大象传媒

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One of my first memories of WW2 began on Sunday morning Dec 1st 1941, when the Post Office Telegraph boy appeared at the back door of our house in Alfred Street Ripley, Derbyshire and opened his satchel and produced the buff coloured envelope which contained the "dreaded" telegram. Mother's first reaction was "GOOD GOD IT'S TOMMY", thinking of my elder brother, who although we did not know it, was at that time on the East Coast of Africa serving with a RAF crew detachment along with the South African Air Force attacking the Italian Army.
The sight of mothers face at that moment in time has remained in my memory bank even to this day. From the attached telegrams and Naval records you will see the sad news reporting the death of her brother, who had made his lifelong career with the Royal Navy. Nethertheless the pain, grief and sorrow caused by WW2 remains.
Taking up the offer of rail warrants to travel to Plymouth to witness the burial of their brother. Uncle Bill(Rainworth Notts) and Uncle Harry(Ripley Derbys) made what they always called the journey of a lifetime. Evidently the train was shunted into a siding for safe keeping during an air raid on Bristol Docks and during the night "Jerry" dropped land mines around that area. Both men were experienced colliers and were used to the noise when shot blasting occurred but had never heard or felt blasts and shock waves of that intensity before.
Arriving back at Ripley on Saturday Dec 7th both men spoke of their intense pride and sorrow at witnessing the burial, with full military honours, of their younger brother and being told by officers and ship mates from HMS Javelin; "Your family can always be proud of your brother. He died a hero"
During and after this sad event mother often expressed her sorrow and grief that "Tom was buried a long way from home and alone" and asked the older members of my family to visit his resting place whenever possible. Fifty three years after, in 1994, i made this pilgrimage and standing beside his grave the same thoughts passed through my mind. After wandering through the many graves and seeing headstones bearing names of people from Australia, Canada,Poland and members of the commomwealth my thoughts changed. Although he's a long way from Derbyshire, he's with mates of many years standing, who had possibly shared his lifestyle and many experiences during his thirty years service in the Royal Navy.

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