Memories of the Merchant Navy

My father, Francis Hardon Constantine, was in the Merchant Navy. He served on oil tankers, and oil was crucially needed during the war. His shipping route was across the Atlantic convoys, which was the most horrible experience because every trip they took was exposed to U-boats. They sailed in terrible conditions, and one of the ships he sailed on was the Charles F. Meyer (there is a photo) in 1941. Before he joined that ship, it had been damaged twice: once by a mine in the sea, requiring repairs in March 1940, and again in November 1940 by a U-boat. My father joined it when it came out of the docks at Plymouth in 1941. He was 23 years old. Although he had his Master's ticket, he went as a second or third mate on the ship. We have scans of his service records.

He stood eight hours of watch overnight, and there are reports of the captain being pleased with his watch. His record is documented in The Navigators Membership book, which gives the name of the vessel and the dates he served on it. At the end of the war, he was awarded medals, including two Atlantic Stars and the World War Medal, along with the box they came in.

Merchant Navy ships came into Plymouth to drop off oil, and there was a dry dock there. My parents got married in 1943. The wives would go to where the ship was, and you would get a telegram when the ship arrived. My mother went into labour in Plymouth, and my brother was born in an air raid shelter in January 1944. There are two bills for medical care. She had to travel by train with the baby. Women still had a difficult time during the war.