大象传媒

This story has been recorded and transcribed by Mark Jeffers with permission from the author

I was in the Navy and I went to America on the Queen Elizabeth and then was transferred onto the USS Albermar, which was a sea plane repair ship. I was on her for three months then went on to Trinidad and I was there for the rest of the time. We were protecting the tankers which carried the petrol, crude oil. It was just luck of the draw really what you were sent to do.

I was living in Limavady before the war. I really tried to join but my father wouldn鈥檛 sign the papers until I was 18 and I didn鈥檛 need him to sign them so I joined then, in the beginning of 1943. I saw very little combat. We had a few scare on the Albermar, it was only a very short time. We were supposed to train Americans on British sea planes but we never got any. It was a very exciting life then, you had to go where you are sent!

I was an aircraft mechanic on the airplanes, servicing aircraft. There was plenty of damage done to them to repair. You had to do an inspection on them every day; every time they flew they had to be inspected and after so many hours flying you had to do a major inspection on them to keep them air worthy. It was very warm there; you could have fried eggs on the planes!

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