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This contribution to Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú People’s War website was provided to Tracey Gray a Volunteer Story Gatherer from the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Radio Norfolk Action Desk at an Event organised by the Norwich, Norfolk and Suffolk Pensioner’s Association. The story has been written and submitted to the website with the permission and on behalf of Thomas William Cook.

I served on a River Class Frigate, mostly on convoy duty in the Atlantic. As more were built, we became support groups working between the convoys and going to the aid of any being attacked.

One afternoon at about 3pm, we found a U Boat just below the surface waiting for a convoy. A pattern of depth charges brought it to the surface. We stopped to pick up its Captain and 45 of its crew, by lowering scrambling nets over the side. The U Boat captain on reaching the top proclaimed in perfect English that “we had caught him unawares“. The officer in charge of the rescue, in his eagerness to apologize for such a grave mistake, managed to stand on both hands of the U Boat captain who fell back into the sea. This time he came up last with new complaint. Though he did receive attention from the ships doctor to his damaged hands.

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