Mined! - Miss Lois Kelly tells of her experiences when ship in which she was travelling on to Jamaica went down; and after in England

The following was published in The Daily Gleaner of Saturday, June 8, 1940.

Miss Lois Kelly, daughter of Mr Lewis Kelly, city businessman, and Mrs Kelly, was a passenger on a ship bound for Jamaica from England a little over a week ago and which was lost after striking a German mine in the Atlantic. Two of her fellow traveller, Miss Vera Lawrence and Miss Enid Edwards (all three were coming home after finishing their music studies in England), lost their lives in the disaster.

In an airmail letter received yesterday by her father, Miss Kelly describes her experiences as follows:

“My dearest Pappa and Everyone:

“Here I am again at the above address (Bristol) through God’s help. By now you must have heard the awful tragedy re: Vera and Enid. The ship sank within an hour of the mining and the first life boat that we went into was not lowered properly so it turned over. We were rescued and then the other one also turned right over.

“I think it was the pressure of water from the sinking ship; anyway one of the crew saved me and we were taken aboard a minesweeper and taken to Barry (seaport in Wales), then came on to Bristol in the evening by bus. By that you can gather that I am as beat as ever; as all the injured were detained. Neville Orane is at Barry with an injured back.

“I never knew that Vera and Enid were drowned until half way up to Bristol. Jones (an officer of the ship) told me. By the way, he had a broken wrist and I saw him limping. The explosion happened so suddenly – it was immediately after breakfast, and we were on the sun deck counting the various ships around us, for we were on our way to meet the convoy.”

DIED ON HER BIRTHDAY

“Everything possible thing for the passengers have sunk, because no one expected a thing like that so suddenly. All the presents I was bringing for you folks – my music percussion band and lots of other things – gone. But I have to thank God for my life. He has saved it for some purpose.

“Vera died on her birthday. It all seems like a dream to me. I’ll have to write both Mrs Edwards and Mrs Lawrence today. I don’t know what they’ll do. Thirty passengers were on board and three or four were lost, and I think three of the crew.

“Now you folks might think I’m kidding you when I say I am OK but save for the friction of the rope on my left arm which naturally has bruised my skin, I am as fit as ever, and as usual, hungry to say ‘Moms’, the dress from NY hasn’t arrived yet. It will help to tide me over when it comes, as all my things are gone.

“Each of the passengers were fitted out yesterday in Wales, as some were in their night attire when the explosion occurred. I had a nice plum-coloured dress and cardigan, green knickers, brown sandals and a pair of stockings. Of course I am back at No. 10 now and they think they can’t do enough for me.”

‘NOTHING GOOD ENOUGH’

“Dorothy (English girl) is a dear, unselfish girl. She is gone to get some things for me. As for my hair, well it’s a real back-to-nature campaign. I certainly need May’s (her sister, who is a hairdresser) help because I have nothing like that here, as every ‘blue pencilled’ thing is gone. The passengers were very nice to me and I can’t stop thinking of the crew who rescued us. They thought nothing was good enough for me. Of course, they knew about the girls and did not tell me.

“Well, Skip, I have so many things to do that I’ll stop for the present. Before the week is out I’ll write you all again. I must write to the bereaved parents and try my best to cheer them up because I could have been gone myself, if God had not seen it fit to save me.

“Now dearies, write me a nice long letter; and see here, old sticks if any of you worry over me unduly, remember that I jolly well am not worrying and God is my guide. All you have to do is keep on praying.

“Tell Lloyd (her brother) I did the Australian Crawl (smile).

“Cheerio. Papa, give Moms, a sweet kiss for me – Lois.”

Miss Kelly, in another letter, told how she landed ‘in Barry attired in a sailor’s trousers and sweater and a pair of slippers belonging to an officer. She said on board the mine-sweeper, sailors bathed her in warm water and wrapped her in blankets.