Austin Byrne relates the harrowing account of his ordeal on the SS Induna, a defensively equipped merchant ship sunk by a German submarine in hostile waters. Joining the navy to see the world at nineteen, he recalls his initial exciting experiences on the ship, learning the ropes, navigating mines, and enduring storms. However, this is quickly cut short when a torpedo hits the Induna's stern and Austin’s account of the ships’s last moments are rivetingly well told. He recounts the subsequent excruciating, and very long, four days spent adrift on a small, exposed lifeboat with his remaining shipmates, as fears and emotions run high in fatal conditions. When the lifeboat is finally picked up by a Russian minesweeper Austin is taken to a Russian hospital, his memories of which are filled with both grief and humour.  Within only a couple of weeks of his return to the UK, however, Austin was back on the sea again and just over a year later, he was on a ship bound for Russia. Austin’s story is not one that is easily forgotten and is reflective of the remarkable bravery and resilience of many a navy veteran during WW2.

"You could say I had a fortunate life really." Dick West recalls his time as an Engineering Artificer (ER2) during World War II in the Royal Navy, following in his father’s footsteps. Follow his journey from Chatham Tech (A.K.A Collingwood) through to his first posting in Portsmouth to Torpoint (Cornwall) all the way north to Scapa Flow. His time on the Destroyer called Oribi and the Sheffield “Shiny Sheff” (cruiser). Dick recalls life in the mess on a boat, the roles he had in supporting the Cruiser and places they visited and friends they made along the way, including Canadians. From Scottish ports, to Icelandic fronts (Akureyri, Hvalfjordur), to the Arctic Sea Battle of Scharnhorst alongside the Belfast and The Norfolk, fighting off German tanks in Italy. Dick recalls a lot of spent time in the Arctic Circle but also making stops in the Med and North Africa before finishing in Canada and the USA (picking up parts from General Electric).