WW2 Pod: We Have Ways of Making You Talk The Magician Who Missed the Boat
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Feb 26, 2026 Tales of narrow escapes at sea and a conjuror who missed a doomed voyage. Shipboard repairs, torpedo scares and daring Dunkirk rescues feature heavily. Stories of U-boat hunts, lost sailors and a sailor traced from a charity bookshop add mystery and poignancy. Naval life, POW survival and surprising personal artefacts weave through these family recollections.
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Rope Ladder Electrician Who Built Torpedoes
- Jack Plunkett climbed rope ladders to repair Royal Navy ships during storms and blackout sailings.
- He later worked at the Royal Navy Torpedo Factory and helped develop a seawater-powered 21-inch torpedo used through the war.
Sparky Who Sledgehammered Tanks Off D-Day Ramp
- Stan Webb served as the electrician (sparky) on an LCT on D-Day and helped free Shermans after a ramp-triggered beach mine explosion.
- The damaged LCT later recovered bodies from the water and returned to Dartmouth for repairs before months laid up in an estuary.
Escort Sailor Haunted By Long U-Boat Hunt
- David (Meredith's father) served in the New Zealand Volunteer Naval Reserve escorting Russian convoys and took part in a 38-hour hunt for U-358 that used 400 depth charges.
- The hunt sank U-358 but many German sailors died; the memory haunted him for decades and moved him to tears.
