- Contributed by听
- Thanet_Libraries
- People in story:听
- Edward J. Sweeney
- Location of story:听
- Sydney to Wellington 1940
- Background to story:听
- Royal Navy
- Article ID:听
- A2700415
- Contributed on:听
- 04 June 2004
This story was submitted to the People's War site by Helen Kemp of the County Heritage Team on behalf of Edward Sweeney, 44 Royal Esplanade, Margate, Kent, CT9 5EN and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.
On the 20th August 1940, I was a 20 year old member of the crew of the refrigerated cargo vessel, the SS Turakina, owned by the New Zealand Shipping Company. We were sailing from Sydney to Wellington, in the Tasman Sea, when attacked by a German converted Merchant ship, the Raider Orion. She was disguised as a Japanese vessel, the Tokyo Maru. I was a member of the gun crew, and after an uneven battle firing our single 4.7" gun, we were torpedoed, shelled and soon ablaze, after continuous bombardment. 19 members of our crew of 57 were rescued by the Orion, the remainder killed. Our attackers praised our courage for fighting against overwhelming odds, but considered us mad English. I was rescued by our attackers and eight months later, after being imprisoned on another German ship, the Altmark, we safely docked in Bordeaux, France. I had no money or belongings, as everything went down with the ship.
After imprisonment in a transit camp, we were eventually entrained for Germany. Although armed guards were in our carriage, I escaped by diving from the train 20 miles from Paris, on occupied France. After some hair-raising experiences, I escaped from a concentration camp in Argeles Sur Mer, Southern France. I crossed the Pyranees into Spain, and was arrested and jailed by the Civil Guard for not having papers to prove my identity. After a spell in filthy jails, I was impprisoned in a labour concentration camp at Miranda de Ebro, in Northern Spain, carrying a large basket of stones on my back, helping to build a new major road.
Fifteen months after my leaving England, I was eventually released, reaching Glasgow, via Gibraltar, none the worse for my adventures. Apart from a newly shaven head just before we left, I was quite fit, and glad to be back home in familiar normal surroundings.
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