" Gosh, it was the most exciting thing that ever happened.” “Were you frightened?” I enquire—for Guthrie and I are old and well-tried friends, and I can ask him anything— “No-o,” says Guthrie thoughtfully. “No, Hester, I wasn’t exactly frightened . . . but I tell you this: it was a most awfully queer feeling when I gave the order to open fire. Somehow it seemed all wrong to fire at a real live ship with men aboard. It seemed a perfectly frightful thing to do. I’m sure the gun crews felt the same. I was standing on the deck and they looked round at me . . . I just said ‘Carry on’. Once we began to get some of their stuff dropping round us, the chaps settled down to it and did simply splendidly. There was no trouble, you know. It was just a feeling we had . . . "

― D.E. Stevenson , Mrs. Tim Carries On