Nov 11
9
REMEMBRANCE WEEK & DAD
Dad’s Distinguished Service Cross, awarded during World War 2 at Buckingham Palace by the King, stands on a wooden plinth in Mum’s lounge. The ribbon is torn, the medal dull. Surrounding it are other smaller tributes to his naval days, during service on a British light cruiser, HMS Sheffield. The (late) Lieutenant Commander Skeels, having won his officer’s stripes, returned to safety a small fleet of LCI’s (landing craft) navigating the Atlantic, dodging German submarines and enemy destroyers to arrive for battle at the Sicily landings. Dad’s own words were “we hung by our eyelids” as they waited, little corks of crafts, bouncing on choppy seas, the men inside these metal boxes prepared to give their lives for King and Country. That phrase never ceases to inspire me, a phrase he used to describe the morale of the British sailors under his command. Sometimes when I’m writing and the struggle is uphill, I think of him, his eloquence and gentleness, and his deep reserves of positive energy and adventure. And so when CONNIE OF KETTLE STREET came about, my third book in the Rivers’ series of historical novels, I gave Vic, my hero, Dad’s naval journey. It started with his training at Pwllheli, (Butlins holiday camp turned training centre for naval recruits), through the terrifying Scapa Flow to Murmansk Arctic Circle missions. HMS Sheffield was part of the escort fleets to our merchant ships crossing freezing U-boat filled seas, a perilous and un-envied task! Then Dad set off for New York to gather his charge of LCI’s, a flotilla of landing craft prepared for the Sicily landings. In the book, Vic’s sweetheart Connie discovers a baby boy, during the Blitz. This little fellow, called Lucky, orphaned and yet still alive, becomes a son to Vic. This is the story of not just one orphan, but of many who shared a similar fate. I’d like to think that Dad, if he’d had such a son, would have been as proud of him as I am of a truly special father who stands with me as I set these stories on paper. This particular book has proved so popular, that Simon&Schuster, my publishers, have decided to release it next year under the title of COCKNEY ORPHAN. I’m very pleased of course, but particularly so, as it was my dad’s journey into combat as a very green newbie. So when Sunday comes, as the tributes around the world remind us of all those who have risked life and limb in conflict during both World Wars and those conflicts right up to the present day, the men and women of our armed forces still fighting for Queen and Country, my first thoughts will be of you, Dad.x
The pic is a view from Sheffield as she sails on convoy duty through the waters of the Arctic ocean. In the background are merchant ships of the convoy. In the foreground is the silhouette of a lookout using a telescope
