knighthood has been conferred.’ Binney’s elevation announced in the Birthday Honours List was “for special services in the supply of valuable war material.” He was knighted by King George VI on 7 August.

Spurred on by the success of Operation Rubble, a similar mission was authorised by the Admiralty on 11 March 1942 under the codename Operation Performance. This time Binney planned to breakout ten Kvarstad vessels. They comprised the 6222 grt tanker MV Buccaneer; the 1282 grt freighter Charante; the 5263 grt Dicto (with Binney aboard); the 1470 grt freighter Gudvang; the 461 grt Lind; the 5263 grt Lionel; the 6305 grt tanker MV Rigmor; the 12,358 grt whaling depot ship Skytteren; the 5343 grt tanker MV Storsten, and finally the 10,384 grt tanker MV B P Newton, a new vessel interned ever since its completion by Kockums, Malmo, in 1940 for Skibs-A/S Navalis. Operation Performance would be its maiden voyage.
Knowing that neither air or naval cover could be provided during the first day, the convoy sailed on 31 March. This time the Germans were waiting.
The Buccaneer, Charante, Gudvang, and Skytteren were scuttled by their crews on the approach of German vorpostenboote (patrol boats) V908, V1604, V1612, V1613, and V1619. The Rigmor was sunk by a torpedo bomber, and the Storsten sank after striking a mine. The Dicto and the Lionel turned back to Gothenburg. By the time a Royal Navy destroyer flotilla arrived only the Lind, commanded by Captain John Russell Nicol, and the B P Newton, commanded by Captain John Walter Calvert, were left. Both ships made it to the UK. Over 200 seafarers were taken prisoner by the Germans, and some were executed.

A serious diplomatic incident was narrowly avoided as Sweden and Germany traded increasingly terse communiques over the events. What made the matter worse was that the British had illegally armed vessels interned in a neutral country.
On 17 January 1943, Binney attempted to breakout with the Dicto and Lionel. Again, the Germans were waiting, forcing both vessels to return to Gothenburg.
A change of tack was called for and Binney came up with the idea of using motor gunboats (MGBs). Stripped of unnecessary kit, the gunboats would be capable of making fast passages. There was the additional benefit in that they could be used more than once.
As it happened, the Admiralty had five unfinished motor gunboats on its hands. They were part of a pre-war order for eight MGBs for the Turkish Navy. To Binney’s instructions the gunboats were completed devoid of clutter thereby enabling each of them to carry 40 – 45 tons of cargo at a maximum speed of 28 knots (32.2 mph, 51.9 kmh), though their optimum speed was 20 knots (23 mph, 37 kmh). Binney was allowed to name the boats and chose Hopewell, Nonsuch, Gay Viking, Gay Corsair and Master Standfast.
The Admiralty concluded that as Binney led from the front, his rank of Commander in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, ought if anything went wrong, and he was captured, offer him legal protection and spare him from a firing squad.
For political purposes it was decided the MGBs would fly the red ensign of the Merchant Navy and be crewed by merchant seafarers. The boats would be based at Hull (where around 80 per cent of their crews lived) and managed by Ellerman Wilson Lines.
It was early evening on Saturday, 23 October 1943, when the five MGBs slipped their moorings and proceeded line ahead along the Humber and out into the North Sea. Once clear of the coastal minefield they increased speed and altered course for the Skagerrak. The first mission of Operation Bridford was on.
The basic operation was to run the German blockade of the Skagerrak and Kattegat during the hours of darkness. Upon entering Swedish waters, they would head for Lysekil, load, and make the return run at night so that by daybreak they ought to be well into the North Sea and with luck have air cover courtesy of the RAF or Coastal Command.

On the first run, only the Gay Viking eventually reached Sweden and that was a fluke. She’d been left behind due to engine trouble. However, during the 27th, repeated sightings of German aircraft led Binney to believe the operation had been compromised and he ordered his four remaining boats to return to Hull.
In the meantime, the crew of Gay Viking were blissfully unaware of unfolding events. With the engine repaired, and having not received a signal to return, she proceeded at best possible speed. Gay Viking entered Swedish waters at 0400 hrs on the 28th, arriving at Lysekil a little over three hours later. After loading 40 tons of ball-bearings, she slipped out on the evening of the 29th, arriving at Immingham on the morning of the 31st.
Between October 1943 and March 1944, six return trips were made under Operation Bridford. Unfortunately, the MGBs were plagued with crankshaft and other engine problems. Nonsuch completed just one return trip; Hopewell managed two, and Gay Viking and Gay Corsair three apiece.
The only casualty during Operation Bridford occurred on 10 November 1943, when the Germans captured the Master Standfast. The MGB’s skipper, Captain G R W Holdsworth was killed. Holdsworth was the son-in-law of Captain John Walter Calvert who had commanded the B P Newton during Operation Performance.
Nevertheless, Binney and his merry men delivered 347.5 tons of highly prised and desperately needed ball-bearings and engineering equipment to the UK. During the same period, approximately 88 tons of ball-bearings were delivered by air.
On 7 July 1944, George Binney was awarded a Civil Division Distinguished Service Order (DSO).

Binney couldn’t control the seasons of the year and the onset of short summer nights curtailed operations. From late 1944, the MGBs were tasked by the SOE (Strategic Operations Executive), with delivering weapons to Sweden for onward shipment to the Danish resistance, under the codename Operation Moonshine. However, due to a combination of poor weather conditions and recurring mechanical problems with the MGBs, only a single mission took place, and this was without Binney, who was recovering from a heart attack.
Gay Viking, Hopewell and Nonsuch departed Hull on 6 February 1945, loaded with small arms and ammunition. Though the mission was successful, Gay Viking sank after colliding with the Hopewell.
Many of the seafarers who’d taken part in Binney’s operations earned honours for their actions. These were Civil Division awards and ranged between the DSC (Distinguished Service Cross), MBE, BEM, OBE, and Commendation, to a Mentioned in Despatches. Norwegian and Swedish seafarers were similarly rewarded for their actions in Operation Rubble or Operation Performance, receiving Honorary Civil Division awards.
After the war, Binney returned to his job with United Steel. He was forbidden from writing about his wartime exploits on the grounds of secrecy, though an outline of the Swedish operations released to the press in 1945 was sufficient for some newspapers to dub him the “Secret Knight.”
However, according to the Yorkshire Post & Leeds Intelligence (16 July 1945), Binney’s reputation was such that he was known as the “The Scarlet Pimpernel of the Little Ships.”
Clive is our Transport and Railway writer, with years of experience he is a fount of knowledge on all things transport nostalgia.