Former Durham Light Infantry soldier Bob Rogers has made an emotional return to the North-East after the death of the wife he met through an incredible twist of fate.

Gavin Engelbrecht reports

A FORMER soldier has made an emotional return to the North- East to scatter his wife's ashes.

New Zealander Bob Rogers' amazing escape when his prison ship was sunk by a British submarine led directly to his marriage and a life-long love affair.

Mr Rogers, 87, who was born in East Howdon, North Tyneside, served with the 8th Battalion the Durham Light Infantry (DLI) during the Second World War.

Captured at El Alamein, he was crammed with 500 men into the forward hold of an Italian cargo ship, the Nino Bixio.

But the prison ship was torpedoed shortly after leaving port and Mr Rogers was only one of a handful of survivors.

He said: "I had just gone to get a drink when, boom, there was a sound like a huge steel door being crashed shut and in an instance the sea was filling the hold."

Hundreds of prisoners died and, with water gushing in, Mr Rogers luckily scrambled to safety.

He said: "Every stitch of clothing was blown off me. All I had on was two pockets and a collar."

Mr Rogers said research had shown the Allies knew there were prisoners aboard, but the information was not relayed to submarines, because they did not want the Germans to know they had broken the Enigma code.

He said: "We felt no anger or bitterness toward the submariners.

They were just doing their job. We were on an enemy target."

After escaping from Italy into Switzerland, his sister told the local newspaper and his amazing escape became a national story.

He said: "I just wanted to be left alone, but within a week I had received 100 letters from women looking for news about their loved ones."

Among them was a letter from Edna who lived just over 20 miles away and had been married to DLI soldier Roger Peel, who died in the explosion.

Mr Rogers said: "We corresponded and she visited me. I was magnetised by her eyes. We went for a walk one day and held hands and that was it."

The couple were married for almost 60 years and had two children.

Mr Rogers said: "It is sad coming back to the North-East without her. We were just short of our 60th anniversary but we will be spreading some of her ashes in a place we got to know together."

Mr Rogers, who has returned with his daughter, Lynn, and son Michael, said: "When I came back in 2000 with my wife, we visited Plessey Woods at Bedlington, where the ashes of her sister and sister's husband were scattered.

"A ray of sunshine came out of the clouds and a shaft of light lit up this particular spot. It gave the place a mysterious feel."

The family will be having the ceremony at that spot in Plessey Woods.

Anyone who knew Mr Rogers and would like to get in contact with him can email gavin.engel brecht@nne.co.uk