UK - BBC reporters of World War II

were made of sterner stuff. A reader emailed me this nice story from "Peter
Smith's "Pedestal" regarding the famous WW2 Anglo-American convoy to Malta".

Captain Onslow, of the British destroyer HMS Ashanti, under heavy air attack
from the Luftwaffe in the Mediterranean later writes:

"Ashanti, after a lovely bit of bomb and torpedo dodging at full speed,
closed the damaged [US tanker] Ohio. During this action, a very near miss
almost caused a blow back in one of our boilers while we were at full speed
and a dangerous fire developed in the boiler room. The Chief, K. M. Symonds,
arrived on the bridge in the middle of the battle to report there was a
serious fire in the boiler rooms. My first lieutenant, E. A. S. Bailey, told
me that I replied 'Thank you, Chief; put it out please.' Half an hour later,
covered in smoke and oil, soaked in sweat and his overalls singed and burnt
away in places, he arrived again on the bridge to report that the fire was
out. I am reputed to have replied 'What fire?'. I do remember we were rather
busy. Tony Kimmins, aboard to report for the BBC, was hanging about and
getting underfoot on the bridge, so Bailey put him in charge of an Oerlikon
gun on the lower bridge, where he thoroughly enjoyed himself."

To which my reader replied:

"Can't imagine John Simpson doing that can you? I guess BBC reporters were made of sterner stuff in the '40's!"

I sure can't. But I can imagine Simpson filing a report saying the US tanker Ohio fired upon them and not the Germans. Here's why.
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