pow days

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Louis.
I have read many an account of what the jap's put the Forces prisoners through, but this is the first account I have read by a Merchant Seaman. I know there were many of them; and no doubt some of them may have written of their treatment, but you bring it all home with your simple terminology.
Thanks Des
redc.gif

[Lou Barron]

We arrived in Colombo they tooks us ashore and we went to a service club i dont remember the name at the time we had royal navy gear on they had given us aboard the Monawai some how we got into a party of Wrens .They thought the three of us was navy guys when told them who we were the beer started to flow not that it took much for us guys to get tiddly we was singing and dancing till we could not carry on .It was back to the ship escorted by some of the wrens who was also going back to the UK.Next day we set sail for the Suez .We was really enjoying this trip they was looking after us as though we was royalty and we started to put on weight .Arriving at Suez we went ashore to a place not far from Port Tewfig it was a very big army base there they gave us civil clothes suit ,shirts , underwear and shoes and socks .WEwas also aloud to send a cable home (at the time i had no news from my mother since i left home in 42).Then we went through the canal next port was Gibraltar.Arriving in Gib we did not go ashore no need to we had everything aboard the ship when i said we had everything i mean everything .Anyhow off we sailed our port was LIVERPOOl we started to get the channels we was also racing another ship with EXpows SS CORFU to be the first ship in theUK wih pows (we did beat by a few hours ).Then the big day arrived the three of us off the G Castle stood on deck as we sailed up the Merseyand saw the Liver Birds we started to cry .What turned out to be a three month trip was a three and a half year trip BUT WE AS HOME