大象传媒

The following is the script of a talk given by Win Dobr茅e to the Oakford, Devon, WI (?) in about 1957, relating to her experiences on the 鈥楥anadian Star鈥� part of convoy HX229. Win Dobr茅e died in April 1979 and her husband Bill Dobr茅e in 1991. This manuscript was within papers inherited by her son who has given his permission to add it to the site and who fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions. Unfortunately, the script of her first talk of her journey from Singapore to Panama does not appear to have survived. (We must acknowledge Martin Middlebrook's book Convoy which helped us identify the ship and convoy concerned: he met and interviewed Win & Bill Dobree while writing that book).
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In 1942 we left Singapore two days before the fall of Malaya. We spent ten days in Java and were fortunate enough to get out in one of the last ships to leave Batavia for Australia.

In Australia my husband was lent by the RAF to the RAAF for a particular job. Therefore, we were unable to continue our journey home until January 1943 when he was released for other duties. This took two months going via Panama.

The first part I told you about some time ago and this last part is about a chase by 鈥楿鈥� boats 鈥� a pack of them. We were 44 in a convoy and ours was the 13th ship to be sunk.

The day we left Panama City it was warm and sunny and we were all feeling much better and more relaxed after our harassing time on our journey from Australia.

Passing by Florida 鈥� the sea was perfect blue green and clear - the sky light blue with white puffy clouds sailing across. Everyone enjoying the breeze after the heat we had left behind.

Who would have thought there was anything to disturb our peace.

A few days later we arrived in New York where it had started to snow. The open decks were soon covered 鈥� white and sparkling.
The children were delighted 鈥� some never having seen it before. Tossing it into the air, tasting it! Rushing madly about. It was fun just watching them. We were to have re-stocked the ship with food at New York but for some reason (it being Sunday) nothing was available. As it was essential that we contact our convoy, we left. It now being too cold to sleep on deck we retired to our blacked-out cabins. I shared mine with two women and a girl of twelve. Our ship was carrying 鈥淢eat鈥� back to Britain and under normal circumstances would have been quite comfortable.

The Captain was a serious man in his 30鈥檚 and his crew were proud of him, and justly so. He refused to permit the women to take watch but had no objection to one accompanying husbands on duty. So I often stood a few paces behind mine, when he was on watch. It was silly but somehow I felt he was safe whilst I was there.

We were sailing along behind the convoy doing our 9 knots 鈥� slow in our rather antiquated ship. There was much discussion about the sparks flying out of the funnel 鈥� thinking it might attract the enemy.

Sometimes we zigzagged. Then it got rougher and rougher. Soon we were in the middle of a terrific storm. Crockery was broken. One of the portholes in the lounge burst open and the furniture was smashed to pieces in no time at all 鈥� the magazines to pulp. One of the cabins swamped. The only amusing thing I saw was one of the men bailing the water out with a child鈥檚 鈥榩o鈥� (potty).

On another occasion one of the side doors burst open letting in a wave which nearly swept two little girls overboard the other side. By some good fortune they were caught by other passengers and rescued in time.

The waves were like mountains and our ship looked very small. The sailors said they were eighty feet high. I think we were all too anxious to be seasick.

This storm went on for several days and in between we had an alarm or two for the boat stations. Our convoy was being attacked 鈥� Several times when my husband was on duty he saw ships burst into flames and go down so rapidly we could hardly believe our eyes.

Once we were all on deck just before dusk when to our consternation we saw almost on top of us another ship about to ram us 鈥� when with shouts and yells from the passengers, somehow we were manoeuvred out of danger in the nick of time. There was ghostliness about the unrestrained ship which shook us all considerably.

Another time, someone saw a torpedo go right by us. Then one day the sun came out and, though the storm was still bad, the captain thought it too rough for us to be attacked again and advised us to enjoy our lunch and to try and get some much needed rest.

We lunched on rather ill-assorted crockery but no one minded. Everyone seemed more cheerful 鈥� even gay.

Returning to my cabin, I found one of the women about to close he cabin door before we all retired 鈥� I am afraid I had to be firm (with her). Taking two aspirins to make sure I would sleep. I lay down fully clothed and had seemingly only just shut my eyes when there was a tremendous thud and then another. A few minutes later the Chief Steward put his head in at the door announcing 鈥淏oat Stations please鈥�

Wasn鈥檛 it lucky our door was open and not jammed as it quite easily might have been. I grabbed a coat, my shoes and kitbag and made for my husband鈥檚 cabin where to my horror I found him still undressed having been awakened from a deep sleep. I helped him dress and we started for the stairs letting others go before us quite politely. It was amazing no one seemed in a panic; I suppose if the truth were known we were all too stunned.

As we were about to mount the stairs, my husband suddenly noticed I had no life-belt. It had been attached to my coat but somehow in the rush someone must have taken mine by mistake. Anyway, here we were arguing, I could swim better than he could. It was of course ridiculous. In the end, he leapt down the corridor to look for my life-belt, also, remembering that we had seen some spare cork ones stored away in a locker.

Sometime during the alarm, the lights must have gone out but I cannot to this day remember when that took place.

There we were, grovelling about out in the dark with the smell of cordite and the sound of the waves dashing against the portholes and the decks. At last we found half a lifebelt which I tucked over one shoulder and we made our way on deck. Again, I was lucky; the delay had saved my life. The first boat had capsized and everyone in it was drowned.

I arrived on deck to find those left still looking sick from shock. The people we had been lunching with were gone.

The ship was listing badly by this time and as I stepped out on deck I found myself sailing through space only to be brought back rather abruptly to safety by one of the young officers grabbing my arm saying 鈥淗ey! Not so fast. Not so fast!

