大象传媒

This story was submitted to the Peoples's War site by L.Lewis on behalf of W. Stebbings and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions

I was living in Burnham, Essex until in October 1939 I was called up for the navy to Chatham Barracks where I did my training and passed as a shipwright.

On March 30th 1940, I was called up to join 鈥淭he Vindictive鈥� at Devonport Barracks near Plymouth. We sailed up to Scapa Flow taking the French Foreign Legion troops to Harstad in Norway and stayed there for three months as a repair ship. From March through to July we had incredibly long days. The sky did not grow dark as it was the time of the鈥� midnight sun鈥� We suffered incessant bombing from the Germans who were able to come in low as we were sailing in the fiords with high cliffs on either side. We suffered this onslaught until the Norwegians gave in to the Germans, when we came back to England.

We were straight away sent to Free Town and stayed there for eighteen months. About ten days after we arrived at Cape Town the Fourth Essex Regiment were sent out there and stationed ashore for ten months. I had no idea that they were coming out and was astonished to bump into some Essex lads when I went ashore! Not only were they Essex lads but lads that I had gone to school with, coming from Burnham and Southminster, my home and neighbouring village. We could not believe our luck!

Every Sunday we would meet up and go swimming on Lumley Beach. I was not allowed to write home and let my family know where I was, but the army lads could write home and their families would pass on our news and let our families know that we were safe.

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