Due to coal mining being a protected profession, I’ve yet to find any of my ancestors involved in a war of any kind, there’s a possibility that it might turn out that they were and I just haven’t discovered it yet. A’s Grandfather on the other hand was involved in both the First and Second World Wars and has quite a remarkable story to tell.

Roland ran away from home in Abergavenny at about 16 in 1915 and joined up with one of the Monmouthshire Battalions. Along with his battalion he was posted to France, where he became stricken with some really bad stomach ailment and was consigned to the sick bay whilst everybody else was sent to the Front to help shore up the defences. Fierce fighting took place, and within four days almost all of the inexperienced Monmouth Battalion were killed. Roland had been lucky. Later in 1917, aged 18, he joined the Machine Gun Corps, a newly formed Corps which was all volunteer. Machine Guns were relatively new weapons and the destruction they could mete out was frightening when compared with hundreds of troops with rifles and bayonets. Because of this, it was obviously in the best interests of the opponents to remove the gun posts first, the casualty rate in the MGC was extremely high, so much so that other Army personnel nicknamed it “The Suicide club”. Once again Roland was lucky, coming home from France with body and mind intact and three medals.

Fast forward to World War Two, Roland had joined the Merchant Navy and had risen to the rank of Captain working for the Elder Dempster line out of Liverpool. Work during the war became scarce, and he would often sail as a First or Second Officer, just to keep employed. Eventually in 1942 he was offered a shore job in Takoradi in Ghana, West Africa for Elder Dempster and after consultation with his wife it was decided that he would accept. So Roland left Liverpool on the MV Alfred Jones after first watching a German bombing raid over the city whilst they were anchored in the Mersey. Ships during the war often sailed together for protection until they reached a point where they had to split up for their respective destinations, the Alfred Jones was the Convoy Commadore which meant she was the lead ship. The journey was uneventful and the convoy separated as planned. But 140 miles West Southwest ofFreetown, Sierra Leone at 14:09 in the afternoon, The Alfred Jones was attacked and torpedoed by the German submarine U-107. She took a direct hit in the engine room, two more torpedoes went wide. The crew scrambled for the remaining life boats and rafts, all were accounted for, although one later died and was buried at sea. Roland describes how the uboat surfaced and circled the stricken ship, before finally diving again and putting two more torpedoes into her. She went stern up and rapidly sank. Roland took charge of his lifeboat and with the other lifeboat following them they set off rowing and sailing for Sierra Leone. The weather turned really bad and they were separated, the second lifeboat was picked up by HMS Margeuritte, Rolands boat was not so lucky, the rescuers couldn’t find them in the appalling weather. Roland describes delirious crew members, weather colder than the North Sea then hotter than the desert, rowing could only be accomplished at night because of the temperatures. Water was rationed to a mouthful at dawn and again at night, they had to fight off shark attacks and cope with severe storms. Absolutely incredibly Roland navigated the little boat 140 miles to Sierra Leone where they were met by the River Patrol boats. All men, apart from the one they had to bury at sea, survived.

Many years later, after the war had ended, Roland was persuaded to write up this heroic story for the Elder Dempster employee magazine. We still have it and we will cherish it.

I never met A’s grandfather, he died when A was about 15. I wish I had. We owe all men like Roland Palmer a huge debt of gratitude.