The YMCA team

Reginald Heams was one of the four YMCA men who were travelling to Egypt aboard the Persia. Some information was received from his grandson, Jeremy Kidd.

Reg, Arthur Johnson and Len Gascoigne survived the torpedoing. Henry Hopkins, sadly, did not. Arthur Johnson (pictured below) was older than the others (Len Gascoigne turned 21 on Christmas Day, which they spent at Marseilles) and in charge of the party.

At the end of the war Johnson was awarded the MBE for his work with the YMCA in Egypt. He went on to be a successful business man and Reginald Harris worked with him all his working life. Reginald's daughter knew "Uncle" Arthur well and also remembers visiting Len Gascoigne in the West country but none of them ever spoke of the Persia and she only found out about it when her son stumbled upon Reg's name on the passenger list on a French website some years ago.