WALKED FROM NARVIK INTO SWEDEN

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 226, 19 June 1940, Page 6

WALKED FROM NARVIK INTO SWEDEN

British Seaman’s Story CAPTURED BY GERMANS IN INVASION OF NORWAY The adventures of the crews of live British mercliaiil. ships who spent ll days in captivity in Narvik and then walked 30 miles Io Hie Swedish frontier were described in Skelleftea. North Sweden, by .Mr. Charles Dobson, chief engineer of Hie llomauby. He was then in hospital in Skelleftea with frostbitten bunds and feel. With him was Mr. James Millan, cook of the same ship, South Shields' also suffering from frostbitten feet. On Hie morning of April I) five British merchant ships were drawing up lo Hie Narvik quay Io load iron ore. Besides ’Hie Romanby, which, sailed from Cardiff, there were Hie Riverton, from l.iverpovl, Hie Blythmoor, from Middlesbrough, tbe Norjh Cornwall, from Newcastle, and the Mersington Court, from London. Reading from a diary which lie had written during ids captivity, Mr. Dobsott gave an eye-wit-ness account of all that happened from that point onwards. » .Extracts from Hie diary follow: — April 9. —Just going to load at 5 a.m. German destroyers entered harbour. Three additional German destroyers landed troops. Took charge of harbour. Came swurmitig aboard our live ships. We were all lined up on deck, arrested, and taken ashore about 5 o’clock that afternoon to a school. Slept on floor without, blankets. April 10. —About 5 p.m. five British destroyers entered the port and a great naval battle took place. Several merchant ships which the Germans had anchored in front of their destroyers as protection were blown out of the water by the British destroyers. Two German destroyers were sunk. Our ship was sent to the bottom as well as tbe other four merchant ships. That day we were moved from the school to tbe Iris Cafe, right on the waterfront, German marines were put in charge of us. April 11. —The Germans were short, of food —unable to give us anything except bread and water. We had to supply our own food. Each morning at eleven o’clock I noticed a German plane Hying overhead and dropping food supplies by parachute. April 12. —At 6 p.m. British planes attacked the port against heavy antiaircraft tire. The Germans had set up gun emplacements round the town. They did uot “bag” one British plane. xVpril 13.—Heavy gunfire at sea. The Iris Cafe shook. Must have been big naval battle or British shelling of shore batteries. Later three British destroyers entered harbour and shelled the shore batteries. R.A.F. planes Hew over, dropping bombs. Three German destroyers sunk. April 15. —At. 4.15 p.m. British destroyers entered the harbour and fired on the shore. One shell, aimed at a German lorry carrying ammunition going along tbe road, hit the embankment, just below the lorry. The lorry jumped about a yard into the air. April 23. —Terrific explosion in the town. Germans blowing up the iron ore wharf. German army commander ordered us to be sent to Sweden. Two batches of 65 men each set off on foot along the railway line with German guards. The 30-mile walk to the Swedish frontier under armed German guard. Mr. Dobson said, was “terrible.” It took them some 36 hours. They walked through a blizzard.