Veteran, 97, overcomes fear of water with swimming lessons
27 January 2023, 18:07
WWII veteran talks about surviving incident which gave him his fear of swimming
A 97-year-old veteran has returned to the water 80 years after his ship was torpedoed in World War II.
Roger Roberts, a 97-year-old veteran, has overcome his fear of water by taking up swimming lessons.
The pensioner was 17-years-old when he was involved in the sinking of HMS Charybdis in the English Channel in October 1943.
When his ship was torpedoed, Roger survived thanks to being a strong swimming, however, he hasn't swam again since the traumatic event.
A total of 464 men died during the attack.
Now, Roger is getting back into swimming and facing his fears with the help of the staff at his care home.
Roger appeared on Good Morning Britain this week to share his story and to encourage others to learn how to swim.
Speaking about the 1943 attack, Roger previously said: “I was lucky, I was a good swimmer. We went into the water and had about two hours in the water trying to find planks of wood.
“We managed to scramble onto the planks and there were 60 men holding onto it."
He went on: "It was very hard. I managed to come out in one piece from the incident, but a lot didn’t.
“You had to look after yourself as well as your friends and we all put our arms around each other and eventually we were rescued.”
Now, Roger is enjoying swimming again and says he will become a regular at the pool.
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