Somewhere On The Indian Ocean, 1945.....

The crew of the HMS Shakespeare, somewhere in the Indian Ocean, 1945. My dad is at the top left sitting on the conning tower, holding the Jolly Roger.

My thanks to all those at Forces Reunited, without whom Mik and I never would have met and I wouldn't have received the amazing photos of the Shakespeare and my dad. Mik's dad is the young man sitting at the top on the right-hand side of the conning tower.

Miss you dad, wish you could have seen this and been able to tell me about it. By the way, the citizens of the United States just elected their first Black President and his name is Barack Obama. During election night, when they called the winner I remembered how much you admired Martin Luther King Jr. and knew you would be so happy and proud. Sadly, the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is still raging. Whenever I read about another atrocity committed by Israel, I remember all that you taught me about the Holocaust and Apartheid. I know my efforts pale in comparison to yours but I promise you this, I'll never stop fighting for peace and justice.

Lest we forget.

I Will Remember. Always.....

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep,
though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Major John McCrea, 1915

HMS Shakespeare

13 May, 1943, sinks the Italian sailing vessels Sant' Anna M. and Adelina with gunfire off the north-east coast of Sardinia. Sunk Italian submarine Velella off the Gulf of Salerno 7 September 1943. There were no survivors. 26 Oct, 1943, sinks the Greek sailing vessel Aghios Konstantinos 23 nautical miles north-east of Andros, Greece. 3 Nov, 1943, sinks a sailing vessel with gunfire off Kos, Greece. 3 Dec, 1943, sinks a sailing vessel with gunfire off Kos, Greece. Sank Japanese merchant Unryu Maru off Andamans 31 Dec 44. Damaged 3 Jan 45, South East Asia, off Port Blair area, Andaman Islands by gunfire of Japanese merchant ship, Wa 1, and later damaged in bombing attack. Surfaced to engage the merchantman and damaged by return fire, unable to dive. Later attacked from the air, 15 crew injured and radio destroyed. With a hole in the pressure hull and no radio, headed for the patrol area of sister s/m, Stygian, who radioed for help and sent engineers to assist with repairs. Still unable to dive, returned to Trincomalee two days later under escort. Beyond repair and written off for scrap.

My father was a radio operator on board the Shakespeare and was injured. The men successfully engaged the Japanese bomber with any available weapon from the deck of the submarine, as she sat helpless on the surface unable to dive. My personal thanks to all those who assisted during those three days.