My late Father was a Radio Officer in WW2 and first sailed as a 2ND Radio Officer in the CITY OF FLORENCE ,The date was 2nd NOVEMBER 1939, he was 17 years and 8 months old.
By 1942 he was First Radio Officer on the CRAGPOOL And this is a resume of one voyage.
He joined the CRAGPOOL at Newport on the 16th March 1942 and on the 18th March sailed to Milford Haven arriving the next day.
On the 20TH the CRAGPOOL left the Haven,she was laden with Welsh coal and was bound for MONTEVIDEO.Convoy ON78 had sailed earlier from Liverpool and the CRAGPOOL joined this convoy a few miles south of the Smalls lighthouse and sailed south through the St.Georges Channel and then West to a dispersal point 750 miles west of Lands End.This was a normal convoy dispersal point and the CRAGPOOL headed into the South Atlantic,she was on her own.
The voyage was slow the CRAGPOOL was an old ship and heavily laden but on the 3rd May 1942 she arrived in MONTEVIDEO harbour.She sailed after unloading her cargo on the 16th May and arrived at San Nicolas on the 18th of May.3 days later she was underway again to Buenos Aires where she arrived on the 23rd May 1942.Her new cargo was to be wheat and after loading she sailed back to Montevideo on the the 29th May.
After 2 days in Montevideo the CRAGPOOL set of across the South Atlantic again on her own to next make landfall at FREETOWN SIERRA LEONE on the west African coast where she arrived in late June.At FREETOWN she was to join convoy SL 115, a convoy of 29 merchant ships with 9 ■■■■■■ vessels in company.The convoy sailed on the 5 July 1942 and set course for England.On the 15th July the CRAGPOOL straggled which meant she could not keep up with the convoy,she must have got over her difficulties and she duly arrived with the convoy at LOCH EWE.From Loch Ewe she sailed independantly to Liverpool ,arriving there on the 28th July 1942.The total voyage took over 125 days and the CRAGPOOL albeit an old ship came through it along with my father who spent the whole was sailing the world in 6 different ships and across very dangerous oceans.My father left the Merchant Navy in 1950 and joined the police force where he served as a old fashioned constable ,over 6foot,15 stone and a red face until his sad and early death from a heart attack in the mid 60s aged only 43. R.I.P. DAD
Thank you for telling us your Dad’s story. If we heard from all who can recount such experiences we would understand the futility of war. The constant strain of waiting for imminent tradgedy or death undoubtedly shortened his life. A poignant tale, but Politicians or Religious leaders never learn so as long as we exist we will be called to duty and expected to serve without question. shame. Jim.
very brave men in the merchant navy in ww2.not a job i would have fancied.
We all owe an enormous debt to the brave men of the Merchant Navy.They had no real weaponry to fight back with when dive bombers got them in their sights.The men had no uniform and were spat on and derided when ashore.If the old men want to have war let them go and risk life and limb.
I have my Grandfathers medals ribbons and bar along with the letter and the little box it all came in when he served in the MN he died at the age of 52 after service …
nick2008:
I have my Grandfathers medals ribbons and bar along with the letter and the little box it all came in when he served in the MN he died at the age of 52 after service …
Your Grandfathers medal ribbons and bar along with the letter i know will always be in your possesion,they are things to cherish.