Earlier today I attended a reunion of RN and RNVR veterans. As usually happens, the stories began to flow and speeches were made, battles re-fought and absent friends remembered. In the past at these gatherings I have been struck by the respect these men had for their opponents at the time and how now, over six decades later, there is a complete absence of any form of malice or resentment against the German and Italian sailors they fought.

Two of the speakers today recounted their experiences of being rescued and well treated by German naval personnel who had earlier been shooting at them. One of these men described how his ship had been sunk while attacking a German convoy and he and his wounded companion were rescued by a German escort vessel. Their wounds and hyperthermia were dealt with in a very rapid and professional manner and when it appeared that the British sailors would both live, the relief on the part of the rescuers was real. One of them said, in German ‘My friend, you and I have only one enemy: the sea.’

They visited each other regularly after the war.



Bruce