The Paladin found us. The other ships picked up the survivors from the Cornwall.
They came in as close as they could, let their nets down over the ship and everybody
was on the main deck ready to help with ropes. Some of them dived overboard
into the water to help the injured climb the netting. I was able to get up there
on my own steam; I didn’t require help, but many did. I was glad to be
standing on something solid after so long in the water. The crew of the Paladin
hosed us down with warm water and soap. We stripped off nude and they helped
us to clean off. We were like black-men with thick oil in our eyes, faces and
hair, you wouldn’t have recognised anybody. Our shipmates on the Paladin
got us cleaned up a bit and brought us their own clothes, shorts, shirts something
to put on your feet. If they had it they gave it to you, your old clothes were
thrown overboard.
We were parched so were given drinks of lemonade and soon after, a rum issue was ordered and I had neat rum that almost put me to asleep afterwards. The Paladin suspected there were Jap subs around and started dropping depth charges. That really frightened us after our ordeal in the water. The following morning we were making our way back towards the fleet when they transferred the wounded men including me to another ship that took us back to Male in the Maldives.
We landed at Male; it was very hot there with a beautiful beach. The Navy had organised wooden bunks from somewhere and we had a bunk each. It was there that at last I met up again with my old friend aboard ship, Tom Shirley, who had saved my life in the boiler room. He said “There’s a little canteen just down the road if you want some fags, I’ve been down there but I haven’t got any money”. I had my little web belt with my little bit of money, because it could be thieved even aboard ship, they weren’t all so innocent you know. I said “I’ve got some money Tom, what do you want a pound? Ten shillings?” “Ten Shillings will be OK ,” he said. We went down and bought some sweets and fags and whatever and that was all right. Tom said, “I’ll pay you back as soon as possible” but he said, “I don’t have anything on me” (because he had all his clothes blown off him. He had been badly burned when he caught the blast of a bomb on board ship). We stayed the night and had some food; it was a warm night so we didn’t need any bedding. We both slept like logs until next morning then went down to the sea to wash and I recollect the beautiful coral in the water. We were in the Maldives for two days.
We left the Maldives and Tom and I were both put on a hospital ship although we didn’t see one another. I told Tom after, that I had been in the sick bay in bed with shock and bronchitis, in a bit of a state and it wasn’t improving. The hospital ship took us to Durban via Madagascar. We got to Durban and I was taken by ambulance to a hospital outside of Durban which had been a racecourse and pavilion converted for troop distribution to the Middle East.
My wounds were treated quite quickly but the shock and bronchitis were the main problems and took longer. I stayed in hospital for a fortnight and we were very comfortable there. The doctor asked one of the other naval lads and me if we wanted a drink. We said “Oh yes please!” I was rather partial to a glass of beer and the Doctor said he would provide Guinness for us. One in the morning and one in the evening - and on prescription! That was our treatment. The doctor said we should drink it and it will give us strength and do us good. I recovered from the bronchitis and shock, was dished out with a blue suit for injured Naval personnel and was eventually sent on a fortnight’s convalescent leave offered freely by ex pat’s living in Africa who wanted to help the war effort. I went to an area in Zululand, it had a strange name that sounded like “Ginenglover” I will always remember that, but whether that was the correct pronunciation or not, I can’t remember.
We stayed at a doctor’s house and they were British, he had joined the South African war effort and was in North Africa working as a doctor. An Afrikaans doctor took over his job but didn’t live on the farm. I was with another lad also on leave and we lived on the farm with the doctor’s wife for a fortnight. We enjoyed our stay very much but it was a very desolate place. Sugar cane was the big crop growing everywhere with horse and carts transporting the cane. The Doctor’s wife had three “boys” looking after the house and food. She came into our bedroom every morning with an early cup of tea and a box of fifty “Cape to Cairo” cigarettes. I gave the boys half of the cigarettes because although I smoked, I couldn’t have smoked fifty cigarettes a day. I might have smoked thirty a day but not fifty. The boys were delighted, looking after us and feeding us very well; they couldn’t do enough for us.
One morning the doctor called and asked if we would like to go with him to
visit a leper colony. “Oh goodness” I said, “ I don’t
want to catch leprosy”.
He said, “Don’t worry, you won’t catch anything, you’ll
be all right with me”. We went down some pretty rough tracks to an old,
dilapidated building and met the staff. The doctor said “Don’t touch
anything, keep your hands by your side just in case. You will never have the
chance to see such a thing again”. That was enough to give you a shock,
the state of some of those people with half a face and half a body and little
kiddies and babies with no legs. They never came out of there once they went
in and were probably treated rather poorly. It was an experience, but I can’t
really say I actually enjoyed it.