大象传媒

In June 1941 my father reached Liverpool
on the SS Empress of Australia as a survivor
from the sinking of HMS Fiji on the 22nd May
during the Battle of Crete.He immediately went on survivors leave.At the conclusion
of this leave he was ordered to Shepherd's
Bush film studios the purpose of which he
found was to learn how to operate a film projector.He was soon to learn why the collective wisdom of the Royal Navy should
send an experienced asdic operator to do this.He was drafted to HMS Cape Sable a
special services vessel.On arrival at Scapa
Flow he soon discovered that it a spy ship!
It was painted in Norwegian colours and flew
a Norwegian flag.Deck crew had to wear civlian clothes.It's mission was to make it's way to somewhere off the Norwegian coast
and with it's German speaking operators
'listen in' to enemy communications.
The navy had decided that this would be a
somewhat boring task and dad's job was to
show movies to the crew!From the start the
ship's personnel decided by and large this would be a one way voyage with little chance
of return.If the ship was sunk as seemed
likely any survivor's would be shot as spies.Morale was very low and many crew
wrote a farewell letter to loved ones.To
make matters worse even the civilian wharfies seemed to know about their task.
The ship had to leave before being able to
replenish in full it's fresh water supply.The wharfside workers observing wryly but loudly that the water probably wouldn't be needed!About two or three day's
out they were spotted by a German long range
Kondor reconassaince plane.It's pilot was
heard transmitting the ship's position.This
fact was reported to the Admiralty who with
a welcome change of heart ordered the Cape
Sable to return to port.With further good
luck the ship found it's way into a thick
sea mist which persisted long enough for
the ship to proceed un-observed by aircraft
or u-boats and escape.The Cape Sable was
never used as a spy vessel again and served out the war as a navy transport.At
the conclusion of hostilities it was returned to it's merchant owners.My father
never served on the ship again much to his
relief.After being bombed in the English
Channel,sunk in the Med. he deserved a change of luck.

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