Genealogy Chat

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I posted on here a while ago about my husbands Grandfather who was onboard the Merchant Vessel Alfred Jones, which was torpedoed about 120 miles out from Freetown, West Africa on June 1st, 1941. Last night in the post was a narraitve he wrote for his companies employee magazine some years later about the whole ordeal, photocopied for me by his son, my husbands Uncle. I didn't know where to post this, hope you dont mind that I've put this here, but I thought this story needed to be told. This is not his narrative, but my shotened version of it, using his facts, his is too long to post. Please read. 'The Alfred Jones was hit in the engine room by a single torpedo, two further torpedoes missed the ship. The damage was still extensive. The deck cargo (RAF planes) and one of the three lifeboats was destroyed in the explosion, the ship then heeled over to the starboard side and her crew abandoned her to the remaining two lifeboats and the life rafts. One of the lifeboats was also damaged. All but one crew member was accounted for, but another was seriously injured and died two days later, he was buried at sea. The attacking U-Boat then surfaced and circled the stricken ship and its survivors, probably assessing the situation. The crew were “fearful of her actions”, but she submerged again. A short time later there was another explosion from the ship, and she went stern up in the air and rapidly sank; the U-Boat did not return. All injured crew were transferred to the one good lifeboat, two life rafts were tied to it to be towed and the damaged lifeboat was plugged and with constant bailing was usable, so they all set off, rowing, for Freetown, which they estimated to be about 120 miles distant. Though damaged, the second lighter lifeboat was the quicker and they became separated. A slight squall blew up and the next morning the second lifeboat was no where to be found. It was learned later that the survivors were picked up by a Corvette. The remaining survivors continued towards Freetown in the blazing heat, sharks were circling the boat, water was rationed to one mouthful at dawn and dusk. They rowed at night because it was too hot during the day. The weather changed for the worse, it became bitterly cold, very wet and squally. Hampered by the life rafts, they pulled all men into the boat and released the rafts. Their gunwale was dangerously close to the water level and required constant bailing, on the plus side, they were able to travel under sail for quite a few miles due to the squalls. The weather suddenly cleared and they were spotted by a Walrus seaplane which was able to land close to them. They learned they were on the right course, but were still 60 miles out from Freetown, the seaplane radioed back their position for assistance and then left them. The weather worsened considerably, a tornado was spotted. They described the conditions as “worse than the North Sea”. Smoke appeared on the horizon, a rescue ship? It never materialized. Suddenly, and without warning, the weather cleared completely, the haze lifted and directly in front of them were the mountains of Sierra Leone. They were met at the mouth of the river by the river patrol boats and taken on board, their ordeal finally over.'

That's very heroic and moving.They must have had such determination. Thanks for sharing it. Catherine

How marvellous to have such an account. He was clearly a superb writer - I could almost picture the scene. How dreadful it must have been. Thank you for sharing this with us. Regs Jane

I forgot to mention that it took 5 days to reach Freetown, and on arrival they were given hot coffee and Navy Rum! Also, two of the men became delusional in the lifeboat, one had to be held down for his own safety. It's amazing they all survived. Brenda

Gosh, Brenda, what a terrifying experience it must have been for that crew. Sometimes in the overall picture, we tend to forget the individual horrors of war. My father used to tell a story of when he was in the army during WW2. He was a doctor and was an officer in the RAMC. Round about 1943, he travelled out to North Africa on a troop ship. As an officer, it was his responsibility in the event of a torpedo attack, to ensure that one of the lower decks was cleared of men before he left the ship himself. He calculated that if they were torpedoed below a certain point, it would be impossible to clear that deck completely before the ship sank. And we think we live stressful lives. Fortunately, they were not torpedoed, or I would not be here to tell the tale! Tina

Fiona You are right, these personal accounts by eye-witnesses are invaluable records of our history. Thanks for sharing. nell

Tina- I think one of the most terrifying parts for me, had I been there, would have been when the uboat surfaced and was circling them... I mean, what would be going through your mind? The sharks wouldn't have been much fun either, apparantly they had to bang a couple on the head with the oars, obviously they were getting too close for comfort. These account are really amazing, you father's too... I bet there are many more like them that we'll never hear about. I actually really enjoy watching Foyles War on the box, gives a whole different perspective to WWII. Brenda

Brenda Given a choice between the u-boat or sharks, I think I would take the u-boat. I would rather be shot or blown up than chewed to death. I don't suppose those men thought of it like that though - just imagine only having oars to fight off sharks with. Stuff of nightmares. I like Foyles War too. Somehow it really seems to capture the flavour of the period. Forget all the heroics (and there were plenty of those as well) but basically, life was pretty tough for the majority of people. Tina