anniversary

[Lou Barron]

at 7o clock tonight the german kriegsmarine decided to change my life style my mate and had been playing crib when we heard a loud explosion then followed by more then the ship seem to give a couple of shakes we thought what the hell grabbing our life jackets we went to out the starboard alley way they was a few of us looked out onto the well deck and we could see was a mass of flames the drums of aviation spirits had gone on fire so we went through to the port side and the flames did not seem to bad as we looked towards thev bridge we could see a big part of it was blowen away as wee ran towards the boat deck we could hear gunfire and machine guns also as we got onto the boat deck the bosun and a couple of us started to lower one of the boats then the ship heeled over port then a women passenger with a baby went to get into the boat but she fell into the water the ship was going down by the stern as some of us got into the boat the boat over turned and we was thrown into the ocean it was just as well i had my life jacket on all i can remember is getting away from the struggling massof bodys i was then picked up by the the only lifeboat toget away safely we got a fair distants away as we watch the gloucester castle go downby the stern with fire still burning in the welldeck at that time we did not know what had attacked us so bloody savagely then we saw the ship it was the german raider michel

[Lou Barron]

in my previous story i should have said it was 69 years ago

[Denis O'Shea]

Good to hear from u agn have tried to post u since our last contact, bur ere still trying to come to terms with this mode of transport.
Rgds Denis

[Captain Kong]

Thanks for that Lou, must have been harrowing just to write that, and poor young Joe Farnworth didnt have a chance in all that mayhem I will pass that account to his brother Dave. Cheers
Brian.,

[Captain Kong]

I wrote this a while ago. I am trying to upload the photo.my computer is sufering from mental stress .


October 2001, I was on the Queen Elizabeth 2 on our way to
Cape Town, South Africa, I had taken a Merchant Navy Wreath with me
and told Captain Ron Warwick about the story of the Gloucester Castle.
When we arrived over the site of the Gloucester Castle, 8 degrees
South Latitude and 1 degree East Longitude A table was prepared for
the Service covered with the Red Ensign of the Merchant Navy and the
Wreath.
We had a Service for the 93 dead of the Gloucester Castle, some of the women passengers wept during the Service. Then the Master at Arms, walked aft and cast the Wreath into the sea over the Gloucester Castle and then Saluted.
The dead of the Gloucester Castle could now Rest in Peace.

Brian Aspinall.

left to right, Chief Security Officer, Andy, ex Royal Marines, Captain Ron Warwick, Peter Russel [ex Esso] Chief Officer, Me, and others.