A 97-year-old World War II veteran has got back into the water for a swim for the first time since his ship was torpedoed 80 years ago.
Roger Roberts was left with a fear of swimming after the traumatic sinking of HMS Charybdis in the English Channel in October 1943.
The Royal Navy seaman, then aged just 17, was working in the engine room at the time of the devastating strike.
He had learned to swim at primary school and was a competitive swimmer representing Birmingham before the war.
Roger was told to abandon the quickly-sinking Dido-class cruiser and dived into the freezing waters.
“I was lucky, I was a good swimmer,” he recalled.
“We went into the water and had about two hours in the water trying to find planks of wood.
“We managed to scramble onto the planks and there were 60 men holding onto it.
“It was very hard. I managed to come out in one piece from the incident, but a lot didn’t.
“You had to look after yourself as well as your friends and we all put our arms around each other and eventually we were rescued.”
After eventually finding a raft, he was rescued by a British ship. 464 men died in the attack.
Roger, originally from Harborne, Birmingham, was one of 106 survivors - and had not been swimming since.
But when staff at his care home heard of his experience and love of swimming, they arranged for him to get back in the water.
Workers at Foley Grange care home in Kidderminster, Worcs, got in touch with a local leisure centre, which invited Roger to the pool.
The pensioner, who has one daughter, two grandchildren and five great-grandchildren, said it was on his bucket list to get back in the water.
“My motto in life is ‘never give up and keep on going’, and that’s what made me want to get back in the water,” he said.
“I enjoyed the swimming lesson, but it was a lot at effort for someone of my age.
“I was also very glad that this time I was in the water, the water was warm.
“The water was a lot warmer than it was all those years ago in the English Channel.
“There was ice in the water then, and it was freezing.”
Care home manager Hannah Atkinson said watching Roger get back into the water “brought tears to my eyes.”
He now goes for a dip at Wyre Forest Leisure Centre every Tuesday.
Roger was married to his beloved wife Adeline for over 70 years before she passed away five years ago.
He was born in April 1925 and signed up to the British Army aged 16 while still underage.
He was given a shilling and sent home on a train after his sisters contacted the army recruitment team to inform them of his age.
A year later, aged 17, he enrolled with the Royal Navy in 1943 as a Stoker and boarded the HMS Charybdis.
After the war he served with the military police in Egypt and Palestine before working as a supervisor at Austin Morris Motor Company.
