Rescuing survivors from torpedoed merchant ship

Interested in the survivors reports for the RFA tanker Dinsdale for a book I am writing in regard to over 2000 Merchant ships commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial in London. Rgds Billy McGee MNA Archivist

The sinking of the R.F.A. Dinsdale is a story that little has been written about and must be told. It is a story of one of the many heroic contributions made by the Merchant Navy during WWII. Unfortunately, and with good reason, little has been written of the demise of the RFA Dinsdale and / or of her survivors. As a security measure during this period of time, photographs and publications of the RFA Dinsdale (a tanker) were strictly prohibited. Regretfully, and almost certainly related to the security measures in force, the story of the surviving crew members who suffered 17 days lost at sea, to my knowledge, has never been written; until today! This is their story, an account of what actually happened on the night of 30th June, 1942. The story, as told to me by two creditable seamen who served on the RFA Dinsdale and coincidently who were rescued from the same lifeboat. One version was told to me by my father, the late William-David Hawthorne (Billy). The second version I received via correspondence letters from Mr. James Wilson (Jim) resident of the Royal Hospital in Chelsea, England. If interested in the complete story with a rare photo of the Dinsdale, please contact me.