大象传媒

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I was approximately 14 years old and I was working at the munitions depot at Upnor in Kent under Upnor castle. The dungeons had been converted into a workshop. I was the stencil boy, cutting stencils to be put on boxes of shells and ammunitions of all calibres for the Royal Navy.

I do not know exactly what day it was, (this information could be found in the archives). I came out of my workplace into a fog that hung over the River Medway and heard the roar of engines.

I looked up towards the sky and saw a German Aircraft - a 215 bomber - no more than two hindered feet above, diving towards H.M.S. Ajax which was in dock for repairs at Chatham Dockyard, after the battle of the River Plate. The bomb doors were open and I could clearly see the German Bomb aimers face. Suddenly, four bombs were released and three hit the river and exploded and the fourth hit the Jetty, alongside of H.M.S.Ajax. The plane then climbed into the fog. It was a good five minutes after that when the anti-aircraft guns on board the Ajax opened up and fired.

Information gathered after this was that one dockyard worker was killed.

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