Merchant Navy/Torpedoed Four Times/From Northern Ireland

As the 60th Anniversary of the ending of World War 2 approaches, what of the men and women who were in the thick of it? Drumbeg may be a small townland, not far from Belfast, but just wander around its historic graveyard and see how many have served in wars over the centuries. For example, the Montgomery family was in the thick of it at the Battle of Balaclava in 1854. However, it's the story of one unsung hero that follows.
"William" joined the Merchant Navy in 1937, aged 16. He could hardly wait to "see the world" as he had hardly been beyond Drumbeg all his life.
But like many, he hadn't anticipated the war and when it came he never dreamed that the contribution of the Merchant Navy would be so enormous and vital. But it was pivotal to the outcome of the war and the success of the Battle of the Atlantic. Sadly, the Merchant Navy lost more men per capita than any other of the services.
William's ship was torpedoed and in the dark of night he found himself in a small raft with only a few survivors. They floated for four days and were eventually picked up by the Royal Navy. It's odd but the feeling which haunts him most is the silence after the explosion followed by the screams of the men and the noise of the tiny tinny whistles they carried on their life jackets. That and the cold - that all-encompassing feeling of being freezing from the inside out and also of never being dry.
He thought he was going to die but wasn't afraid as he was putting all his energy into keeping warm and coping with hunger and thirst!
After he was discharged from hospital, having suffered hypothermia, he went to recuperate on the North coast. You must remember that there was no uniform in the Merchant Navy - merely a small lapel button with the letters MN on it. It was barely visible.
So one day, when out walking on the beach, a woman came up to him and spat in his face, called him a coward and gave him a white feather. She assumed he was making no contribution to the war effort. William didn't bother to enlighten her. He was twenty years old.
William reamined with the Merchant Navy until retirement age. He was torpedoed a further three times, lost countless friends and had nightmares for many years. But he has never thought of himself as a hero, "I was just doing my job, the best way I knew how". One of the most poignant things he said was that he was glad he was rescued pretty quickly because "one you are off the ship, your pay stops. Yes, even when you are literally bombed or blown off it!"
So on VE and VJ day, raise a glass to William and those of his friends who never made it home.

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