Berkshire and The War: the "Reading Standard" pictorial record. Volume 4. p 844
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Image Details
| Title | Berkshire and The War: the "Reading Standard" pictorial record. Volume 4. p 844 |
|---|---|
| Page number | 844 |
| Date | 1919 |
| Edition | |
| Publisher | Unknown |
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OCR Text
Berkshire Yeomanry on Torpedoed Transport.
M en o f th e R o y a l C ou nty o f B erks have
w ere a w fu lly g o o d o n th e s h ip , an d th e re was
n o p a n ic.
T h e Y e o m a n is a d o w n r ig h t g o o d
fe llo w , an d I ta k e o ff m y h a t to h im . T h e ship
soon s to p p e d .
T h e r e w as a v e ry s lig h t list.
T h e b o a ts w ere g o t o ff, a n d th e ra fts to o , and
w h en all t h e m en w ere o ff th e ship I said to
had th rillin g exp erien ces in variou s parts
o f th e w orld du rin g th is w ar, and everyÂ
w here th ey h ave covered th em selves w ith
glo ry .
I t was w hile in th e M editerran ean,
near A lexan dria,
w hich w ere
th a t th e tra n sp ort
Berks Yeomanry
torpedoed early in M ay.
haved adm irably.
h a d a sw im o f a b o u t 30-50 y a rd s . I h a d a life Â
b e lt on â a splen did th in g . W h e n we g o t to th e
life b o a t (ai ca n v as-sid ed colla p sib le b o a t ) , w e
ro w e d an d ro w e d ro u n d in circles till a m o to r
la u n ch ca m e an d to o k us in to w , a n d th en we
a rriv e d a t a n a u xilia ry ship o f w a r.
A fe w
m in u tes a fte r th e vessel w e n t d o w n w ith a rush.
W e m a d e o ff b a ck here, all o u t, w ith o v e r 1,100
su rv iv ors o n b o a r d . T h e n ig h t was w o n d e rfu lly
w a rm , a n d I n ev er f e l t cold , even in w et
p y ja m a s. H o w ev er, som e k in d n a va l officer
fitte d m e o u t in a n a va l tu n ic a n d a p a ir o f
trou sers, a n d o f co u rse I was th e b u t t o f m an y
je sts. I h a d t h e w rist-w a tch o n , w h ich I h a ve
w orn sin ce N o v e m b e r 13th. I t ha s n ow h a d a
sw im an d h a s n o t s to p p e d , th o u g h t h a t was 48
h ou rs a go. A ll w ere fitte d u p w ith b la n k e ts or
so m e th n g t o k eep th e m w a rm , a n d s om e fo o d ,
and. a b o u t te n h ou rs a fte r w a rd s w e a rriv ed h ere.
O n th e q u a y w e w ere g iv e n cloth es, A rm y issue,
a n d th e R e d C ross g a v e u s t e a and b iscu its.
â W h a t d o e s a n n o y m e is that- I â ve lo st e v e r y Â
th in g , in clu d in g b e tw e e n th re e an d fo u r h u n Â
d r e d p h o to g ra p h s.
T h e a ccu m u la tio n o f 2^
y e a rs o u t th e re g o n e in 1£ h o u rs ! H o w e v e r, i t â s
no use cry in g o v e r sp ilt m ilk. I â m s a fe a n d w ell.
I â m so th a n k fu l I ca n s w im ; it g a v e m e w orld s
o f con fid en ce.
W e âv e n ow h a d a ta ste o f n e a rly e v e ry fo rm
o f w ar, b a r ga s an d liq u id fire, b u t w e shall n o t
m ak e a fu ss i f w e n ev er h a v e a d ose o f th a t.
â â T h e a u x ilia ry ship h a d tw o to rp e d o e s lo o se d
off a t h e r w h ile s h e was g e ttin g u s o n b o a r d ,
b u t b o th w ere m isses, th a n k G o d . W o h a v e a
lo t to th a n k G od f o r re a lly . I was t h a n k fu l I
h a d no rela tion s to th in k o f o n b o a r d .â
a b o u t h a lf-a d o z e n o th e rs still th e re , â W e ll,
n ow w e â ll g o .â T h e w a te r w as th e n aw ash in
th e a fte r w ell d e ck . S o cla d in p y ja m a s , ca n vas
shoes a n d a w rist w a tch , I clim b e d d o w n a b o u t
six fe e t o f la d d e r, h e ld m y b re a th , lo o k e d a t th e
b la c k w a te r, and th e n d r o p p e d q u ie tly in.
T he Y eomen
A m on g th e troop s on
boa rd was th e only su rvivin g son o f M r.
Leonard G. Sutton , th e Deputy Mayor
Reading.
A ll h ad n arrow escapes.
Berks Yeomanry one lost his life Trooper
Edwin L . Andrews, second son o f M r. and
M rs. F . A . Andrew s, o f 22, Howard Street,
Reading.
W ritin g from Alexandria on M a y 28th,
Captain Sutton described his exp eriences.
H e s a id :â
â W e h a d g o t a b o u t n in e h ou rs o u t. N e a rly
all o f u s w ere in b e d a n d a sleep .
I w a s sub^
con scio u sly a w a re o f a s u d d e n ja r , b u t w h a t I
d o re m e m b e r w as s ittin g o n m y b e r t h a n d askÂ
in g w h a t h a d h a p p e n e d , and w a s t o ld th a t if I
d id n â t g e t o u t p r e t t y q u ick ly I s h o u ld p r e tty
so o n k n o w w h a t it w as. I p u lle d on a p a ir o f
shoes a n d ty in g o n m y life b e lt s c u ttle d a lo n g
th e co r rid o r , a n d slip p ed up a t th e f o o t o f th e
s ta irs. I w en t s tr a ig h t to o u r e m e rg e n cy s ta Â
tio n , a n d fo u n d th e o th e r m en a rriv in g .
They
SOME OF THE SURVIVORS
FROM THE TORPEDOED SHIP.
ON BOARD ONE OF T H E RESCUE SHIPS.
CAPT. NOEL SUTTON.
ANOTHER VIEW OF T H E RESCUING BOATS.