Hi Keith. My brother noticed your recent activity regarding your book. Dad, Sid Dobing, would have loved to have had a copy to read. Perhaps you can update me as to a publishing date and how best to obtain a copy for our family. Lynne Stewart
My cousin Terence Rice died when the ship was sunk. His name was Terence Rice and he was 19 years old. He was the son of Terence and Mary Rice from Whickham, nr.Gateshead, Co. Durham. His grandfather, Thomas Rice, was from Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan
I am still hopeful that Keith will publish his book. My father assisted by providing details to the best of his memory (which seemed iron clad). I think my father was one of the last living survivors of the Mashona when he passed away in September 2013
My maternal grandfather, William Stanley Williams, mostly known as "Stan", served, I believe, aboard Mashona.
He never discussed his war, his time on Mashona, nor his time in the Royal Navy.
After the war he became a master of upholstery and later a foreman at the Phurnacite Processing Plant.
My grandfather died aged 88 in 2007, having outlived my darling grandmother, Eira, by 11 years.
My mother (eldest child) and her 7 siblings found no papers and no medals.
They found a beautiful oak box, something the size and width of a presentation box for an expensive champagne, wine, rum, etc.
There was no key and no one wanted to break the box. It was about 3 months later that one of his sons managed to pick the lock. He removed packaging, uncovering what looked to be a wooden sculpture of HMS Mashona, out of a single piece of wood. There was also a newspaper article? or print of some sort about Mashona's sinking.
Remarkably, no one knows what happened to the sculpture thereafter. My uncle moved a few times and claims it is lost.
Anyway, I like to think I can see my grandfather in the crew photograph, but it's not clear enough to confirm.
4 comments:
Hi Keith. My brother noticed your recent activity regarding your book. Dad, Sid Dobing, would have loved to have had a copy to read. Perhaps you can update me as to a publishing date and how best to obtain a copy for our family. Lynne Stewart
My cousin Terence Rice died when the ship was sunk. His name was Terence Rice and he was 19 years old. He was the son of Terence and Mary Rice from Whickham, nr.Gateshead, Co. Durham. His grandfather, Thomas Rice, was from Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan
I am still hopeful that Keith will publish his book. My father assisted by providing details to the best of his memory (which seemed iron clad). I think my father was one of the last living survivors of the Mashona when he passed away in September 2013
My maternal grandfather, William Stanley Williams, mostly known as "Stan", served, I believe, aboard Mashona.
He never discussed his war, his time on Mashona, nor his time in the Royal Navy.
After the war he became a master of upholstery and later a foreman at the Phurnacite Processing Plant.
My grandfather died aged 88 in 2007, having outlived my darling grandmother, Eira, by 11 years.
My mother (eldest child) and her 7 siblings found no papers and no medals.
They found a beautiful oak box, something the size and width of a presentation box for an expensive champagne, wine, rum, etc.
There was no key and no one wanted to break the box. It was about 3 months later that one of his sons managed to pick the lock. He removed packaging, uncovering what looked to be a wooden sculpture of HMS Mashona, out of a single piece of wood. There was also a newspaper article? or print of some sort about Mashona's sinking.
Remarkably, no one knows what happened to the sculpture thereafter. My uncle moved a few times and claims it is lost.
Anyway, I like to think I can see my grandfather in the crew photograph, but it's not clear enough to confirm.
RIP everyone connected with Mashona.
Post a Comment