SHIP BOMBED AND SUNK

Southland Times, Issue 24240, 25 September 1940, Page 6

SHIP BOMBED AND SUNK

BRITISH STEWARD’S EXPERIENCES (United I*ress Association) AUCKLAND, September 24. More than a full share of war-time experiences ■ and adventures has been the lot of Mr S. Williams, a steward on a liner, who is now in Auckland. Since January he has been on a ship that was bombed arid sunk, has played a part in the evacuation of Dunkirk and has been on a small vessel (hat fell to pieces through the concussion of heavy German bombing. Early in January Mr Williams was a member of the crew of a British cargo vessel that was bombed and sunk in the English Channel. He was thrown into the wintry sea and floated about for 84 minutes before being picked up by a tugboat. He was seven weeks iri hospital with pleurisy arid pneumonia. After a further period of convalescence he joined a sriiall east coast trader and was on this vessel when Dunkirk was evacuated. He was diffident about discussing this event “because it is all past and forgotten.”

Mr Williams did admit that he made four trips across the Channel in three days to assist in rescuing men and equipment from France and made a fifth trip half-way across to bring back barges which had been towed from French harbours. His ship had escaped damage from German dive-bombers and he himself had come out without a scratch. He said one of the features of the evacuation which had greatly impressed him was the manner in which the British soldiers had swum out from the French shore holding grimly to their rifles and other equipment, which they were determined not to lose.

Mr Williams had a third experience a few days later. He was still in the same ship, which was one of three small craft. Approaching Grimsby the other two ships were bombed and mined respectively and sank. So greatly was h’ own ship damaged by the concussion of the German bombing that it was just able to reach Grimsby and then literally fell apart.