大象传媒

This article, presented here in 8 chapters plus an introduction, is the naval autobiography of Alec Kellaway. Alec served in the Royal Navy from January 1936 to November 1947. His story shows what life was like training for the Navy immediately before the war as well as service in a wide variety of ships during the conflict. The book was written by Alec himself and has previously been published on the HMS Hood Association web site (www.hmshood.com) and in the HMS Cossack Association newsletters.

I was There! Where?
Chapter 1c Early Navy Days (Continued)

We had now reached the end of our training from that period on there was to be a complete change in our lives. We were no longer New Entrants but Stokers Second Class awaiting their first ship.

We were transferred to the Engine Room block which consisted of other new entrants, Stokers First Class awaiting another appointment and Leading Stokers also awaiting appointments, which were always called drafts.

It is now about the end of June and it was not until September before I joined my first ship.
In the interim we were employed on various duties around the barracks and on ships in the docks. One such task was to polish the floors of our messes; these floors were of varnished timbers and if on this duty we had to march up and down the floor pushing heavy polishers buffing up the polish that was put down in front, what a waste of energy as at the start of the war it was realised that this was a fire hazard and the floor had to be scrapped.

Two episodes I distinctly remember in this period were involved on ships in the docks, the first being that on falling in outside the regulating office the Chief Stoker detailing duties gave myself and another an order to get our overalls and report to transport for loan to a destroyer for the day.

On reaching the ship HMS Amazon, a destroyer being used for torpedo exercises for the torpedo-training establishment, I was told by the destroyer鈥檚 Chief Stoker to report to No 3 Boiler Room for the rest of the watch. I presented myself to the PO in charge and he asked me what knowledge I had? To this I had to reply that this was my first experience. The PO was very understanding and showed me what to do and after leaving harbour I was able to follow his instructions and carry out my duties. At noon the PO and myself were relieved and he did congratulate me on my performance. This highlighted how our training had been inadequate.

After a meal in the Stokers mess deck I was told that the destroyer would be soon in harbour and I would be returned to RNB; this did not materialise as planned but I did get back in time for supper. While on the destroyer I did enjoy the experience and had no problems with sea sickness, but it was different while at supper, I had helped to serve the meal and I sat down to eat my meal when the table appeared to float towards me, it was a very strange experience, seasick in barracks, though in all my sea times I was never seasick and in fact was an excellent sailor in all weathers.

Later when being sent on loan to another destroyer, HMS Ambuscade, this was for about two weeks to help in cleaning duties, fate looked after me. One night one of the first class stokers asked me if I would like to go out that evening with him as his girlfriend was in Portsmouth on holiday and he wanted a partner for her friend. Having nothing to do, I went along; it was an enjoyable evening but being under age I had to be on board for midnight, ten o鈥檆lock in RNB, we had finished up on the beach alongside the pier far away from the docks and as time was running out the two girls and my friend left leaving me to fine my way back to the ship. This in itself was no problem except that I was in strange territory and took the wrong turning. After walking down various streets I found that midnight was there and I had a long way to go. Anyway I duly arrived late back at the ship, I reported to the quartermaster and he said carry on, which I certainly did.

The next morning I told my friend all about it and he said that he would look into it by making a few discrete enquiries. This he did and came back to say that the coxswain, Senior Chief PO on the ship, had put me down as 鈥淭鈥� for temperance instead of underage.

The system was that anyone 20 or over was entitled to draw rum or grog at 11am, anyone drawing rum was entered on the register as 鈥淕鈥� and non rum drinkers as 鈥淭鈥�, it would appear that to the coxswain one was either 鈥淕鈥� or 鈥淭鈥�. My fears, therefore, were unfounded as I had been entered as 鈥淭鈥� and therefore on his books I was 20.

On one occasion a party of us were taken to the sports field as a cleaning party, on arrival we were detailed for various tasks I was sent as messenger to a Lieutenant finding that he was an expert javelin thrower and my duty was to bring the javelin back to him after every throw.

During one of my excursions across the parade ground I watched a squad of Petty Officers doing drills with small flags and one P O I noticed in particular, now this was 1936, and in 1952 I met a chap in Southampton Docks who looked familiar. We got into conversation and I mentioned the likeness, it then turned out that he was that P O and had served on the Hood the same time as me, yet we never once met, mind there were over 1200 ships company on the Hood, there were many I did not know.

Alec's story continues in Chapter 2: HMS Hood

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