FISHERMEN IN WAR TIME 



could take on board the crews of vessels that were 

 bombed. 



" Then the Germans set to work to destroy, as 

 fast as they could, the smacks that were about, one 

 after the other, leaving one or two to bring the crews 

 away. The Germans at that time did not even try 

 to take anything away for themselves, such as brass 

 and copper ; they just bombed and sank the smacks. 

 It was a cowardly and cruel thing to do, for we 

 hadn't a bullet or weapon of any sort amongst us, 

 and we had absolutely nothing to do with the war. 



" Another smack near us, the Venture, was blown 

 up, and her crew were put on board the Ben Nevis, 

 so that she had three crews on board, and there we 

 all were crowded, fairly upset, not knowing what was 

 going to happen next. We had made our little boat 

 fast astern as soon as we got on board the Ben Nevis. 



" We spent a wearying night, and very thankful 

 we were when the morning came. Luckily, a patrol- 

 boat, the Retriever, came up and pulled us inshore, 

 to the westward, and later a big mine-sweeper 

 brought us into Lowestoft. It was good to be ashore 

 again, after such a shaking. But I was soon to have 

 a far worse experience than the bombing of the 

 Prospector. 



" I was in no hurry to go back to sea ; but a man 

 has to live, so after exactly a month ashore I shipped 

 as third hand on board the Boy Ernie, and went 

 trawling again. 



" On Friday, September 10, 1915, at five minutes 

 to eight o'clock, when we were just outside the Long 



114 



