THE CHINA MAIL, SEPTEMBER 15, 1941.
NO ONE-WAY SHOW WHEN CONVOY BOMBED
John M. Leggat, a 22-year-old British subject who spent most of his life in the U.S.A., dropped in at P.M. in New York one day to see how a newspaper is put together. Leon Goodelman, one of our reporters, learned that he planned to join up with the Empire's fighting forces. Young Leggat promised to write. This is the second instalment of his first letter, describing his trip across the Atlantic as a sailor aboard a convoy ship.
I GOT TO KNOW everyone on the boat pretty well. Amongst the Dutch I found that near- ly every one of them had heard nothing from home, and did not know if their families were alive or dead. They never mentioned home, only the ship. If one did not question these men lie would have no idea they were men without a country or a home.
pened, and I got a bit of a kid- ding from the bomb-hardened sailors for shaking like a leaf,
Not A Scratch
We had a few more raide, but we beat them off before they could get close enough to do their damage. In fact I'm happy to say that the first con. voy after the Lend-Lease · BIN reached port without a scratch. Not without plenty of effort though.
A few days later a dark mound appeared on the horizon and soon land could be seen. England! And what a glorious sight she was after the long trek at sea. As soon as I could after making port. I left ship and got a good
ing to wait
a bridge was built before I made that crossing
There was one exception, One those same explosions must have|bath, shave and haircut--swear- man Shaved me a letter he re- undersea!
cerved It was from the Inter- national Red Cross in
Switzer-"All Hell Broke Loose" again. But not the sailors
Tand The letter. If it can he called Jettes, was printed in black capital letters. the Family was all-wed to print 25 words
11 a slip not unike a telegraph. blank The pathetic message Just sant. "we are all well " But he had reveived it in April, 1940 No word SERVE.
This it one ship, a Dutch ship There are other great merchant marines that tell the Same stury The ship they are on might be sunk but they will go on and on
till the country is their own In the meantime, the ship again, will keep sailing. In our foe'sle language "It is very no goot to stop!"
In
The high spot of the trip was my first time under fire. It will always remain vividly my mind. The war in Europe seems close to America, but it is hard to visualies. only had to be under fire once and it all seemed very clear to
mc.
I
morning Easter,
Easter It happened somewhere near Europe, 1941, at sen, dodging eggs instead of looking for them
as I did We were having when a boy. coffee in the fo'c'sle, sitting re- laxed and talking. All of a sud- den the air-raid siren went, then another, and then it seemed as
devil in if every
creation was in the wailing out
most God- awful way. We all ran and put on our life belts and tin hats. went out on deck. As I reached deck all hell broke loose.
I
they headed for the first pub -- spent all their money and in a few days were back after more cargo.
It was a wonderful experience seeing a convoy in action, and now that I have seen it I can tell that anything Hitler can put against the men of the merchant tiarine and the Royal Navy, they will take it and give him back more than he can put out. Ships are being lost it is true. But the men are not. Give these men the ships to run and the cargoes to carry and they will do the rest in a very complete way.
V
ATLANTIC EXPRESS
AIR LINE
Pan-American Airways
Concerning
chap one
whose country is under the Nazi yake there is a rather ironical story. I asked him what he thought about the R.A.F. bombing His home town. He said that he was all for it, that It was medicine that woull have to be taken to He get rid of a dreaded disease.
Every ship is armed with ina- then went on to tell me that he chine-guns and anti-aircraft. We had sisters working in a muoi-had a very large escort of des- tions plant.
troyers and corvettes which are ormed with anti-aircraft. well The first thing I saw were the announce the inaugura-
shrapnel bursts of
in the sky. tion, on September 25, of Then I saw her! A huge four-
Condor. It was the.the first trans-Atlantic motored first time outside of news reels '
between I had ever seen a Nazi, I stood express service
United States and ahead transfixed, just staring at her, as the
if I were still in a news reel, She was huge, filled the sky, and Europe. was swooping low over the con-
into the barrage. voy--right guess I stopped thinking, just watched with my mouth open.
