大象传媒

This story was submitted to the website by Graham Black at Newbury Library on behalf of Alburt Timms, who has given his permission for his story to go on the website.

Here is a poem that Albert wrote towards the end of the war about the ship, The Prins Albert and what it did during the war.

Prins Albert is her name Sir,
A former Channel Boat.
And she has earned her fame Sir,
As the luckiest ship afloat.

She was right there at Lofoten,
Bolougne and Bruneval too.
She rounded off the year Sir,
With Dieppe in '42.

They said she was just a raider,
She'd drop her boats and flee.
But she proved her worth Sir,
In July '43.

She was right there in the landings,
On the coast of Sicily.
And there she proved her standing,
For her job was there - you see.

A raid was due on Catania,
A catostrophe to avert.
To volunteer was a mania,
Of the lucky Prins Albert.

She came into position,
Her engines standing by.
When from a keen eyed Seaman,
Was heard the fateful cry.

Torpedo on the quarter,
Both engines full ahead.
She cleaned right through the water,
And missed that deadly war-head.

Her mission there completed,
She turned her bows for Sea.
And when awards were meted,
She got the D.S.C.

At Avola for a week Sir,
Short of oil and water.
And her ammo now expended,
She had to leave for Malta.

She made fast in Valetta,
Ere the sun had set.
Her morale could not be better,
As she knew she'd done her bit.

From Palermo to Salerno,
Off she went again.
Her award for this was the D.S.O,
The Albert had done it again.

From Alerno to Bizerta,
She's on the move once more.
Ferrying troops to Taranto,
Again right in the fore.

In October she received her orders,
To return from lands afar.
And they saw fit to land us,
With the '39-'43 star.

She faced a training programme,
At which she didn't shirk.
For there's no doubt about the Albert,
She's a hell of a ship for work.

She trained them up in Oban,
She trained at Inverness.
And as for any leave Sir,
I'll leave that to your guess.

The pay of liberation,
Finally dawned at last.
Imagine her exaltation,
As spithead boom she passed.

In company with the Margaret,
A smaller L.S.I.
She was off for something special,
That no one could deny.

She anchored in the Bay Sir,
Amid the other craft.
She was ready for the fray Sir,
With guns trained fore and aft.

Dissapointment was in store Sir,
Though no one blew the 'Gaff.'
A force was there before Sir,
None other than the R.A.F.

The troops went off next morning,
She turned for England's shore.
And though she'd done her share Sir,
She had wanted to do some more.

A month was spent in ferrying,
To reinforce the lads.
Then they changed her orders,
Fast ships were wanted bad.

And off then to Gibraltar,
She steamed off merrily.
Her guesses were for Malta,
But it turned out Napoli.

The end was drawing nearer,
Jerry had had his day.
She steamed for the French Riviera,
And landed troops next day.

At length her job was finished,
She sailed for U.K. shore.
Her hopes were not diminished,
To join the Japanese War.

Again she went out foreign,
To fight those yellow men.
If she couldn't beat them in a year,
She'd stop out there for ten.

Once more she started training,
This time round India's shore.
The Ghurkas they were straining,
To give the Japs some more.

At last the troops were fit Sir,
She sailed for Ramree Isle.
Those lads had tons of grit Sir,
Down to the rank and file.

Just prior to the monsoon,
Saw her set sail from there.
Her destination - Rangoon,
To give the Japs a scare.

The landing went off pat Sir,
She dropped her boats at will.
Those Japs had smelt a rat Sir,
And taken to the hills.

Then Tuesday MAy the 8th Sir,
She sailed for Trincomalee.
T'was V.E. Day in Europe,
And the Albert was at Sea.

She's on the move today Sir,
Her destination - where?
She knows its for Malay Sir,
But will it stop at there.

The Japs have learned their lesson,
And surrended to our terms.
And if the Albert's share Sir,
Has rid the world of germs.
Then she has got her due Sir,
We asked for nothing more.
But to start our lives anew Sir,
With peace for evermore.

THE END

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