WHEN his ship was torpedoed during the Second World War, young Stanley Hambrey - who couldn't swim - thought his time was up.

But 60 years later, the RAF veteran is still here to organise a reunion of fellow survivors from the SS Strathallan.

Mr Hambrey was serving with the RAF when, in 1942, he sailed from Scotland to his post in North Africa on the Strathallan, a passenger vessel requisitioned by the Ministry of Shipping as a troop transport.

But the Strathallan never reached its destination.

In the early hours of December 2, 1942, as the ship navigated the Mediterranean, it was torpedoed by a German U-boat.

"I was thrown out of my hammock," said Mr Hambrey, who has lived in Malvern all his life.

"I was in total darkness and I couldn't find my life belt.

"On deck there was a bit of panic and everybody seemed to be trying to find a way off the ship.

"One torpedo had hit us and some people said there was a second that just missed."

While some of the 4,000 troops and 250 nurses on board made their way to the lifeboats, Mr Hambrey stayed on the ship.

He had never learnt to swim, having been forbidden to go into water as a child when he suffered ear infections.

Hours passed and the Strathallan appeared to be sinking when a different escape route presented itself.

"A destroyer had backed up to the Strathallan, which was by then at about a 45-degree angle," said the 80-year-old.

"I jumped down on to the destroyer. Some of the rescuers said it was about 40ft. It was the best and worst jump of my life.

"Before the war, I was an electrician, but after this I couldn't stand heights so it ruined my trade."

Mr Hambrey was taken to Oran and went on to fight the Axis forces in North Africa.

The Strathallan was towed by Royal Navy tug HMS Restive but capsized the following day before it could reach Algiers.

Miraculously, only 11 lives were lost.

Sixty years later, Mr Hambrey had the idea of organising a reunion, originally in Abingdon in Oxfordshire where he joined a train load of other servicemen bound for the Strathallan.

With the help of the families of other survivors. word of the reunion spread to the internet.

Now the reunion is being held in the Maritime War Museum in Grenwich, London on Saturday, August 2.

Any survivors or their families interested in attending can get more details from the website at www.thestrathallan.com