David Lovering was born in Bolton, England, in 1924. He enlisted in the Merchant Navy, probably straight from school, and trained on TS Vindicatrix. In January 1942, aged 17, he joined the newly built Empire Ranger as a cabin boy.
Empire Ranger sailed from Loch Ewe for Reykjavik and after a delay caused by bad weather, departed from Reykjavik on 20 March as part of Convoy PQ13, destined for Murmansk. The convoy comprised 19 merchant ships with an escort of a cruiser, two destroyers, two trawlers and three whalers. On 24 March, a storm struck which lasted four days and left the convoy widely scattered. As they began to reassemble, a group of four were attacked by Ju-88 bombers northeast of North Cape in the Barents Sea. Two were sunk, one of which was Empire Ranger. All the crew made it to the lifeboats and were subsequently rescued by ships of the German 8th Destroyer Flotilla which had been sent to engage the convoy. All prisoners were put ashore in Norway and subsequently sent to Kirkenes POW camp. David had served his country for just three months.
The Kirkenes camp was mainly for Russian POWs, most of whom were Mongolian, and conditions were truly appalling; awful food and sanitary conditions. The prisoners had to work filling trucks with gravel at a quarry. David and his fellow English prisoners were then transported to Rovanemi in Finland. This camp was a huge improvement on Kirkenes and David had his first decent meal for weeks and English cigarettes, presumably from Red Cross Parcels. The next move was to Stettin (Szczecin), Poland, by troopship, and from there, by train, to Wilhelmshaven, Germany, where they were interrogated, mainly about conditions in England. The final move was then made to the Milag Nord camp where David spent the remainder of the war.
In Milag Nord the young David was looked after by the older prisoners and was assigned the role of camp tailor. He quickly became known as the Manana Kid. “When I will get this back, Dave?”. “Tomorrow.” the inevitable answer. The camp was liberated in April 1945, by members of the Guard’s Armoured Division.
David continued his Merchant Navy career after the war, serving on various cruise ships, and finishing up as Captain’s Steward. During his numerous visits to Liverpool he had met and married Joan, and they enjoyed over 50 years together. After finishing his time at sea, he was employed by Mersey Docks and Harbour Board in Liverpool. After retiring, he volunteered with the local Citizens’ Advice Bureau. Throughout his life he was a member of the Milag Nord Reunions and he attended their final reunion in Cardiff in April 1995.
David was awarded the 1939-45 Star, the 1939-45 War Medal, United Kingdom Merchant Seafarers Veteran’s Badge, the Arctic Emblem, and the Russian Commemorative Medal.
(Compiled from notes supplied by his family plus additional material)