Dear Arthur
Grenada had one of the worst losses with a ship which was sunk by the British in between Grenada and Trinidad, the ship had on board on a week end the most talented group of people going to Trinidad and because it had a German engine it was sunk by the Briish by mistake and has never admitted it to date,
Best wishes
Alex
--- On Sat, 10/4/08, arthur torrington <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> From: arthur torrington <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: EVENT
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Date: Saturday, October 4, 2008, 5:31 AM
> FYI.
> ------
>
> WORLD WAR II in the CARIBBEAN is an event that features the
> stories of West Indians who served in their own countries
> from 1939 to 1945. Many of them were killed by Hitler’s
> U-Boats after British ships were torpedoed in Caribbean
> waters.
>
> In November 2008, as we remember the victory over Nazi
> Germany, we must reflect on the contribution made by West
> Indian servicemen and women. Also, it is important that we
> hear the untold stories of that period. For example,
> Trinidad, the largest source of oil in the British Empire at
> that time, played a key role. There was oil also from
> Venezuela, Aruba and Curacao that was shipped in tankers
> north to the United States and across the Atlantic to
> Britain. Trinidad's Gulf of Paria thus became for a few
> years one of the world's most important assembly points
> for merchant shipping convoys, and its capital one the
> world's busiest ports.
>
> Jamaica and British Guiana exported bauxite, which was used
> to make aluminium, essential for aircraft manufacture. The
> traditional Caribbean export, sugar, was in demand as usual.
> The colonies gave money. While Britain was holding off the
> Germans, it needed all the financial support it was offered.
> Colonial and dominion governments made substantial loan to
> the British Treasury or waived repayments of old debts.
>
> During the conflict, the allied forces lost a worldwide
> total of 2,603 merchant ships and 175 warships. Of that
> total 400 merchant ships were lost and 46 were damaged in
> the West Indies. There was a German Prisoner-of-War camp in
> Jamaica.
>
> Come along to Museum in Docklands on Saturday 8 November
> 2008 from 1pm and hear the stories of two West Indian who
> volunteered their services for Britain and who were
> eyewitnesses.
>
> Arthur
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