Home thoughts from abroad for old sea dogs

First Person | Lin Jintai and Lu Liangkang

Lin Jintai (born 1918)

I was a fireman on a British ship and arrived at Liverpool in 1940. It took three months to sail from Shanghai to Liverpool. I missed my home and was eager to go back after I got my paycheck. But people told me Shanghai was occupied by the Japanese, and all contact with Shanghai was lost. I couldn't even find a way to send my money back to my mother.