 |
SwiftVets.com
Service to Country
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
shawa
CNO
Joined: 03 Sep 2004
Posts: 2004
|
 Posted: Mon May 30, 2005 5:26 pm Post subject: A Thanks On Hold Since 1941 |
 |
|
| Quote: | May 30, 2005, 1:02AM
A thanks on hold since 1941
British Marine saved from the sea finally to meet his Houston rescuer
By ROSANNA RUIZ
Houston Chronicle
Roy Murray Jr., a young merchant mariner from Houston, had just taken over the evening watch aboard a U.S. cargo ship sailing off the African coast in November 1941. He expected a quiet shift.
A few miles away, where World War II was already blazing, an exhausted British Royal Marine private named William Gill drifted numbly in a packed life raft, watching his mates die of exposure, injuries and vicious fish and shark bites. Hundreds of others had already died in a Nazi torpedo attack of their ship, the HMS Dunedin, three days earlier.
Suddenly, a flash on the horizon sent Murray running for a pair of binoculars and hurrying to an upper deck of the SS Nishmaha. When another wave crested, Murray clearly made out the small craft with Gill aboard. He blew his pocket whistle, setting in motion the rescue that pulled 72 men from the South Atlantic.
Next month in Portsmouth, England, Gill and two other Dunedin survivors will finally meet the man they can thank for the last 64 years of their lives.
During a telephone interview from his home in Brighton, Gill, 84, said he intends to greet Murray with "two words that say everything: 'Thank you.' "
Back in Houston, Murray, 85 and a retired Ship Channel pilot, said the reunion will be recognition simply for "doing a good job, in a professional way."
"I don't know about being a hero," he said. "Nobody was shooting at me."
Memory burns bright
Gill and Murray are both grandfathers now, and the years have grayed their hair. But the events of Nov. 27, 1941, are clear to both.
"I can't remember what I had for lunch yesterday, but I can remember that day," said Murray, who joined the Merchant Marine in 1937 after graduating from St. Thomas High School.
It was Thanksgiving, and Murray dined on a turkey dinner with the captain and other officers. At 5 p.m., he returned to the bridge and relieved the other third mate. A moment after taking over, he noticed Gill's raft.
The Nishmaha had been en route from West Africa to Philadelphia, but drifted off course when an engine was shut down for repairs. Otherwise, the men of the Dunedin may never have been spotted.
Three days earlier, on Nov. 24, the crew of that ship had little time to grab supplies after being struck. The German vessel fired three torpedoes at the Dunedin. Two torpedoes found their marks, and the ship sunk almost 20 minutes later.
U-boat circled survivors
In all, 419 Royal Navy sailors and marines perished when the ship went down or died later at sea. About 250 were able to scramble onto rafts or instead clung to debris, floating among large patches of oil.
The U-boat surfaced and circled the survivors. In defiance, the men broke out into There'll Always Be an England at the sight of the enemy vessel.
"It was bravado or release of tension, certainly a sign of defiance," said Gill, explaining that he and the other men were fearful of being shot at by the Germans. After a few minutes, the vessel dove back into the water.
During the hours that followed, the survivors' numbers dwindled. Some drowned or died of injuries, exposure or bled to death from severe bites from dog fish and barracudas. Sharks were also a constant threat. Gill resisted the fierce temptation to drink seawater.
"That's one of my most vivid memories aboard the raft," he said.
Of the 22 men who scrambled aboard Gill's raft, only three lived long enough to be rescued.
"As they died in the raft of exhaustion or whatever reason, we had to tip them over the side," Gill said.
He had pushed the memories aside until recently, when pressed by his son, Stuart Gill, who has written a book about his father's rescue.
'A certain numbness'
"I can recall a certain numbness. Patience. Not hoping and praying like mad. I don't remember praying. I always believed in God and always felt that spirit there to help people," Gill said. "I don't remember too many of my emotions."
It took about five hours for the men of Nishmaha to retrieve all of the survivors, beginning at about sundown and continuing into the night. With only a 37-man complement, nearly everyone had to help in the rescue. Murray had to cobble together men from the engine and stewards departments to work as oarsmen for his boat, the third deployed from the Nishmaha.
About a quarter-mile from the ship, with darkness fast approaching, Murray heard the screams of men awaiting rescue. They took in six and continued farther out when they encountered about two dozen more in another raft.
Once aboard the Nishmaha, the men were fed and given cots and blankets. The seriously injured were treated and bandaged. Five of the rescued men died during the first 12 hours and were buried at sea with military honors, Murray said.
After 10 days, the remaining 67 survivors were handed over to British authorities at the closest British naval base, the port of Trinidad.
It was Dec. 7, the day Pearl Harbor was attacked.
"People on board were so good. It really showed American generosity to its full limit," Gill said. "It was absolutely superb. They couldn't have done enough for us."
Contacted by e-mail
A few years ago, some of the Dunedin survivors banded together to form the Dunedin Society, of which Gill serves as president. In March, after a nephew told him about the power of Google, Murray came across the society's Web site and contacted the group.
"It never occurred to me to go on the Internet," Murray explained. "I just thought I'd let them know who I was."
A series of e-mail ensued, and the arrangements for next month's meeting were made.
In the Merchant Marine, Murray traveled to nearly every part of the globe except Antarctica. He was ultimately promoted to captain and worked later as a ship pilot at the Port of Houston. He is now retired.
"I just put the phone down from talking to my father who is overwhelmed you have found us," Stuart Gill wrote Murray in an e-mail. "Since you were on watch, it was you who saved his life. As his son, I cannot adequately put into words what that means. If there were some way that you and he could meet it would be just perfect, and it would enable my father to thank you properly after all these years for what you did."
Murray, his wife, Evelyn, and their three daughters will fly to England June 17 for a week. Two other Dunedin survivors, Jim Davis and Les Barter, will also attend the reunion.
Gill's sons, Stewart and Michael, and others are making arrangements.
Murray smiled at the prospect of swapping war stories with the Dunedin men.
"I have to meet these old guys," he said. |
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/front/3203199
This story was an interesting read, and prompted a question.
This incident happened just before U.S. entered the war.
What was the Merchant Marine?
I don't think it was military, but somehow assisted in the war effort.
_________________
“I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.” (Thomas Paine, 1776) |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Schadow
Vice Admiral
Joined: 30 Sep 2004
Posts: 936
Location: Huntsville, Alabama
|
| Posted: Mon May 30, 2005 5:57 pm Post subject: Re: A Thanks On Hold Since 1941 |
|
|
| shawa wrote: | This story was an interesting read, and prompted a question. This incident happened just before U.S. entered the war.
What was the Merchant Marine?
I don't think it was military, but somehow assisted in the war effort. |
There is a lot to read about the U.S. Merchant Marine. Here's a beginning:
http://www.usmm.org/ww2.html
Schadow
_________________
Capt, 8th U.S. Army, Korea '53 - '54 |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
