大象传媒

This contribution to 大象传媒 People鈥檚 War website was provided to Tracey Gray a Volunteer Story Gatherer from the 大象传媒 Radio Norfolk Action Desk at an Event organised by the Norwich, Norfolk and Suffolk Pensioner鈥檚 Association. The story has been written and submitted to the website with the permission and on behalf of Thomas William Cook.

I was serving on the River Class Frigate HMS Spey in November 1942, under the command of H G Boys-Smith. We arrived late for the landings at Algiers, as one of the American ships in the convoy had been torpedoed. We had picked up about 900 of its troops. Not sure how this was managed, as there never seemed much room for our crew of about 120. We went alongside the jetty to disembark them. A German plane came over high, and we were using our 4鈥� guns to put up a barrage to keep him there. Against all good gunnery practice, the gun was only partly depressed, with the loaders partly kneeling to put in the shell. I did not get away fast enough and some of the recoil hit me, and my leg from thigh to knee went blue. Luckily no permanent damage was done. I was told do not watch so many cowboy films. You cannot fire a 4鈥� gun from the hip.

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