大象传媒

Dad's Navy days were always filled with incidents especially like the time he got torpedoed in the Atlantic. Being an Engineering officer he wore overalls when working in the Engine Room. Unfortunately he was rather a small person and the overalls were always too long for him . When they were torpedoed the Engine Room was damaged, steam was bursting out from numerous pipes. Dad got his trouserleg caught on one of the pipes and had burning steam shooting up his leg. He tugged but could not free himself and if he bent down any further he would have been burnt in the face. When he was at he point of giving up someone came down to look for him and saw the trouble he was in and sharply dragged him free saving his life. He was at sea in a lifeboat for 2 weeks and when rescued was admitted to hospital where they wanted to amputate his leg. My granddad refused to let them do it and Dad, after a long time sick, was invalided out of active service of the Navy.

However, after recovering he was assigned to a Special Unit that entered Buchenwald Concentration Camp to observe and gather information for prosecutions after the war. He did not relate anything to me about this part of his life.

This story was submitted Ian McGowan

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