大象传媒

I was only 3 years old and living in Somerset, but I can vividly remember my mothers brother Frederick. I was at my grandmothers house when he came home on leave. He had his naval uniform on and he opened a small suit case and took out a bunch of bananas, he gave me one, I'd never seen one before and I didn't know what it was. There was great excitement over this bunch of bananas, it was a luxury during the war years.

A few weeks after his brief leave my grandparents received a telegram to say he was wounded and taken to the Portland naval hospital. His name was Able Seaman Frederick Arthur Garrett and he served on H.M.S. Blackwood. No one could go to Portland to see him because the south coast was cordond off, the D Day landings was in progress. He died Aged 21 on the 15th of June 1944 and was buried at the Portland Royal Naval Cemetery. After the war I visited his grave many times with my parents and grandmother.

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