A Japanese gun

[Lou Barron]

When we left the convoy ( Gloucester Castle )in 1942 of Freetown we had gun practice with our Japanese 1906 4 .7 after the first round the breach block fell of the D.E.M s gunner said they might as well throw the shells at the enemy anyhow we never had a chance to use it

[Doc Vernon]

A long time after Lou, on one of my Trips on the Winchester Castle we had to divert to Freetown as there was a very sick passenger aboard,we just Anchored off the Port and the Passenger was taken ashore to the Hospital by Launch.
Would have liked to have gone ashore to just have a look,but no way!

Must have been some fun for a while to fire off those Jap Guns!
Cheers

[Ivan Cloherty]

Freetown, believe me Doc, you didn't miss a thing, you really didn't. Unfortunately those Jap guns worked for the Japanese, so guess no fun involved

[Richard Quartermaine]

I remember the days when anything made in Japan was considered inferior and we looked for the 'made in England' stamp. I may be dreaming, but an industrial area in Japan was renamed Usa (USA). The lack of quality and quality control shifted across the East China Sea as they got to grips with technology and their western neighbours with sweatshops.

[Jim Brady]

Another Urban Myth I'm afraid Richard.Usa was a town well before WW11 and in any case to export goods the name of the country (ie made in Japan) and not a town or city has tobe on the product.
Regards.
Jim.B.

[happy daze john in oz]

My brother in law told me of a company in UK who made white goods under the name of Admiral with the union flag on the front. They did not sell very well so they put a made in Japan sticker on them and the lot sold.

[DeepSea]

On the 6th February 1943 the Canadian Star was 800 miles East of the Pitcairn Islands. During a gun practice on the ships 4.7 inch gun, there was an accidental explosion, killing one of the DEMS gunners outright and mortally wounding one of the crewmembers, who died from severe head injuries an hour later and both men were buried at sea.

LLEWELLYN, Sailor, WILLIAM EIRWYN, M.V. Canadian Star (London). Merchant Navy. 6th February 1943. Age 26. Son of William John and Addie Llewellyn, of St. Dogmaels, Cardiganshire.

Six weeks later during the same voayage the Canadian Star was sunk by U-221 with the loss of twenty-two crewmembers, two DEMS gunners and nine passengers.

[Lou Barron]

Thanks Billy for your comments as a matter of fact I have a very good friend of mine who lives in Dunedin who was a survivor of the Canadian Star called Darcy Hoffman who was a AB

[Lou Barron]

I Should have mentioned the story of the sinking of the Canadian Star is in the book Hell or High Water .Darcy was a very good pro boxer in his younger days at present he is in Ross home












































































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