大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Jan Broderick of the County Heritage Team on behalf of George Farbrother and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

My parents, Harold and Winifred, were married 18 years before I came along 鈥� George. And I had little time to know my father as he was killed when I was only 18 months old. He was the son of a wealthy clergyman who lived in Shirland Hall on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent. But he defied his father and ran away to sea at age 16. He discovered that he hated it and returned. So his father punished him by sending him to naval college. And my father ended up a Chief Officer in the merchant navy.

It was in this role that he was aboard the SS Whitemantle 鈥� a collier shipping essential coal supplies from the Tyne to Fulham Power station. One week into the war the ship was sunk and my father lost off Flamburgh Head. One of the first boats lost from Tyneside.

Please note that further details and pictures can be found in The Friends of Beamish Newsletter, no.120 from Summer 2000.

South Shields was a target for German bombers and my mother and I had to regularly go to the shelter. The neighbours Mr and Mrs Atherfold from upstairs would join us. Mr Atherfold, a tall gentleman with a pipe, would look after me 鈥� a tiny boy.

One night he took me out to watch the planes and bombs over South Shields. We could clearly see the flames and hear the noise and explosions. Suddenly from inside the shelter Mrs Atherfold pipes up, 鈥淕et inside or the Germans will see your pipe glow and use it as a target!鈥� Unlikely given the destruction evident around us.

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