大象传媒

This story was submitted to the Peoples' War website by Lancashire Remembers on behalf of Les Cleugh and has been added to the site with his/her permission.

At the outbreak of war I worked in a shipping office, until I was 18 years old when I joined the Royal Navy. After my initial training at Portsmouth as a signalman (a signalman was commonly known as a 'Bunting Tosser'), I opted to serve on the small ships (trawlers etc.) and was posted to Lowestoft, from where I was drafted to Iceland to serve aboard a trawler.

In May 1944 the small ships were required back in the U.K. for the invasion of Europe. Our role was convoy work, escorting troops and merchant ships to and fro' across the Channel. During this time I progressed a couple of ranks, which resulted in me being transferred back to Devonport and the bigger ships. I was drafted to a frigate which was being sent to the Far East to fight the Japanese. We sailed from Falmouth with two frigates escorting landing craft. This was a very slow voyage, until we reached Gibraltar, where the three frigates sailed for Aden via Malta and Alexandria.

Our task at Aden was to escort 18,000 troops to Australia, and en route we called at Ceylon, when we were told that our ship was needed in Burma. Our role again was escort work, and as the army advanced, so did our ports. In May 1945 we took part in the seaborne invasion of Rangoon, which was a complete success. At that time, the war had ended in Europe, but our work continued until the end of hostilities in Japan in August 1945. Our ship was badly in need of repairs so we were sent to South Africa for a general refit.

On completion of the refit in December 1945 we were to sail back to the U.K. but, due to an outbreak of meningitis in St Helena, we were deployed to take a medical consultant to the island. Then we proceeded home, crossing 'the line' (equator) on Christmas Day 1945, then on to Gibraltar, our final call before arriving back in Plymouth in early January 1946.

I wad demobbed on 2nd April 1946, and returned home to my family and the girl I hoped was waiting - now my wife.

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