"It is rather funny." he said. laughing. "I bring bombs and planes over to kill my sisters, and they bulld torpedoes to I don't want to bomb sink ma them and they don't want to Bink
both me, but we
in our own ways have to go with it'
Magnificent
Huge Geysers
Pan-American I
Airways say to Europe will The convoy is a magnificent
that shipments not be accepted unless accompani thing. It seems the journalists
ed by "aircer's" from British of to-day like to play up the
Consular officials, certifying that subject of the perplexed skipper
they contain no war contraband on a merchantman trying to keep
goods. Delivery will be made by up with the modern methods of the Royal Navy. I suw no per- Suddenly two huge geysers of giant Clippers which will main- a thrice-weekly schedule plexed skippers. 1 saw extremely water shot up and then loud ex- tain
She was well run ships keeping their place plosions.
bombing! from New York to Lisbon.
Airways officials point out that in formation through snow, ice, Then two more huge geysers; she
mail and passenger demands rain and Ü three day gale, was getting close and then I saw through air attack, submarine at-she was headed right for us. I hitherto left no space for cargoes, weeks the traffic tack, and even dodging mines. turned white as a sheet of paper but in recent
usual calm com-
bottle-neck at Lisbon had been It is a mystery to me, even and with my
it, how a posure though 1 took part in
yelied bloody murder, reduced.
Air express rates have been very large number of ships can gave a jump and slid twenty feet
dollars per pound keep in formation all through a on my belly into a corner and fixed at two
with 2 five dollars shipping long. dark night.
waited. Black out at seal A black-out
was minimum, and in accordance with The roar of the Government Postal Regulations, Bo black your very hand in coming fast. front of your eye looks like the motors increased, our guns start- air express cannot accept, inter- centre of the ace of
spades. ed barking and our machine-guns alla, packages containing money, yet comes the dawn and every chattering and then her machine-securities or cheques.-Reuter.
Then I ship is in position, steaming on guns sprayed the deck.
I didn't have long, she
in Ita zig-zag course to Bri saw out of the corner of my eye
tain.
the bombs falling big ones
was
At the head of the convoy is and the ship seemed to jump out the commodore,. He sails in one of the water as four separate ex- of the regular ships of the -con-plosions rent the air. I voy, and leads us in our queer really too. scared to move, but I trail across the Atlantic. One got up thinking we had been hit, mistake by him and the whole but no everything seemed to convoy is put in danger. But be all right.
they are men who have spent I learned later that the last of many years in the Admiralty the four she dropped missed, us with a high office. They have by very little. It is funny, the been called out of retirement and impressions I got from that bat- take to their important jobs like tle, the continued scream of the a duck to water. The commodores sirens, the deep booms of the. Just don't make mistakes.
anti-aircraft and the long chat-
that it
The convoy is well protectedter of machine-guns, The "yip- the whole trip. No wireless is yip" of the destroyer: whistles as used, no smoke, is made no they cut through the water right unnecessary noise either. My Into the Hun's path to paste him admiration goes out to the men with a good dose of Pom-Poms, who conduct these convoys, It was quite a fight while it last- every detail is done so complete-ed, and. It seemed to me, and ly and so well. Convoys are probably to Jerry too, escorted so well now that it is lasted for ages. She dropped practically suicide for a tin fish eight bombs and all eight were to get within "hearing" distance. clean misses, probably due to the In fact I should hate to be in terrific barrage we put up. I their place. One day one did think we hit her for she seemed come in for a try at us. Many to drop after she went over us, depth charges were let off at then picked herself up and like a least two miles from my ship. I wounded bird limped off into the The force even then was enough horizon. In a few minutes ship to make the whole ship jump and life resumed, the convoy con- shudder, Imagino what "force" tinued on as if nothing had hap
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