Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-12-22
Rescued Sailor Recalls Grateful
Kisses of Algerian Women
Washington Boy, Is,
Pulled From Seq
After Ship Sunk

walter. Jones, jr., an 18-year-old,
blue-eyed, curly-headed American
sailor. torpedoed in the Mediter-
ranean. has been smothered by the
grateful tears and kisses of French
Algerian women, but he still can't
tell how French women's kisses COM
pare with those of his Washington
sweethearts.
Il don't know" he lamented with
q modest grin, they wouldn't kiss
JBur lips, they only kissed you on
your cheeks. When four or us boys
went into restaurant in the town
OF Algiers the Frenchwomen ran
up to us and they cried and kissed
the American flags on our sleeves
and they took us and kissed us. But
only on the cheeks. But it was
pretty good And they gave us three
bottles Of fine champagne and two
bottles Of wine and all the food we
could eat"
1t had been the same story few
days before when Walter and his
sfipmates were swept on paddleless
RATS through a rough surf onto the
rock-strewn beach of Algiers.
Exhibit Gratitude.
Those French natives hauled us
out of the water" he said, land took
us to their huts They gave us
everything they had and they were
very poor They gave us their
clothes, which were blankets. Well
really it wasn't blankets, it was
only rags. But everything they had
they gave to u.s.
Walter has just arrived at the
home OF his parents, Mr.. and Mrs.
Walter Jones, % Fifteenth street
NE, where he will spend his fur
Tough. Much has happened in the
three and half months since he
last saw them.
Some time ago Walter, a seaman,
first class, was stationed on the
Leedstown, formerly the Santa
Lucia of the Grace Line, in an East
ern port. After two weeks without
liberty they sailed under sealed or
ders.
Hit From Dive Bomber.
Axis dive bombers attacked the
ship near the African coast. An
aerial torpedo hit the Leedstown,
wrecking the steering apparatus.
Seconds later bull's-eye shot from
the ships gun destroyed the dive
bomber.
The convoy sailed on, leaving the
damaged Leedstown sitting by her
self" Later in the afternoon two
terpedoes from an enemy submarine
,nished her off. Some men trapped
in the engine room were killed by
the blast.
Abandon ship!" was ordered and
the crew formed a bucket brigade,
tossing life RATS overheard, and
jumped in after. Some men got ex-
cited and drowned. There were no
paddles in the RATS.
Some RATS capsized and uncon-
scious men were dragged out by the
strong undertow and killed again-t
rocks. French natives pulled in all
they could reach, took them into
their huts and gave them liquor and
food.
Sees Sea Battle.
Army trucks transporting the
crews to camps were attacked by
dive bombers attempting to ma
chine gun them.
In Algiers the crew finally boarded
an American ship which stopped off
in Gibraltar on the way home After
she had pulled out of the harbor,
Walter witnessed a great sea battle.
The ship finally landed at an east
ern seaport. That's where Walters
troubles really began.
He had lost all his possessions, also
his money. The Navy fitted him out
with new clothes. But when he
tried to reverse the charges and
telephone his family, who had not
heard from him since they read in
the papers that the Leedstown had
been sunk. the telephone company
operators refused. Three attempts
failed.
1t was only when Walters cousin,
Elmer Dodson of 906 Maryland ave-
nue. NE, saw story in The Sunday
Star about another Leedstown sur
vivor that efficient work over long
distance telephone wires out of
Washington finally located Walter
and his parents could speak to him.
Wants to Return to Sea.
His father. Walter Jones. is a
roundhouse foreman on the South
ern Railroad One brother, James
Wilton Jones, %, works at the Navy
Yard here, and another brother,
Charles Edward Jones, %, is an &C
countant with local business firm
When his leave is over Walter
wants to 60 back to sea. The Navy
will give him a choice of the kind
of work he wants to do and where.
About divebombing and submarine
attacks. he has this to say:
"At first it makes you scared and