Down Below: Reminiscences of a World War II Engine Room Merchant Seaman

Wartime adventure shapes a life like nothing else.

In 1941, eighteen year old Ted Whitehead, found himself crewing on a Greek freighter, outward bound from Swansea, Wales. From his native home, Ted made hazardous journeys as an engine room seaman on the North Atlantic corridor constantly menaced by German U-boats and bad weather. One British shipping official stated that 27% of merchant seaman died through enemy action and the angry ocean.

Revisiting his past, Whitehead recounts how ships delivered him to distant harbours where his wartime odyssey was filled with adventure and misfortune. His voyages spanned North and South America, the Mediterranean and Africa.

Step back with Ted and relive those turbulent years when your next voyage could be your last, and discover first-hand, how these brave men literally lived and died.

Sadly Ted passed away on 2 July 2021 peacefully in Bangkok 2 weeks before his 98th birthday