大象传媒

WE WEATHERED THE STORM !!

This story was submitted to the Peoples' War site by a volunteer from 大象传媒 Southern Counties, on behalf of Ernest Pickthall, and has been added to the site with his permission. Ernest Pickthall fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

In 1945 I was doing an engineering apprenticeship at the Austin Motor Company.
Prior to the start of the war, I was given the choice of joining the Territorial Army or a conscription into the Regular Army. I chose to join the Territorial Army, in order to continue with my engineering. I was 19 years old.

In December 1939 I was called up to go to Palestine on a ship called the M S Dilwara, a troop ship carrying supplies of weapons, food and the Household Cavalry. I was in the 17 CO, RASC (Royal Army Service Corps ). It was my job to repair and maintain the vehicles in the workshop on board ship. My friend Paul Phillips was serving with me, and we still keep in regular contact today.

William Joyce (nicknamed Lord Haw Haw) was an American by birth, an Irish man by blood, and carried a British passport. He worked for the German propaganda. At the time of the storm, he issued a news bulletin indicating that our ship had been sunk, but of course this was untrue. He was a fascist and would ridicule Winston Churchill. After the war, he was tried for treason in London and hanged in Wandsworth prison in 1946.

When we were crossing the Mediterranean, a very turbulent storm erupted. The ship was tossed around in the water, and sadly we lost several men overboard. Some of the horses belonging to the Household Cavalry also died. This was caused by fright or injuries sustained in the storm. It was very frightening, but we got through it, and eventually we arrived at Nefer Heifer in Egypt.

We were frightened, but relieved to be intact.

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