WATCH: Deeping veteran's dramatic memories of WWII captured on film for 80th anniversary of VJ Day
Extraordinary moments of bravery and tragedy on the Pacific ocean during the WWII have been recounted by a 102 year-old veteran from Deeping St James.
Royal Navy veteran Peter Foxon’s memories of service in the Far East in 1945 have been captured on film as part of the 80th anniversary commemorations of Victory over Japan.
Peter spent the war as a wireless telegraphist – facing enemy fire and 20ft waves on his ship – and helping with an unexpected rescue of a ‘crew member’.
The video – ‘Peter’s War’ – has been filmed by South Kesteven District Council and added to the council’s YouTube library in honour of Peter’s service.
His time at sea included launching British troops towards the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, Atlantic convoy protection, and action against the Japanese in the Pacific.
Peter defied pressure to join the Army when he got his call up papers – thanks to his mother’s advice to wear his Merchant Navy uniform.
“As a boy, I always had ambitions to join the Navy,” Peter said. “I just had that feeling for the sea.”
Peter had already qualified as a radio officer in the Merchant Marine, but got called up before he had even got the chance to step onto a merchant ship.
“What it did mean was that I had a Merchant Navy uniform,” he explained. “My mother told me to put on the uniform as it might help a bit to sway the person interviewing me. And of course, it did.”
He gained release from the Army and went straight off to the Royal Navy recruiting centre.
Early in 1943, Peter joined HMS Richmond on convoy duties to protect Allied ships carrying vital supplies between Britain and America.
As well as enduring danger from submarines and rogue waves, Peter recalls a remarkable story of a dog rescue.
“We had a ship’s dog, a little terrier called Timo, who loved to race across the deck barking at the waves,” he said
“One day, the deck had been freshly oiled with linseed, which makes it slippery. The dog got away with it for a few days, but one day he put the brakes on and just kept going into that great ocean.”
Peter explained how, against regulations, the captain turned the ship around and conducted a search until they found the animal.
“The skipper broke a lot of rules when he went searching for that little dog,” he recalled. "It took us half an hour.
"Somebody saw in the big swells this little dog weakly paddling along. Another rule he broke was when he stopped the engines as it meant any submarine had a wonderful chance of hitting us with a torpedo.
"We got it back on board, we pumped the water out of it and gave it a tot of rum. Well, it was a sailor,” he laughed.
Tragedy during D-Day launches
In 1944, Peter’s ship, HMS Nith, successfully launched soldiers of the Highland Division towards Gold Beach on D-Day.
Tragedy struck when the Nith was stationed off the French coast three weeks later. The ship took a direct hit from a German ‘Mistel’ aircraft drone packed with explosives. It killed Peter’s best friend, along with nine others.
"I was lucky, I don’t know,” he recalls. “There was this terrific explosion and the lights went out. And the first thing I thought about was, putting my shoes on.
“I volunteered to help recover the dead and get them sorted out,” said Peter, adding that the fallen crew members were buried at sea the next day.
The badly damaged ship had to be towed back to England.
By 1945, Peter was in the Far East as part of the British Pacific Fleet. With the Allied Invasion of Rangoon only days away, his ship, HMS Roebuck, encountered a Japanese convoy trying to escape.
It was here that Peter witnessed first-hand the Japanese refusal to surrender.
“We sank several Japanese boats that night,” he recounts. “After that night of sinkings we came across one of the vessels that hadn’t completely sunk, and part of it was still afloat, and there were about six or seven Japanese on board. So our skipper put down a boat with some of our armed sailors to take them prisoner. But on its way across there was a terrific explosion – the Japanese had decided to kill themselves rather than have the disgrace of being taken prisoner.”
Cllr Phil Dilks, SKDC Cabinet member for Armed Forces who helped Peter get his lifetime membership of the Royal British Legion, is featured on the video.
He said: “Not many people are left who fought for our freedom 80 years ago and more. We have to thank men like Peter for their service, and never forget the sacrifices made.”