In 1949 David Day was trapped on HMS Amethyst for three months during the Chinese civil war In 1949 David Day was trapped on HMS Amethyst for three months during the Chinese civil war PatriciaLambert Thu 3 Jun 2021 10.57 EDT Last modified on Thu 3 Jun 2021 10.59 EDT My brother, David Day, who has died aged 89, was part of the ship’s crew of HMS Amethyst, which sailed from Shanghai on 20 April 1949 to relieve HMS Consort at Nanjing during the Chinese civil war. Under heavy bombardment, with many casualties, the ship was grounded on Rose Island, the wounded making their way back to Shanghai for treatment. On 21 April the Amethyst was refloated and continued up river for several miles before becoming trapped in enemy territory for three months, escaping on the night of 30-31 July.