Paddy and Jimmy hard at work in Jimmy’s boatshed not long after Paddy returned home for the final time. Between 1939 and 1945, 4,700 allied merchant ships were sunk by the Axis Power navies of Germany, Italy and Japan. Respectful of those who had paid a far, far heavier price than he himself, he would take a sip of his pint and gently change the subject. The wounds left by the violation of his childhood home and safe haven must have cut Paddy a million times deeper; hurt him a million times more. Though forever after forced to limp because of the beating he took himself, Jimmy would live on for a further 21 years after Paddy’s death.

Source: The Herald July 04, 2024 14:54 UTC