A STROUD resident has given an account of his adventures on the high seas including his trips to the Caribbean.

John Wheeler, 87, was a sailor with the Merchant Navy from 1948 to the early 1950s and travelled five times to and from the West Indies.

He discussed his love for The Cavina, a banana boat of which he was part of the crew.

One of his many voyages brought him to Trinidad and Tobago before finally taking him to Kingston, Jamaica.

John told the SNJ that, "upon leaving the country we discovered 10 Jamaicans aboard the ship.

"They refused to get on our lifeboats so we fed them and took them back to England.

"Once we returned the Jamaicans were interrogated and held before being sent back to England," he said.

Despite the best efforts of the English authorities, John described how a few of the Kingstonians went missing.

"I recall seeing a one-legged Jamaican who had attempted to jump ship to avoid jail, apparently he was attacked by a shark," added John.

After his extensive voyage, John talked of how the kids in Stroud would rejoice at his return.

Tropical fruits were not as commonplace in households as they are today, so John would bring bags full of coconuts, bananas and other fruits for the children.