5043284 Sidney George Woodward British Army Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers My father Sidney George Woodward was a member of the REME and was on board SS Anselm when she was sunk. Most of the personnel on board were RAF. They were on their way to West Africa at the time. He told me that he was in his hammock when there was a huge explosion, he rolled out and was immediately up to his chest in water,and rising, he was able to dive under the water to get out of their compartment. He managed to make his way to the deck in total darkness and was on the stern, which by this time was rearing up, and dived off into the sea. He clung onto some floating debris for quite a long time. He was eventually picked up by a RN escort vessel, he thought it was a converted trawler. He was the only one to get out from his mess deck. They were taken to Nigeria where he was sent to Kano where he was involved in equipment used in the Western Deserts of North Africa. News of the sinking was kept secret at the time and my mother did not find out about it until about Christmas 1941.
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