Ray Stoodley

Raymond Stoodley's War Story

Thomas Stoodley

After retiring from driving a bus in Ontario, Thomas Stoodley moved to Hibbs Cove, Newfoundland. His father was a sailor in World War II when his ship was attacked.

FATHER WAS SHELLED BY A German raider on the 10th of July. This was in the Caribbean, 450 miles east of Barbados. They saw a ship on the horizon flying Swedish flags, but she was really the German ship Narvick. The first shot hit his ship, the S.S. Davisian, in the bow. The wires from the funnel came down around his head.

He got his lifejacket on and got into a lifeboat. The German ship made them climb aboard as prisoners of war. They were locked up with men who had already been there for one month, to the day.

The next day 40 more men were also locked up. It was very crowded down in the bottom of the German ship. They were locked in a place with heavy plank across the door, and a gunman with a machine gun outside.

On the 14th of July another ship came near and the Germans attacked that one, too. They were locked up right under the guns and it was very noisy.

When the noise stopped, they were marched to another room. They told them to put on their lifejackets and get ready to go in a lifeboat. They filled three lifeboats with prisoners and set them adrift. They were 269 miles from a French island. After a couple of nights they lost sight of the other boats, so they drifted on.

Father's ration was three Spillar's biscuits every 24 hours and about half a pint of water a day. They had to keep watches because the boat was full of shrapnel holes. They made landfall with only enough water for one more day. In the morning they decided to land on the beach to look for water. There was a reef about a quarter of a mile from shore. They got over it and reached the beach.