What is it like to be a young lad working aboard a ship carrying explosives during WWII, when you see a torpedo heading straight towards you? This book is a personal account from one of the surviving crew members of the Empire Thrush, which was sunk in the Atlantic by a German torpedo from U-boat U-203 on 14 April 1942. This short book offers the reader an insight into the life-shaping experience of a 16 year old boy leaving home in Liverpool after his schooling on HMS Conway to join the Merchant Navy in early 1942. It recounts his first voyage - a dangerous and eventful journey that will leave its mark on the author for the rest of his life.