大象传媒

At 14years and nine months I went to Gravesend Sea school,in the hope of joining the Merchant Navy I was a bit worried because I had altered my birth certificate, the course lasted 12 weeks, having completed it, I then reported to Southampton Pool office for my first job,it was then that they found out about my birth certificate,Ihad to get a replacement, Ithought this is it,but when they saw the new one they just told me off then in feb.1944 they gave me my first job as a galley boy on the L.N.E.R. Ship s.s.AMSTERDAM.Before I could sign onI was asked if I was willing to volunteer for combined operations and have a V put in my identity card.I agreed,and joined the ship.
Nearly all the crew came from Harwich and Lowestoft, having been with the ship since the days before the war, when it was a regular passemger ship sailing from Harwich to the Hook of Holland. Tey were nearly all related to each other,fathers, sons and brothers and it created a family atmosphere on board.
The ship had been camouflaged and carried six LCAs, three on each side on davits. Every week from february till june we would carry American Rangers round to Swanage, where we would anchor off the cliffs. The troops would then go ashore in the boats and scale the cliffs for practice. In between times we would go out in the Channel and pick up people in small boats that hd come across from France.
Eventually 'D' Day dawned we arrived of the coast of France around 3.00 a.m. Our LCAs, loaded with US. Rangers,left the ship and headed towards the cliffs and Omaha beach.When they arrived we could see them firing the rockets up with ropes attached to them with hooks so they caught on the rocks.We then watched as the USS. Texas,H.M.S Belfast and what I think was HMS. GLASGOW bombarded the coast.
The Rangers lost alot of men, and two of our LCAs, were sunk. We left the French coast that night and sailed to Glasgow.Appproximately four weeks later the ship had been completely refitted out as a hospital ship containing wards, operating theatres etc. The crews quarters had been changed and all the catering staff were put in cabins amidships. Thre was not enough room for my friend and myself,so we wre put in a small cabin right at the aft end of the ship. We didn't think much of this at the time but, as it turned out,it was ablessing in disguise. We sailed back to France and for the next few trips we ferried the wounded back to Southampton. We would anchor off the French coast,opposite the town of Caen,our LCAs,would go ashore,and pick up the wounded from the field hospital,then we would return to Southampton
This went on until the first week in August.It took three to four days to load the ship.On this particular evening the ship was full and we were due to sail the next day around 6am. One of the stewards named Artie Mallows told us that he would wake us up early so that we could help him to take some crates of eggs down to the galley, as the stores was near our cabin. He gave us a call in the morning, but we fell asleep again.Suddenly there was a muffled explosion,the lights went out, and the ship listed. We managed to get our trousers on and our lifejackets, but as we looked out of the porthole,all we could see was water and the deck was wet underfoot.There was a horrible smell of ether in the air . We found the cabin door bt could'nt open it.In desperation we kicked and banged on the door but nothing happened. We then noticed that a piece of one of the bunks was jammed against it. This was all happening within minutes but it seemed like forever. It was a nightmare. We managed to get out into the alleyway and made our way to the stairway. It was there we found Artie Mallows, the steward who had called us, standing by the stairs with blood running down his face. He had been in the stores when the ship was hit and must have been hit by boxes falling on him. We found him a lifejacket and helped him on deck.
It was approximately 7.00a.m. and foggy; the ship seemed to be broken in the middle with one half listing one way and the other half the other. One of the funnels and the mast were down and the screws were out of the water. Only one LCA could get away to pick up survivors.
There seemed to be only us three on the aft end of the ship, when we heard someone shouting. We told Artie to stay where he was and scrambled up to the after end. There was a sergeant in the medical corps standing there, ready to jump over the side. If he had he would amost certainly have hit the propellers and died.We managed to take him back to where we left Artie, but Artie had vanished. We found the sergeant a lifejacket and got him over the side to a ledge and then jumped into the water.There was quite a heavy swellso, finding it hard to swim in a lifejacket, I paddled.
I kept thinking to myself that I had to get away quickly in case I was sucked down with the ship. Then I spotted the LCA. As I reached it I was told there was no room as they were already overloaded and were afraid of capsizing. I reluctantly let go of the grablines and carried on paddling.
I could hear a lot of screaming and shouting. Ilooked around and could see some of the wounded soldiers jumping over the side,and there where two people stuck in portholes,Iwas told afterwards that they were nurses.
As I continued paddling i heard a gushing noise then saw what looked like ashes shooting out of the funnel amid lots of noise. Then there was nothing,just wreckage floating in the water and deathly silence.
I continued paddling,It seemed to get foggier and at one point I thought I was sinking. After what seemed like hours I heard engines; I shouted and shouted and an American torpedoe boat loomed up.I was taken to a naval cruiser and from there to a hospital ship that brouht us home.
Afterwards I found out that nearly all the catering staff were killed(around thirty men).Artie Mallows, the steward, also died after he was picked up.I was told afterwards that the ship had sunk in 8.min it seemed a lifetime.
HMHS.Amsterdam was sunk on august the 7th.1944 by a german mine,fifty-five wounded men were lost as were ten medical staff and thirty crewmembers. Also lost were eleven German prsoners of war. Total losses, 106 souls.

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