My First Taste of War At Sea

[Lou Barron]

It was my first trip to sea as i have mention before in a previous post it was a ship called SS Lech it was a ex Polish ship with most of the Poles still on board just a small ship
I signed on as a galley boy and to me it was to bring how tough life can be at sea this was November 1940
Anyhow the action that was to be my first taste of war at sea after leaving Methil a convoy of several coasters with a small escort proceeded to sail down the east coast bound for London when about abeam of the River Humber a number of Stuker dive bombers come screaming down the noise was terrific we had a 12pounder gun and a couple of machine guns with navy gunners going flat out there were bombs dropping everywhere i stood on the deck watching when a couple of bombs landed not to far off our port side
then one of the crew told me to get my life belt on (the old Cork ones )which i did the action must have lasted about ten minutes or so but i think a couple of shipsgot sunk
Then as we got near the Thames a couple of Eboats hada go but they were driven of
that was my action at sea but not the finish of the bombing because we got to London and that was getting a going over

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Lou.
Must have been a terrifing expierence for a first tripper. I don't know how you would have gone jumping overboard with one of those cork lifebelts on, even if you had been taught to hold it down at the neck, they were not the best. Did you join the Lech from the Vindi?
Cheers Des

[Tony Wilding]

HI LOU, I had never though of that aspect befor, first time in action, must have been more than just scary, to see Ships Bombed around and sinking, hard to visualise it without experience of it, Regards, Tony W.

[Lou Barron]

No Des i did not go to any training ship moreless straight school 14years and 7 months old and that was not the only time i had to change my under pants