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Description
Mr. Rusling talks about events during the breaking of the siege of Malta.
Frank Rusling
Frank Rusling est né à Belton, Lincolnshire, Angleterre, le 30 janvier 1922. Son père a fait déménager sa famille dans le comté de Suffolk, en Angleterre, où il a grandi. Il s'est enrôlé dans la Marine royale à l'âge de 15 ans parce qu'il adorait l'océan. Il est entré au service des communications de la Marine et a reçu l'instruction en signalisation visuelle. Il était très doué dans ce domaine et a rapidement gravi les échelons pour atteindre le grade de timonier. Le premier navire sur lequel il a servi fut le HMS Sheffield. Toutefois, il a travaillé sur d'autres navires et s'est rendu dans diverses parties du monde avec la Marine royale. Après la guerre, il a joint les rangs des policiers du Canadien Pacifique, où il a travaillé pendant 30 ans. Il habite aujourd'hui à Saint John, Nouveau-Brunswick.
Transcription
But this plane was coming straight towards us and I could not see any possibility of that ship missing us. But in a few, in the few seconds that it took place, this plane barely cleared the top of the foremast and crashed into the ocean on the opposite side of the ship. I think that was the closest that our ship had been to sustaining any serious damage. Oh, we had had bombs alongside us and everything but we had been fortunate and did not sustain any direct hits. Other ships were not so lucky but the whole of Malta on the, on the morning, following morning turned out to greet the ships that had made it through that perilous journey and as a result of this, Malta was saved, the siege was broken and we were able to get surface ships through more frequently following that particular battle. It was a battle that saved Malta but the loss of life and the loss of ships was tremendous but it was achieved.