大象传媒

I had to go to the DEMS office to get some gear and order stores to be sent to the ship. I walked into the office and it was full of typists; young lovely ladies, all busy, and an old ugly chief PO, who began shouting at me, showing off in front of his young audience. I shouted back. He did not like me wearing a white cap and I told him 鈥淚 am a Petty Officer Gun-layer and you try to bollock me in front of civilians belonging to another country. I have been serving in the Middle East in every theatre of war for the past two years. I invaded the South of France with the Yanks, before I came here, and I鈥檒l be going back to the fighting zone when I leave here. You won鈥檛. I have been to your shops and they have no black caps. Next time Chief, rollock me in private鈥�.

The DEMS lieutenant came out of his office shouting, 鈥淟eave my chief alone, stop your shouting at him鈥�. I said that he had started it and I was just finishing it. He took me into his office and I gave him a list of all my needs plus a black cap, size 67/8.

I returned to the ship and a gunner was waiting for me to see if I could help him. He had gone into a place called a taxi-dance. People buy tickets; give one to any girl and she dances with you until the music stops. Then you can dance again if you want or get another partner. Each dance a new ticket.

This gunner was not a naval gunner, but a single young man. He had stayed with her all evening, took her for a nice meal and given her a lot of dollars to go to bed with her. On the way to her home, she needed something from a drug store so she would not get pregnant. She evidently knew the score. The taxi pulled up outside. She got out the car and went inside. John sat there waiting for her to come out but the store had two exits and two entrances. She had gone, ripping John off.

He knew the taxi-dance place, so after evening meal, I said, 鈥淟et鈥檚 go and get your money back.鈥� We went to this dance place and the bouncer on the door would not let us in to see the boss. I said, 鈥淥kay, you stop here John, I鈥檒l be back with the police and I will get this place closed down.鈥� The doorman soon told us to go up the stairs.

The boss listened to me when I asked him for the money John had given her, the taxi money and table money. The meal and the dances were on John. The boss had tickets to see some fights at Madison in New York. He said that what his dancers did when they left the dance hall was nothing to do with him. I noticed all the taxi dancers coming in to begin their work. I got John to pick his ex girl out and took her into the office in front of the boss, who still pleaded innocent. She cried and said she had spent the money.

I told the boss I was going with John and coming back with the British Consulate and the police to do my best to close his clip joint down. He asked John how many dollars she had charged him, and also the taxi fare to the drug store.

He paid up and told the girl that he would stop the money out of her wages.

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