condensed master

Will Bonner
mines that were just below the surface of the water. Once cut, they would bob to
the surface and were then exploded, or sunk by gunfire. They were large metal
spherical objects, with glass horns, protruding from around the sphere which,
when broken, triggered the mine to explode.
The period in the Atlantic had been rough, in more ways than just the weather.
There had been attempted attacks by German U-boats and many depth charges
had been dropped by the destroyers to protect the convoy, but no ships had been
lost.
Will was beginning to enjoy the first day of calm weather, especially looking
forward to eating full meals again without being sick. It was good to see land as
the ships sailed through the Straits and into the Mediterranean. They would be
going on to Algiers, expecting to drop anchor there during late afternoon on the
following day.
During the run-up to anchorage, Will spent his off duty hours basking in the
bright sunshine. Temperatures were in the seventies and he was feeling once again
one hundred per cent. During the course of the early afternoon, Wesley Brampton
the bosun's mate, called in to see him. Will had known him for some time now, an
older man around 35 to 40 years old. They got along well together, and during
Will's early days at sea, he found that he could rely on his advice, but my
goodness, was he thin!
To be perfectly blunt he was just a "bag of bones" and as he walked, his bones
moved in every direction at the same time. If you were passing him in the corridor
you had to watch out for his sharp elbows. He was the perfect illustration of a
Samurai warrior, wielding two swords!
At sea, just about everyone had a nickname, usually aligned to their name,
character, place of origin, physical characteristics, or other obvious signs. Wes
was a wonderful candidate but he had not been allotted one, and the reason was
because he was so well respected. He was well read and could converse
intellectually on many subjects, and had made up his mind where his future lay after
the war was over, always studying to reinforce that ambition.
Wes removed the old down swept pipe from his mouth. "One of my mates
is on the "Orangi" he said, referring to one of the other ships lying out in the
convoy, "and we've arranged a boat to go over there when we anchor. Would
you like to come?"
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