ONE of the last sailors from Blackburn to serve in the Second World War — and survive a number of close shaves — has died aged 89.

Rowland Cort served on minesweepers in the Royal Naval Patrol Service after volunteering in 1942 at the tender age of 17.

Born and bred in Blackburn, his funeral took place last Friday, at St Peter's Church, Salesbury.

He was one of four children of Sarah and Thomas Cort, his father was a tram conductor and his mother in service.

After joining the Navy, Rowland served on Artic convoys to Murmansk and Archangel and was wounded twice.

On the first occasion, he was thrown into the freezing North Atlantic when one of the convoy hit a mine and he didn’t regain consciousness until several days later in hospital in Scotland, with his parents sat vigil by his bed.

Because he was still a ‘boy sailor’, they had been given travel passes to see him, including a lift in a police car to Preston station and a Navy driver at the other end.

He was injured again when his boat was strafed by a German aircraft. His best friend was killed and Rowland struck with shrapnel, pieces of which were never removed.

While he was recovering in hospital, an air raid forced staff to take the walking wounded to the shelters, but as he was too ill to move, one nurse improvised some protection for him — placing a large enamel dish over his head.

After the all-clear, the nurses found that a near-miss had blown in the large hospital windows and Rowland’s bed was covered by rubble, broken glass and timber — but when they cleared it, he was unhurt and later returned to active duty.

While based in Ardrishaig, Rowland’s boat captured a German midget submarine which surfaced unexpectedly; its crew believing the repeated sweeping overhead meant they had been discovered.

The crew took the submariners prisoner and lashed the secret weapon alongside.

They were hoping to get it back to base without attracting too much attention but somehow word got out and when they arrived at Crinan Canal, the whole town had turned out to see them pass through the lock.

Rowland also served on the motor launches which used to be involved in clandestine operations, putting secret agents into occupied Europe.often in Norway.

The first the crew knew about it was when a ‘civilian’ stepped out of the Officers’ Mess, once they were well out to sea — on other occasions, it was German-speakers in German military uniform.

Rowland’s boat was also involved in minesweeping off the French coast prior to D-Day, once off Calais as part of the elaborate deception and again nearer to Normandy on D-Day itself where he had a ringside seat to the greatest amphibious invasion in history.

He remembered the sea black with ships and the skies with enough allied warplanes ‘you could have walked to France across their wings’.

When peace came Rowland’s war wasn’t over, as the minesweepers were tasked with clearing the French ports and inshore areas of mines to allow the fishing fleets out to feed the hungry population.

As a reward from the grateful French Government, they were given the freedom of Paris, which included a pass in both languages explaining that if found they should be returned to their hotel. When he came home his first job was an apprentice blacksmith; he married Eileen and they had a daughter Christine.