4 February 2013
An Account from a Survivor's Daughter
One of those bound to sail on the "Laconia" , that day was 'William John Murphy', known to everyone as "Billy". He joined the army in 1939, he was just 21 years old, he was leaving behind a young wife and two baby daughters at the time.
This Is His Story Evacuee's where being sent from Liverpool due to the very heavy bombing instigated by Lord " HaHa" as he become to be known as, for some reason he wanted to break the spirit of the Liverpool people, he used to toy with them on the radio mocking about which area of Liverpool was to be bombed that night.
Although these attempts struck fear in Liverpool people they never lost there fighting sprit. It was decided for safety of all children under five years old to be taken to a safe environment away from the war zone. This cause much heartache for parents being separated was more than they could stand, to them it was bad enough being in the middle of a war but to be parted from your family was just too much.
Another reason for the Government at the time was wise enough to know that you cannot fight a war without the co- operation of those about to lay down their lives. Parents could not fight a war at the same time as worrying and being concerned for their children the spirits of the parents was needed to continue to fight the war. Men and Women went to war because they believed it was to protect family life. It was therefore essential for the children to be taken to safety.
Children over five years old was sent all over the globe, some sad stories came back about the abuse of some of these children, while others were very lucky and had a good life.
Billy's two children were both under the age of five the eldest only two-years old and the baby six months old. His wife "Annie" and the two children where sent to Wrexham North Wales as evacuee's to stay with a family whose surname was " Burke".
Mr Burke was an home guard in the area, they shared there house with other evacuees. From London there was a young mother called Mrs Halle she also had two children, 'Tommy and Patsy 'they lived upstairs in the house, while Billy and Annie' family had the use of the lounge as their bed sitting room.
During Annie and the children's stay in Wrexham. Billy was only able to visit between constant battle assignments, before being shipped to another part of the world. He had only been allowed two visits over all the years Annie and the children had lived in Wrexham, a second visit before he was due to sail on the Laconia, he had been granted special leave so he could see his new baby daughter. In a couple of days Billy was soon to say goodbye to to his wife and three young children.
It became very hard for him he did not want to return to war he wanted to stay with his wife and children this caused him to be late leaving for Liverpool to met the Laconia.
His family where all sitting on the bed with him when three "Red Caps" where seen peering through the window with batons in their hands ordering him to lie on the floor, they forced themselves into the house and bungled him off. The vision was like a modern terror movie. It could not be seen what happened to him after that.
It was made known to Annie that Billy had been put on the ship "Laconia" that day set to sail on 12th September 1942.
On the 7th September the Laconia was in dock at Liverpool before she was ready to go back to sea for what was to be her final voyage. She was prepared to make ready for her new passengers, thousands of them would never return home again.
So on 12th September 1942 the Laconia set sail with nearly 3000 people boarded that day, Soldiers, Italian Prisoners of War , Women and Children.
The Red Caps had made sure William John Murphy made it to join the ship that was soon too be destroyed. The "Laconia" set sail on September 1942 the 'Laconia", set sail from Liverpool to Africa . But the ship was torpedoed and sank in shark infested waters in the South Atlantic Ocean before it could reach its designation.
Reports say the Laconia was carrying between 2,800 - 3000 crew, passengers, soldiers and POWs, it was struck and sunk by a torpedo from submarine U-Boat U-156 off the coast of west Africa. It was reported that a German U-boat sank the British troopship Laconia carrying 463 officers and crew, 80 civilians, 286 British Army soldiers, 1,793 Italian prisoners of war, and 103 Polish soldiers who where guards off the coast of West Africa.
After it was known that the "Laconia had gone down the War Office sent a Welfare Officer to see Annie in at home in Wrexham.
The visitor was taken into the sitting room, while Annie sat on a sofa holding her head between her hands looking quite ill, while the Welfare Officer remain standing, with her handbag slipped over her arm and holding a clipboard balanced with both hands. Annie's eldest daughter could be seen standing in the doorway and heard every word of the disturbing new s the visitor had brought with her for Mother about her Dad
The visitor reading fro her clipboard informed Annie that her husband William John Murphy age 23 had gone missing and was assumed to be dead, that the war office has no alternative but to stop her war pension until investigation identified made information about the circumstances of his disappearance to confirm if he had gone missing or he was dead
Life became difficult foe Annie and her three children withouts her war pension, everyone in the household pulled together to help Annie and her young family. It seemed like an eternity for Annie having to depend on these people that she had lived with now for three years.
It seemed so long ago that she could afford to buy the even smallest items like new clothes for growing children, it was out of the question.
The eldest child was now five years old and attended the local school Saint Mary's, the problem was she was unable to go to school because she did not any clothes to wear that would fit her. She being a bit of a wild child at five and liked nothing more then to go on walkabout adventures this mean't that she did not like to be house bound, instead she had to rely on the good will of those sharing the house as evacuees to past on clothes that their children had outgrown. The only clothes that was able to fit her was from Patsy Hallys young son Tommy. So she was able to go out barefooted with little boys short pants on, but mother would not let her go to school like that though.
This took her on an adventure to the local Park opposite the school she attended, her school class that day where out doing PE, this eldest daughter of Annie did not mind in the least, she was happily paddling in the stream running through the Park. She did not really notice the school teacher from her class until it was too late.
The teacher, Miss Wolfred grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and frog marched her into her class at school. Annie was summonsed to the school to discuss her daughter, as the saying goes "it's was like water of a ducks back" to this five year old, these things simply did not bother her.
There are many tails like this where Annie's eldest child was concerned that continued until the end of the war.
Annie learned to life this life and her eldest child was very close to her and became her closest companion.
What seemed like eternity in a child's life was likely to have been a month or even two months in reality. Annie received the news the Billy had been taken Prisoner of War, he had been picked up by the Italians after spending four days in the Atlantic Ocean.
It was the Americans who rescued him from the prison camp, he was taken to America and wined and dined with all the big stars, like Hal Johnston and famous others of those times
It seemed like years before Annie and her family saw Billy again, but it must have been nine months before VJ night because this fourth baby daughter was born on VJ day.
So William John Murphy, Aged 23, Deckhand was a Survivor of the Destroyed "Laconia that sailed from Liverpool that fateful day" .
It was reported that only 300 lived while 2,500 met their death in that one incident during World War 11. Strange coincidence that two Liverpool men sailed on that ship that day the other was: William John Murphy, Aged 40, Cook , he was also a survivor. Was he a family member, I don't know.
What happened when the ship was torpedoed??? This is another story.........
TO BE CONTINUED .
The Sinking Of The Laconia 1942 • Opuss № I