- Contributed by听
- CSV Action Desk Leicester
- People in story:听
- JOHN FRANK REDVERS FINCH
- Location of story:听
- HONG KONG / COLUMBO/ DUTCH EAST INDIES
- Background to story:听
- Royal Navy
- Article ID:听
- A5174110
- Contributed on:听
- 18 August 2005
We arrived in Sydney on 23rd July 1945, joining many other Royal Navy Ships. The ship went into Dry Dock, the armament was updated and after we had re-taken Hong Kong.
In December we went to Batavia in the Dutch East Indies, to embark Dutch P.O.W鈥檚. Mainly women and children. We took them to Columbo in Ceylon, where a Dutch liner, ( think she was called Amsterdam) waited to take them to Holland.
Instead of a Warship, 鈥淰enerable鈥 was more like a passenger liner. Various fairground type swings, slides etc. were constructed. The Royal Marines Band played for dancing and fraternising at sea ( up to a point). Everywhere was floodlit at night and guards were at the hanger doors where our visitors slept on 鈥榗amp beds鈥.
This story was submitted to the 鈥淧eoples War Site by Rod Aldwinckle of the CSV Action Desk on behalf of John Frank Redvers Finch and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the terms and conditions of the site.
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