I had had it drummed into me beforehand that if the occasion ever arose for 鈥渨omen to take to the boats鈥� I was to obey and not argue.

Taking a seat in the last boat (the others had either been blown up or for some reason not seaworthy) I found to my horror that though there were other men in it my husband was still on deck and the sailors were lowering it. We looked at each other, could bear it no longer, I shouted to the Captain 鈥淗ey, what about him? Can he come too?鈥�

Well, with my heart in my mouth I waited for the Captain鈥檚 reply. He waved to the men to pull it up again. My husband and another man got in. We tried to urge the Captain and some of the others to join us, the latter having seen the tragedy of the first boat were not interested. The former just waved and saluted me. We never saw him again.

The boat landed on the surface with a splash 鈥� davits swinging about 鈥� one missed my head by inches, a shout from one of the stewards made me dodge! The men were trying to get the oars under control. With the huge waves rocking the boat it was no easy task, besides most of them seemed paralysed with shock after witnessing the disappearance of the first boat.

One does things sometimes without really thinking of the audacity. Well 鈥� this was one such occasion 鈥� I piped up ~鈥滳ome on everyone, get started, pull 鈥� one 鈥� two 鈥攖hree, one 鈥� two, three. It was imperative that we get away from alongside the ship at once if we were to survive. My husband鈥檚 sarcastic 鈥淲here the hell do you think you are? Cambridge?鈥� Raised a laugh and seemed to do the trick and everyone settled into their oars.

I shall never know how our little boat rode those waves. I really do not think we would have, without the knowledge of the little red-haired boatswain who helped direct proceedings. He was an old-timer and knew his sea.
The Third Officer should have been with us. We left him looking after one of the wounded on deck and saw him later floating with a lifebuoy.

It is strange how thoughts simply crowd each other out in ones mind under these circumstances I was not afraid but determined to make an effort to save ourselves if we overturned 鈥� so I wound my hand into my husband鈥檚 sheepskin jacket intending to pull him from under if possible. The next day, I could hardly move my hand. The fingers were still numb from their unaccustomed position .

After sometime we sighted a corvette. They waved indicating they would pick up survivors only out of the water first. We must wait.
The crew of the corvette told me later that my yellow head-scarf enable them to keep track of us.

Now the task was to keep the boat into the waves, the respite was that the men could stop occasionally with rescue on hand. I suppose a certain amount of tension subsided 鈥攁nd I immediately began to feel sick. A friend, instead of telling me to be sick over the side, solemnly cut a bucket loose and handed it to me.

It was 2陆 hrs after we left our sinking ship before we eventually were alongside the corvette 鈥� then came the dangerous task for many of us.

One moment the lifeboat was on a level with the corvette, the next it was almost under her. The crew had let down the nets and were standing along the rail waiting to grab us as we jumped.

A girl,a tall well built young woman was saved by a sailor catching here by her hair and pulling her up like a puppet when she slipped. It was a remarkable feat of strength! The amazing thing was the girl had no feeling of soreness the next day. Perhaps what happened later banished all feeling entirely.

As a wave suddenly threw the boat up, a panic took place. A lot of the men jumped thinking their last moment had come and scrambled up the net. In the end, my husband was holding the boat alongside the corvette by a rope, as all the other ropes had somehow disappeared. The strain for him must have been terrible! I was watching from the safety of the corvette having been rescued earlier on, with a sailor hanging on to each of my arms, whether it was to support me or to prevent me jumping if need be to my husband鈥檚 rescue, I don鈥檛 know.

One of the wives was still in the boat. She had jumped, missed her footing and somehow had fallen back into the boat again. I could tell from my husband鈥檚 face he thought she was dead but her husband was still there with her. Anyway, somehow she was got out.

In the meantime, my husband had been grabbed by some of the sailors and hauled onto the deck where he collapsed, was picked up and assisted below. Exhaustion had taken his speech and also his hearing.

Having seen him safely on board I went down to the saloon, a tiny place full of women and one rather frightened sailor who was doling out dry clothing, pyjamas, men鈥檚 woollen underwear, the sort that button up the front and has a flap a the back. Everyone cold, wet, sick and suffering from shock. The little corvette was rolling madly The woman who had missed her jump was on the long table. Two of us undressed her without moving her much and wrapped her up to try and keep her warm. We were afraid to move her because I thought she had injured her back, so we kept our arms braced around her and the table.

It was miraculous that we were able to do as much with the tossing. She was white and seemed to be completely numb. The engineers gave us their cabin which had 8 bunks in it which was shared by about 25 of us 鈥� men & women.

During the course of their rescue, 165 survivors from different ships had been saved. How they managed all these bodies and also fed them is a miracle.

Time 鈥� I have no recollection how long after, my husband found me in a bunk. A larger one then usual fortunately. One of the offers arrived then to warn us that we were about to go into battle with the U boats and depth charges were to be dropped, possibly expecting us all to have hysterics.

The noise was awful and went on and on and on. I remember wondering whether the sides of the ship would stand any more vibration.鈥� when I knew no more - Whether I slept or fainted, it鈥檚 hard to say, perhaps a bit of both. I awoke to find my husband shaking me and saying something I could not understand. 鈥淢arjorie died in the night鈥� was what he was trying to tell me. We went to her husband to try and comfort him. Her daughter aged twelve was with us but we kept her mother鈥檚 burial at sea from her. There had been so much for the child to bear and further shock was too much. After we landed, her father was calmer, he told her.

We spent five nights on the corvette and were eventually landed at Greenock where we were met by the Shipwreck Mariners Society and given clothes. The crew were kindness itself to everyone, sharing their treasures of chocolate and whiskey which they had probably been saving for their families.

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