A hero just died
Discussion
A neighbour of mine, one Eric Sellers, has just died.
He was an officer on the boat that rescued the Enigma machine from the German submarine in the Med. He was part of the team, a rather large one, that saved the lives of thousands of UK and allied sailors, and possibly even the war.
I hope no one saw the American travesty of a film which tried to take away the glory from the likes of him.
He was an officer on the boat that rescued the Enigma machine from the German submarine in the Med. He was part of the team, a rather large one, that saved the lives of thousands of UK and allied sailors, and possibly even the war.
I hope no one saw the American travesty of a film which tried to take away the glory from the likes of him.
totally amazing achievement! RIPDerek Smith said:
A neighbour of mine, one Eric Sellers, has just died.
He was an officer on the boat that rescued the Enigma machine from the German submarine in the Med. He was part of the team, a rather large one, that saved the lives of thousands of UK and allied sailors, and possibly even the war.
I hope no one saw the American travesty of a film which tried to take away the glory from the likes of him.
don't wanna piss on your chips, Derek, and the old boy was undoubtedly a hero, just for taking to the seas during the war (as my Father did at the age of 16 in 1941) but the enigma machine was captured in the North Atlantic, not the Med...could old Eric have been yarning a bit, as old Naval men are wont to?He was an officer on the boat that rescued the Enigma machine from the German submarine in the Med. He was part of the team, a rather large one, that saved the lives of thousands of UK and allied sailors, and possibly even the war.
I hope no one saw the American travesty of a film which tried to take away the glory from the likes of him.
Edited by Pothole on Thursday 17th December 10:50
Pothole said:
Derek Smith said:
A neighbour of mine, one Eric Sellers, has just died.
He was an officer on the boat that rescued the Enigma machine from the German submarine in the Med. He was part of the team, a rather large one, that saved the lives of thousands of UK and allied sailors, and possibly even the war.
I hope no one saw the American travesty of a film which tried to take away the glory from the likes of him.
don't wanna piss on your chips. Derek and the old boy was undoubtedly a hero, just for taking to the seas during the war (as my Father did at the age of 16 in 1941) but the enigma machine was captured in the North Atlantic, not the Med...could old Eric have been yarning a bit, as old Naval men are wont to?He was an officer on the boat that rescued the Enigma machine from the German submarine in the Med. He was part of the team, a rather large one, that saved the lives of thousands of UK and allied sailors, and possibly even the war.
I hope no one saw the American travesty of a film which tried to take away the glory from the likes of him.
RIP Eric, a hero whether you captured the machine or not.
Edited by jagracer on Thursday 17th December 10:02
Pothole said:
don't wanna piss on your chips, Derek, and the old boy was undoubtedly a hero, just for taking to the seas during the war (as my Father did at the age of 16 in 1941) but the enigma machine was captured in the North Atlantic, not the Med...could old Eric have been yarning a bit, as old Naval men are wont to?
My apologies as to the location. The chap himself hardly talked of it and never to me until the American film. Someone mentioned it to him and he gave us the benefit of his opinion of Hollywood. When leaving another chap told me why. He talked of it more afterwards mainly, I think, to put the Yanks in their place.My family too were all naval, RN and MN. Of my father's 7 brothers, five were killed, four on board, and one in the bombing of Portsmouth. Two brothers, both RN, died on the same day in the Indian Ocean on separate battleships. Of his ten sisters, all those who were married at the start of the war lost their husbands. One was married for days, then he shipped out and did not return. On my mother's side my uncle Albert was on a coastal tramp and during the Battle of Britain his job was to lay down on the front deck and point to the most advantageous direction to steer after the German dive bombers had let their bombs go.
One of my uncles, Jim, was topedoed in the Atlantic, got picked up by a destroyer, HMS Russell, and then that ship got torpodoed and only three survived, none of whom was my uncle.
So you can see why I thought Eric was worth a mention.
Derek Smith said:
Pothole said:
don't wanna piss on your chips, Derek, and the old boy was undoubtedly a hero, just for taking to the seas during the war (as my Father did at the age of 16 in 1941) but the enigma machine was captured in the North Atlantic, not the Med...could old Eric have been yarning a bit, as old Naval men are wont to?
My apologies as to the location. The chap himself hardly talked of it and never to me until the American film. Someone mentioned it to him and he gave us the benefit of his opinion of Hollywood. When leaving another chap told me why. He talked of it more afterwards mainly, I think, to put the Yanks in their place.My family too were all naval, RN and MN. Of my father's 7 brothers, five were killed, four on board, and one in the bombing of Portsmouth. Two brothers, both RN, died on the same day in the Indian Ocean on separate battleships. Of his ten sisters, all those who were married at the start of the war lost their husbands. One was married for days, then he shipped out and did not return. On my mother's side my uncle Albert was on a coastal tramp and during the Battle of Britain his job was to lay down on the front deck and point to the most advantageous direction to steer after the German dive bombers had let their bombs go.
One of my uncles, Jim, was topedoed in the Atlantic, got picked up by a destroyer, HMS Russell, and then that ship got torpodoed and only three survived, none of whom was my uncle.
So you can see why I thought Eric was worth a mention.
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