Frederick George Harwood
Royal Navy HMS Hermione
My father, Frederick Harwood, was on the Hermione when it went down in the Mediterranean sea in 1942. He told me how he was in the sea for two hours, singing and clinging to bits of wood from the boat before being rescued. The hot oil had burnt all the hair off his body, and many fellow sailors and friends had died that fateful day. After being rescued, they were taken to Alexandra, Egypt where they stayed for about two months before being taken back home to Britain. When they arrived in Alexandra, they were given a pair of white shorts, a pair of sandals, a gun and ammunition that didn't match their weapon.
He said he had never fired a gun while in the Navy, fortunately he never had to either while in Egypt. They lived on rice for breakfast, lunch and supper. This was a very trying time for family back home, as they were all presumed missing.
