216979 Stk. James Simmonds Royal Navy HMS Nigeria  My father Jimmy Simmonds served as a stoker on the Nigeria from 1941-45. He kept a bit of a scrap-book cum photo album of the time, along with a couple of mementoes like the crest. Crew members mentioned along with photos are G.Shepherd, Buster Brown, T. Cleary, Slugger Wood, Jock Milne, McGee and J. Bergen. He joined the ship at Scapa where she was inspected by King George, and was at first on the Arctic convoys to Murmansk. In 1942 he was on the Malta convoy where the Nigeria was torpedoed. The only recollection of this time he passed on to me was how the hatches were screwed down when the torpedo hit and although terrified, like everyone there I should imagine, was too busy to be affected by it. Xmas that year was spent in Charleston U.S.A. where Nigeria had made her way for repairs. His scrapbook mentions a Capt Dundas, Capt Paton, and Capt King. Later in the war he went various places including Norway, Gib, Suez, Aden, Ceylon, Sabang, Australia, & Bombay. He was demobbed in Nov 45 and like much of his generation who had lived through a war thereafter lived life to the full. In 1974 after 40 years of marriage he died suddenly aged 61.
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