248040 L.Tel. Thomas Jones Royal Navy HMS Express During WW2 my father, Thomas Jones was a leading telegrapher in the Royal Navy serving on HMS Express. He was involved in the evacuation at Dunkirk at the end of May 1940.
On 31st of August 1940 HMS Express struck a mine and was badly damaged. My father was on board, he managed to swim through oil and the burning sea to a life raft. He was adrift for 3 days until eventually picked up by Germans. Many fellow sailors perished whilst on board the raft, he was quite sick as he had swallowed so much oil and he was suffering from exposure and lack of water.
He was, thereafter, a prisoner of war and (according to his wartime log) in camps including Torun Podgorz, Bruss (Brusy) Sandbostel and later Westertimke (Marlag M) He had a difficult time in the camps but eventually in April 1945 was liberated and returned to the UK in May
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