Personal information

John Fairful Cunningham served aboard Trefusis from 13 August 1942 until her loss. He wrote the following about the sinking in February 2014:
The convoy set sail from Gibraltar and as we approached the Bay of Biscay we were being shadowed and bombed by German Fw200 aircraft, and at 05.45 pm (local time) on 5th March 1943 there was this terrific explosion. Of course everyone knew we had been torpedoed. Luckily for us the torpedo had struck the engine room and the ship took ½ hour to sink. The ship on our starboard beam was struck in no. 2 hold and sank like a stone with only 3 survivors (this was the Empire Tower). I made a mistake after the explosion. I went to my cabin to get my watch. When I came back on deck the life boats were in the water and I had to jump overboard into the sea. I was then hauled aboard the lifeboat and needless to say the watch was knackered! Anyway, we were picked up by an escort vessel, a converted trawler named HMS Loch Oskaig and about 90 survivors were aboard her for seven days until we got landed at Londonderry, Northern Ireland. From there I went to Larne then by ferry to Stranraer then train again to Edinburgh.

John continued to serve in the Merchant Navy, became Third Officer and was discharged from war service in May 1947.