Fishbourne
Bomb Explodes on Car Ferry
Wednesday 26th July 1939
A bomb explosion on the Southern Railway car ferry in mid Solent injured two Royal Ulster Riflemen who were station at Parkhurst.
The ferry on its way to Fishbourne with members of the regiment and their vehicles were returning after a training course using live bombs in the Portsmouth area. They were bringing back an unexploded bomb! which had failed to detonate in order to destroy it. The injured soldiers were Rfn. McMechan who suffered a badly cut arm and Rfn. Curran who suffered only light cuts to his legs. The ferry was stopped and a signal made to a passing yacht [Mr. Nicholson’s boat Gelyce on passage from Cowes to Gosport]. Rfn. McMechan was strapped to a ladder and within 10 minutes transferred to the yacht and taken to the Royal Naval Hospital at Haslar Gosport, where he was detained.
A witness on board the ferry [Mr.Gibson] said he had just walked passed the vehicle and was sat in his car when the bomb exploded, looking up he saw smoke and flying pieces of wood, part of the vehicle was badly damaged but there was no damage to the ship. He praised the action of the ship’s captain in quickly transferring the injured soldier.
Source: Isle of Wight County Press
This page was last edited on: 26th January, 2022 17:50:22
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