Week 59: 14-20 October 1940
Although Hitler had postponed indefinitely the planned invasion of Britain, the air raids on British cities continued: over 1,500 people were killed in raids in just seven days, including over 150 in London when a bomb landed on an air raid shelter. Also this week, Mussolini and his advisers took the decision to invade Greece, and Italian aircraft also bombed oil refineries in Bahrain.
Now that Caithness schools were finally back, the safety of the children was obviously a key concern. It says a lot about the sense of danger from bombs that the Director of Education this week wrote for the “anti-splinter lace in the various churches and halls occupied by the classes” to be replaced, as a matter of urgency. As events would prove, within a few weeks that lace would be needed.
On 18 October a severely wounded survivor from a sunk merchantman landed at
Scrabster on his way to his mother’s at Aberdeen,. “His name is Geo. Caithness Dean, 43 years of age, and he was the 2nd Engineer of the S.S. Makala, which ship was bombed and sunk off Wick on the 23rd August last. He was burned on the face and received shrapnel in both legs and has been detained in a Hospital Ship at Orkney since that date.”
Finally this week, the John O’Groat Journal recounted the dramatic .jpg)
story of another seaman, Donald Laird from John O’Groats, who was on board the merchantman Davisian sailing from Cardiff to Bermuda. On 10 July they were attacked by a German raider; the.jpg)
Davisian surrendered and was scuttled, and the crew and transferred to the German ship. After sinking another British ship, the Germans transferred all the captured seamen into their own damaged lifeboats and sailed away. Laird was in a boat with 25 men, and their rations consisted of dry biscuits and half a pint of water per man each day. “Riddled as she had been with shrapnel [when the Davisian was initially attacked by the German ship], the boat was leaking so badly that she had to be constantly bailed.” Fortunately after seven days adrift the boat was picked up by a Norwegian vessel, and after a journey that took in Kingston, Jamaica and New Orleans, Laird finally returned to Britain – though not before being bombed by a German aircraft!
Coming soon! Week 60, 21st - 27th October 1940, will be published on Monday 21st October 2013. To view previous issues please use the menus on the right hand side of the page.
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Comments
Over 34,000 seafarers , one in three of them lost their lives so that the UK could be supplied with food, oil,ammunition etc.
When I joined the MN in 1950 -old salts were most resentful that their mighty contribution went generally unsung.
What they resented most, however, was the fact that their wages stopped when they abandoned ship when the torpedo struck and did not receive a penny until they signed on another ship.
They were civilians when they were home and were given a silver lapel badge to indicate to other who were in uniform just what they were contributing to the war effort.
Britain at that time had a huge Merchant Fleet and the Red Ensign was seen all over the Globe - in contrast to what it is today when the sight of a British ship is a rarity.
JC
The Merchant Navy did seem to get a bit overlooked with their great efforts.
I have known several people who have served in the Merchant Navy and all them have been proud, quite rightly, to have done so.