Leslie Davies of Honeyborough remembers her Grandfather
My Grandfather Frederick Richard Jenkins, born 3rd of May 1908 in Milford Haven. He married his childhood sweetheart Jessie Iris Snelling in 1931 and had five children, Audrey, Jean, Judith, (my mother) John and Richard. He was a fishworker for most of his working life and had a smoking house on the Mackerel key in Milford Haven before being called up for National Service.
Frederick became a World War 2 war hero. He was awarded the DSM ( Distinguished Service Medal) for bravery.
Frederick served in the Royal Navy from 2nd July 1940 until 14th February 1945 and was based at the Port of Lowestoft. Frederick served on H.M.S Europa, a WWII Minesweeper.
Whilst out at sea in 1943 on manoeuvres along with his fellow seamen they were firing at enemy vessels when the gun jammed and the missile was jammed in the barrel. My Grandfather managed to unjam the missile and caught it with his forearms and dropped it overboard. This saved the lives of almost everyone on board and the vessel itself. If Frederick had not managed to release the missile from the barrel it would have blown up and caused a catastrophe and loss of many lives.
As with so many men serving in the wars very little was talked about and these men and women were and are very humble in the part they played fighting but my Grandfather was a hero and I am so very proud of him and what he did.
When he returned to Milford Haven he went back out on the trawlers until he could no longer manage the hard work and moved away to Harrow, London where he lived his final days with his daughter, two sons, son in law and me, his granddaughter.
