Once on board the “Thor” there was absolute mayhem on deck with everyone jostling and trying to meet up with their loved ones as they arrived either in baskets, up rope ladders or up clambering nets. Mother had lost me and was in a tremendous panic shouting
“ I have lost my child; where is he?”
She was quietly reassured by the ship’s doctor a tall man smartly dressed in long white trousers and shirt wearing a small forage cap with a trim red beard, who calmed her down, speaking in perfect English in a very soft voice: “ Don’t worry he is on board, come I will help you find him, he is quite alright,”
He led her up the companion way to the next deck, where we were re-united. Here we all were searched and had to hand in penknives and other forms of knives. Men had to hand in wallets for which a receipt was given, and all had to give their names, addresses and nationality, and servicemen their rank and number. The interview was quick, brisk and most efficient, and all the time that it was going on, various members of the crew were taking snapshots from various angles, as obviously women and children were quite a novelty on board a fighting naval vessel in time of War. Many of the Germans who spoke English kept on remarking about this.
“But it is wartime, how is it that you British are all so foolhardy as to be travelling with women and children on the High Seas at such a time with all the dangers ?” A good question!
After all this procedure, we were taken down flights of stairs to our quarters which were in compartments below the water line. There were three separate large confinement rooms, one for the crews and coloureds including the Lascars, a second room for the ships officers, and other service officers, and also other first class men passengers, and a third smaller one for the women and children. Our room was incredibly hot as steam pipes passed through it, but there was a ventilation system and provided that was working which it was once we were under way, conditions were bearable. At one end were latrines, which worked very erratically and inefficiently with a constant over flooding and there was a perpetual nauseous smell emanating from them. Obviously the pump system could not cope, as we were below the water line. To sleep, each person was issued with a hammock, pillow and a towel bearing the inscription in large letters “KRIEGSMARINE” and saltwater soap. Bowls, knives and forks were also issued personally for meals. Not long after we had accustomed ourselves to our new surroundings, we were under way again with the relief of some fresh air slowly starting to cool the sweltering room. We were brought our first meal in a large urn by an energetic happy fat young lad who could not speak a word of English. The meal consisted of a thick heavy soup made up of beans, lentils, and a plentiful supply of pieces of chopped frankfurter style sausage mixed in. Also provided was ample black rye bread. This I had never eaten before, and to start with I did not care for its bitter pungent taste, but soon got accustomed to it, and then found that it was most palatable, especially when eaten with the nourishing soup. Later also we discovered that by kneeding it well with a little water and then drying it on the steam pipes, one could make good hard dice, for playing and passing the time away. This was in fact one of the first of the many adaptations that we had to learn to make life bearable in the coming years. I rigged my hammock next to Mother and we turned in for our first night to sleep tired and exhausted after such an eventful day, with the lights out at 8.30 pm. The raider was

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