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Battle near Malta

Heroes Remember

Battle near Malta

Transcript
The epic of that battle was beyond, it's incredulous, it's difficult to explain, though the warships were running out of ammunition. I know our own vessel was at a point where one more day and we would have had no armaments, no ammunition to fire at anything. Also on the night of the 11th, of the 13th, I can remember leaving the bridge of the Marksman to go down to the signal office just one deck below - I can't remember what floor, but anyhow - when I came to come back out of the bridge just a few minutes afterwards I stepped out onto the flag deck and was coming up extern, on the external gangway and as I stepped out of that signal office door to my left I looked up and there was a German torpedo bomber heading right for the ship. It seemed so close and it was coming for the bridge super structure. I remember looking at it and I remember thinking to myself, well this is it. I could not see how that plane could not have crashed right into the area where I was standing and then I suddenly realized that the guns were not firing. Normally if they were doing, diving like that at a ship they would also be firing their armament.
Description

Mr. Rusling talks about a battle that took place close to Malta and the time when he was on deck and he saw a German torpedo bomber heading for their vessel, the Marksman. However, this bomber never fired its guns on the Marksman. He really thought the end had come for him.

Frank Rusling

Frank Rusling was born in Belton, Lincolnshire, England on January 30, 1922. His father moved the family to the county of Suffolk in England where he grew up. He joined the Royal Navy at the age of 15 because of his love for the ocean. He entered the communications’ department of the navy and trained in visual signalling where he was very successful during his training and very rapidly reached the rank of Yeoman of Signals. The first vessel he was on was the HMS Sheffield. However, he did work on other vessels and travelled to several parts of the world with the Royal Navy. After the war he joined the Canadian Pacific police where he served for 30 years. He now resides in Saint John, New Brunswick.

Meta Data
Medium:
Video
Owner:
Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:
02:02
Person Interviewed:
Frank Rusling
War, Conflict or Mission:
Second World War
Location/Theatre:
North Africa
Branch:
Navy
Rank:
Yeoman of Signals
Occupation:
Signalman

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