Notes for Press Interview

Merchant Navy Memorial Service Canberra

By Gordon Kersey

Prisoner Of War POW 94717.

I began my maritime career as a junior engineer officer with the British Phosphate Commission early in 1937on the MV TRIASTER of London

I continued my career obtaining my 2nd Engineers Certificate and was 4^th Engineer in the Triadic on 8^th December 1940. We were steaming to the Island of NAURU, Central Pacific after drifting in bad weather. In the early hours before dawn in a rain squall, we were attacked by KRIEGSMARINE warships KOMET and ORION by shell fire. I was 3rd engineer officer of the watch, we were underway; an explosion blew me across the engine room. When I picked myself up (near naked) I stopped the main engines, was joined by the Chief Engineer, more explosions in the boiler room, we pulled the quick release stops for fuel shut off. The only light was a safety torch, no companion ladders (blown away) climbed the engines and pipes to get out.

On deck ships accommodation, bridge etc. all on fire and wrecked lifeboats except one. The Chief Engineer and I lowered women and children passengers and some crew into boats. We released life rafts (oil drums lashed to make a raft) grabbed a lifejacket (cork) held it down and jumped, made it to a boat and picked up by the GERMANS on KULMERLAND.

Aboard the Hamburg /America liner KULMERLAND we found that the TRIONA and TRIASTER had already been sunk, and passengers and crew from the RANGITANE, survivors from the gallant TURAKINA also the New Zealand KOMATA.

The injured were treated onboard, we were all sent to the tween decks and holds in terrible conditions in the tropics.

We were eating “Japanese boy” hair and all, we made spoons out of bamboo dunnage, a German Navy Officer addressed us, “we will treat you like white men not barbarians, and we will parole you and set you free on an island with food.” We believe they did, the ship tied up to coconut trees; they put about 500 prisoners ashore with food. They kept 11 of us young officers, mainly engineers “for you the war is over “you are Navy Officers and you are going to Germany. That was 21^st December 1940 we walked the PLANK, yes plank to the Raider ORION in appalling hot conditions—everything we saw was red. This was the ship that laid the mines in Bass Strait and off New Zealand in mid 1940.

We were later transferred to the rust bucket ERMLAND (it wasn’t much fun on the raider when she went into action!!!) up South and North Atlantic with few clothes, across the Bay of Biscay to Bordeaux, where we were landed and/ transported to Germany.

After a long march in dead Frenchman’s boots (most of us lost our toenails) in terrible conditions, we met up with survivors of HMS VOLTAIRE and Capt. Wilson RN, he did help matters. I will never forget the French they treated us as animals.

Stalag (xb) was a huge international camp approx 80,000 inmates in terrible conditions. Many a day we thanked God we were born British, they had a fear of the Tommy.

After about 9 months with pigswill food we had our first British red Cross food parcels, all food was emptied from the tins and put in one dish, the tin packing remained the property of the Germans, this was to stop food storage and an aid to escape. How we love the Germans! Supply of food parcels was spasmodic during the whole internment, sometimes we were six to eight weeks without one, without the food parcels I would not be here today to tell you.

In 1942 the German Navy took charge and we were eventually moved in stages to a new camp at Westertimke, where we remained in better conditions until liberated by the Scotland Welsh Division of the Guards Armoured Division 28^th April 1945 and as circumstances permitted we were airlifted in stages to Chaumont St. Giles in Buckinghamshire and finally released 8^th May 1945 VE Day exactly 4 and half years later.

Months later as we regained strength and shipping would allow, we came back home to No jobs, No dole, No prospects, No medical.

 I gained my Chief Engineers Certificate, took a British Tramp to Kure Japan with supplies New Zealand and the UK. After gaining experience in Canadian Pacific, Prince Line Shaw Saville ships I worked in London with consultants until appointed by Lloyd’s Register as a surveyor and served in wartime countries in various capacities and returned to Australia in 1973, an absence of 36 years. I retired in 1981 after 32 years of service with Lloyds Register.

To sum up my reactions, firstly loss of freedom our society and such as it is with all its trappings has made us lose sight of the fact we are free men, freedom has been taken for granted  when you have lost your freedom it’s then and then only do you realise how lucky we have been to have been born free. The stress, that we went through, never knowing how it would all end or would end, the ever present butt of a rifle, the bayonet at your backside, the muzzle of a loaded gun, we had these daily conditions for a very very long time. When beings have no food in their stomach, or next to no clothes on their back or anything else like money, the trappings are reduced to NIL some who had authority turned over to be poor specimens of humanity, they should never have had it, respect has got to be earned, others rose up and were leaders of men, the failures got very harsh treatment. This school of very hard knocks has stood me in good stead in my later life, but would never like a repeat dose!!!!

 I don’t want to go into the horror side, it’s all so vivid, I only hope some of the younger ages take heed, it could all happen again very quickly, there are would be dictators out there still, we represent the young people of our period that gave their lives that we could be free.