Wednesday 20th August 2025
My Story: Stan
Stan, 100, lives at our care home Bridgemead in Bath. A veteran of the Second World War, he sustained lasting injuries when his ship was torpedoed. Today, Stan is an ambassador for the Spirit of Normandy Trust, sharing his story widely in the media and with local school children
“That’s me, there,” says Stan, holding a black and white photo of a ship and pointing at a small black dot perched atop a gun platform. It was here Stan was stationed when, on 18th August 1944 at 5.30am or 6am, the HMS Fratton was hit by a torpedo and sank off the coast of Normandy. Thirty one of the 80 or so crew lost their lives, with Stan blown into the water. Soon after the attack, a rescue boat came and he was pulled out. He suffered injuries to his spine and legs and to this day wears a knee brace and callipers.
For Stan, it’s vital to honour the memory of those who were lost. “We weren’t just crew, we were friends,” he says. “That’s why I go back to Normandy every year, to pay my respects.”
Stan is committed to sharing his story far and wide. He has appeared on numerous media platforms, including the BBC’s recent documentary ‘We Were There’ marking the 80th anniversary of VE Day. Stan turned 100 on 7th May 2025, the day before the anniversary, and was also featured on local BBC news as well as the front page of the Bath Chronicle.
As an ambassador for the Spirit of Normandy Trust, Stan has also visited a local high school to share his story and answer questions. “I get to talk to young children and point out the terrible powers of war and how we’ve all got to do our part,” he says. “We can’t just stand back and let the enemy take over our country. It wasn’t a pleasure, no. It was a necessary evil that had to be done because the country was faced with a terrible foe in Germany.”
Born in Bristol, Stan came from a large Catholic family of eight boys and two girls (one sister sadly died in infancy from Spanish flu). His eldest brother, Edward, was the first to sign up, joining the Royal Air Force. Over the course of the war, all eight brothers served, seven in the forces and one as an ambulance driver in Bristol during the bombing. “I followed the example of my older brothers,” says Stan. “There was a rumour that all the blonde ladies in the UK would be transported back to Germany. We thought ‘that’s not right’.”
Even as a young lad of 14, at the outset of war Stan was eager to do his part. He volunteered as a runner and carried messages between stations, riding on the back of a motorbike. The authorities wanted a system in place in case the telephone lines failed and so Stan would carry news about whether any bombs had fallen and the numbers of casualties.
On leaving school he became apprentice to a blacksmith where he made Anderson shelters that were delivered all over the country. He also joined the Home Guard alongside veterans of the First World War. The Home Guard met in a school in the Brislington area of Bristol and it was after one meeting that Stan had an encounter that would change his life – and also make him front page news for the first time.
“I was standing outside the school with my friend. It was pitch dark because there was a blackout in place. Neither of us had steady girlfriends at the time and we heard the clip clopping of ladies’ shoes. When the two ladies reached us we said ‘hello’ then I did a dangerous thing, I struck a match. You had no idea who you were looking at otherwise.”
Luckily no harm came, but somehow the local paper got hold of the story. “The headline went something like ‘he struck a match to see the face of his future wife’,” says Stan. “They were trying to make a joke, to run something a bit light-hearted to cheer people up.”
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The reality? The lady Stan met in the dark was Eileen, and she did indeed go on to become his wife. After that night, the foursome met up again and then Stan and Eileen started ‘walking out’ together. Eileen was a helper with the American Red Cross in Bristol. Stan says, “She liked to do her bit and she was very busy with that. But when we had time, we would visit each other’s homes and that sort of thing. It wasn’t a normal ‘walking out’ because you had to be careful of the air raid.”
When Stan turned 18, he signed up. “I joined the Navy because my brother Robert was in the Navy and could claim me to serve on his ship, although that isn’t what ended up happening,” he says. “Robert’s ship got torpedoed too, only his didn’t sink.”
Following his injuries, Stan was nursed in a naval hospital in Aberdeenshire. “I was placed in plaster from under my chin right down to the top of my legs and it was very uncomfortable to walk in. Eventually, I was able to get some help to cut it to make it a bit more comfortable,” he says. The irons for his legs were then made and fitted back in Bristol.
After the war, Stan tried going back to his job at the blacksmiths but due to his injuries the work was too hard. He then got a job as a furniture inspector, checking that mattresses and three-piece suites had been stuffed properly. At that time, Eileen worked as a ‘stripper’ for the famous Wills’ Tobacco Factory in Bedminster, Bristol, stripping leaves from tobacco plants.
How did Stan know that she was the one? “You get a feeling in your eyes,” he says. “We liked the same sorts of things. We understood each other.” The couple married in 1948 and they at first lived with Eileen’s parents in Bath. They went on to set up home together and had two daughters, Lorraine and Julie.
In his role as a furniture inspector, Stan found himself working with ships again. When big ships, including the Queen Mary, came into Southampton for repair or renovation to their interiors, he would check that everything was in order.
Stan and Eileen had a long and happy marriage until Eileen sadly passed away in 2005. An oil painting of her, done by one of his granddaughters, stands on his chest of drawers. “She was a lovely, lovely girl,” says Stan fondly. “A very pretty lady.” Stan got involved with Bridgemead through the Wednesday Day Club, before eventually coming to live at the home in February 2025.
Hilary, who runs the Day Club at Bridgemead, says, “Stan is a real character, very sociable and he loves living here. He gets on well with everybody, has lots of friends, and talks to everyone.”
As well as being a popular member of the Bridgemead community, Stan has friends and admirers far and wide, including some in high places...
In his room is a huge pile of 100th birthday cards. He has so many that it takes some time to find the one from King Charles III, who Stan had occasion to meet at the Royal Legion’s
Festival of Remembrance. “Do you know, when he found out all eight of us brothers had served in some way, he was on his feet in a flash and started a round of applause?” says Stan, “It went all around the Royal Albert Hall.”
A fitting tribute to a man with an incredible story to tell.
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