So what sparked your interest in WW2?

Family reunions. Listening to the stories from cousins at Anzio, D-day and the Bulge.

Listening to the adults talk about it when I was a young boy. I was born in 1953 so the people who lived it were still fresh from their experience.

All of my mom's side of the family was in Cuba during WWII and while my father's side of the family originally came from Sicily, they emigrated from Sicily to Puerto Rico sometime during the 1920's. So I'm fairly certain that I had no ancestors who were involved militarily with WWII.

Sicilians didn't fight for Italy during WW2?

I didn't miss that PM. So you meant extended family.

Listening to the adults talk about it when I was a young boy. I was born in 1953 so the people who lived it were still fresh from their experience.

My father did get somewhat disturbed that I favoured building German Tanks and plane kits, and on a family holiday in France took me to the vast military cemeteries, and then to 'Struthof' KZ in Alsace to show me 'what your beloved Germans were really like'. The only reason for the preference for German vehicles were that the camo schemes were more interesting to paint!

My mother's uncle died in the Pacific on some destroyer or another, I don't recall which as my mother's mother died when I was 7 and I'd never thought to ask her.

It is with deep sadness that I have just been informed of the death of Bill Short 29/12/10. Bill spent four days in an open boat in temperatures of –10. after his ship the SS Induna was sunk in 1942. After being rescued warm water had to be siphoned into his stomach as ice crystals had formed. He then had both legs amputated without anaesthetic due to frostbite. At the time he was just 22 years old.

Cargo ship Induna, 5,086grt, (Maclay & McIntyre) loaded with war materials and cased petrol at New York for the Russian port of Murmansk left Sydney, Cape Breton in the 35 ship Convoy SC-63 on the 3rd January 1942. 10 days out the after being hampered by severe storm, which forced ten ships to return to port, the Induna left the convoy and set course for Iceland where the ship would join up with the 21 ship Convoy PQ-13, sailing from Reykjavik on the 20th March. Three days later as the temperature dropped the convoy encountered a full arctic gale and during the evening of the 25th March, the Induna became detached from the convoy and as daylight approached, the ship was sailing all alone. Later on during the day, the ship encountered several more ships from the scattered remnants of PQ-13. By the 28th March, the weather subsided and apart from the occasional snow squall, the weather remained fairly clear. By the evening, the Induna had entered an ice field and took the escort vessel HMS Silja in tow who was running short of fuel as well as taking onboard sixteen survivors picked up from the SS Ballot by the escort ship. By the 29th, the weather once again blew up and the towline to the escort vessel parted and the Induna lost touch with the ship and had no choice to battle onto Murmansk. On the morning of the 30th March in rough seas North-East of the Kola Inlet a torpedo from U-376 detonated in number five hold containing the cased petrol and blew up setting the ship ablaze. The order to abandon ship was given and the lifeboats were launched as the ship settled by the stern. U-376 then fired a second torpedo which detonated in number 4 hold and the ship started to sink stern first with the bow rising high into the air the ship plummeted to the depths in position 70’ 55N 37’ 18N. The two lifeboats became separated and for four days, the survivors battled the seas in temperatures as low as –10 degrees, a number dying along the way and their bodies being committed to the deep. Finally, a Russian minesweeper found both lifeboats and the men finally arrived at Murmansk on the 3rd April where a number of men died from severe frostbite. Other survivors had to have limbs amputated without anaesthetic.

Do you know his name?

My mother might remember it. I don't even remember my grandmother's maiden name.




The Jedi Master