AT SEA IN WAR TIME

Southland Times, Issue 24685, 5 March 1942, Page 4

AT SEA IN WAR TIME

Invercargill Man’s Experiences After having been at sea for just over four years, Seaman-Gunner W. L. Evans is spending his first period of leave with his parents, Mr and Mrs A. W. Evans, Janet street. Seaman-Gunner Evans has been serving in the Merchant Navy for a considerable time and in his opinion attacks from the air by the enemy worry sailors most. He had not seen a submarine in all the times he had sailed from England since the war. He has been on two ships sunk by enemy aircraft. A few days after the fall of France, in June 1940, his ship, the Lancastria, was anchored off St. Nazaire, on the French coast, with several other ships and was engaged in taking off troops. German dive-bombers appeared and attacked the ships. Several ships were hit, but the Lancastria was the only one sunk. He and his companions were in the water for three hours and a-half before they were rescued. A British destroyer picked up the men in the early hours of the morning and took them to a British port. ATTACKED OFF SUEZ Last July he was on another ship which was anchored in the Middle East. For seven nights the ships in the locality had been visited by enemy bombers. No bombs were dropped and no anti-aircraft fire was put up by the ships. On the eighth night, however, the ships were attacked and again Sea-man-Gunner Evans’s ship was the only one sunk. The attack was forced home by 25 dive-bombers and only one hit was registered. The bomb was a large one and smashed its way through five decks before breaking through a hatch and exploding in a hold containing aviation spirit. In about half an hour the ship was blazing furiously from the bridge to the stern. The men were rescued and taken to a military camp in Egypt, where they stayed for about a month. They were then shifted down to a South African town where they lived for three weeks before they were taken back to England. Seaman-Gunner Evans has experienced bombing raids on land as well as at sea and while in England was able to see for himself how calm the people remained during a blitz. He expressed appreciation of the treatment which sailors received in various parts of the world. He had been in Iceland, Norway, Egypt, South Africa, England, America and Australia and said that he had always been made welcome.

Petrol was being rationed in England, but he had heard that it was not going to be allowed for private use in future. People stood in queues to receive chocolates and cigarettes, he said. On one occasion he had wanted cigarettes and had had a cake of chocolate pushed into his hand. Referring to America, Seaman-Gun-ner Evans said that New York still had a long way to go with its war effort. They had the means in America and he thought they would make a success of their effort.