Dedicated to William T. H. Morris. When William’s submarine H.M.S. Saracen was sunk in August 1943 off Corsica, he became a prisoner of war in Italy, and later, following an unsuccessful escape attempt, in Germany. Personal log books were kindly distributed to the prisoners by the Young Men’s Christian Association to provide them with a means of recording their wartime experiences. The following pages are excerpts from the log book which William kept during his captivity and are a vivid reminder of his love for his country, his freedom and most of all, his family.
New posts every Friday until the logbook has been posted in it’s entirety. Click on images to enlarge. Use the links at the bottom to navigate backwards or forwards through the pages.
-Jerm, the Curator
We’ve reached a portion of the logbook without text for a few pages yet, but, of course, a picture is worth a thousand words.
A Wife’s Prayer
A lonely wife sat by the fireside one night,
Clasping her daughter’s hand, ever so tight,
She gazed at the embers, then said she could see,
A picture of Daddy, now over the sea.
“Oh! Look there dear” she smilingly said,
“Can you see Daddy, in that little bit of red?”
“He looks so well and he’s as brown as can be,
But I wish he were here and me on his knee.”
The fire flamed up – this wife looked divine,
With her fine wavy hair and her blue eyes ashine,
“Oh God, please guard Hubby, don’t let him despair”
This was this wife’s fervent prayer.
A prisoner lay sleeping, in a land far away,
He’d been hungry and cheerless all thro that day,
But a smile creased his features as he lay in respose,
For God answered her prayer, as soon as it arose.
