John Andrews: Great War Veteran Who May Have Served on Both Sides BynR.L. Phifer While doing family research I have discovered many interesting people. One such person is my great great uncle John Andrews, who was born 1885 in Crow Head. His sister Rose was my great grandmother. Their parents, Thomas Andrews and Emma Decker, were moving about for the fish and work so their children were born in different places. Work would have been hard to come by so they would have made a living wherever they could. Family folklore says that John, who was also called Jack, was a young man who loved the sea. Salt water flowed through his veins and to be kept away from her meant he was not living the life he was born for. He treasured the sea and desperately needed to be near her. So he quite naturally joined the Newfoundland Naval Reserve. Before World War I, those of the Reserve were required to complete four weeks of training in St. John's. When they were finished they traveled back to their hometowns and remained on call for active duty. When John completed his training in the summer of 1914 he went as far as Bell Island while heading back home to Ship Cove. Bell Island housed iron ore mines and was shipping overseas. While there John made friends with German sailors who were taking ore back home. As they were planning on returning in a month's time they asked him to join them in Germany for a visit and he could return aboard their ship. Having a sense of adventure he went along. Unfortunately trouble began to brew while he was staying with his new friends. His visit turned ugly as he now was among unsympathetic people who were suspicious of him because he was British subject who happened to be a member of the Newfoundland Naval Reserve. He was arrested and held prisoner. Unhappy that he was kept from his beloved sea he did the only thing he could. He complained. He lamented to anyone who would listen. He carried on about how he couldn't live without the sea and that being a sailor was his life. Someone listened because he was offered a deal. He would be released but had to join the German Navy! The ship he was on was sunk by the British on May 31st, 1916 during the Battle of Jutland. When the British plucked the survivors out of the ocean he was taken to England where he was once again held prisoner as an enemy of King and country. Here was a man who was held as a prisoner of war on both sides. Now he found himself in the same position as before. Not wanting to be on dry land he whined once again! It worked before, after all! His captors were confused because here was a "German" who spoke English (albeit a different brogue) who was adamant that he was a British subject! So his story was investigated and they found out that he was indeed a resident of Newfoundland and a member of the Newfoundland Naval Reserve. His plan paid off and he was released. He re-enrolled in the Royal Navy and went to sea, this time under the British flag. When the war was over he returned to Newfoundland, where in St. John's he was repatriated. There were several others from his community who had served and were heading back. Friends and family members looked forward to welcoming their valiant soldiers home. All returned except John. The last time he was heard from, according to the story, was several weeks later when he sent a telegram from St. John's to someone in St. Anthony. He asked for ten dollars for passage home. Ten dollars in 1919 is equivalent to about $152.00 today. For a struggling fishing family who had to move about in order to make enough money to live this was quite a lot to ask for. Somehow, however, the money was found and then wired to St. John's. Other than a John Andrews being listed as a fisherman in St. John's in 1936 there are no other known records about him. There are no death or burial records for him, at least not in Newfoundland. It appears that he stayed in St. John's for some years but after that possibly only God Himself knows where John went. With his spirit of adventure he very well may have traveled to another foreign country or spent the rest of his life at sea, which was his true love. And why not? After all, griping about not being able to be near her got him out of trouble twice! Delving into ancestors can be frustrating at times, but it can also be rewarding when you discover people like John Andrews.   Submitted By: Robin Phifer