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This story is submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by a member of Market Harborough Branch, Royal British Legion on behalf of the widow of the author and has been added to the site with her permission. Mrs Tyler fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

What did you do in the War, Daddy?

By Ray Tyler

Early in 1940 when I was 16 my Father was called up. He was R.N.R., and so I decided I wanted to join the Navy rather than the other services. I lived in London, but was told if I came to Glasgow there was a job for me as Royal Naval Auxiliary Personnel, so I cycled the 400 miles in four days.

I joined an A.M.C., a well armed large merchant ship for use on convoy work. In the early days I slept in a hammock. It was explained to me that you never fell out of a hammock, which was true, no matter what the weather did. For about three years we escorted convoys across the Atlantic but I think we only used our depth charges on two occasions, and I never saw any sign of a Jerry Sub. When you think of the size of the Atlantic Ocean it must have been really bad luck if you rubbed shoulders with a Jerry Sub, although my mate was lost at sea when his ship (another A.M.C.) was sunk.

One thing we did not get was news from home, except by mail. I don't remember hearing a radio. I believe there was radio silence at sea. This came home to me one day when I received mail from my Mother. Because my Father and I often landed at Glasgow after one of our voyages, my Mother rented a house in Glasgow leaving our real home in London. She wrote and said that our London home had been bombed and everything had been lost. My reply was "Why should Jerry pick on us?" My Mother's reply came explaining about the 1000 bomber raids on London and Coventry. I certainly just didn't know. And I now realise that the same thing applies to so much of the war.

Our pick up points for the convoys were many wonderful towns and cities - St. John and Halifax in Canada, Reykjavik in Iceland, Bermuda, Freetown in Sierra Leone and many others. Usually we went ashore as we did when we arrived in the Clyde, Southampton or the Mersey. Sounds like a world tour, doesn't it?

After leaving the A.M.C., I was sent to Asbury Park in New Jersey not far from New York. I discovered that I was to join a brand new small aircraft-carrier at Portland in Oregon on the other side of America. Then came the BUT - BUT it would not be ready for several months. I had a wonderful time in the States before arriving in Portland. With the help of American Servicemen we stored the ship and sailed away. But not for the Atlantic. We proceeded in the Pacific and sent a shore party on some island to pick up some Vichy French VIPs. as Prisoners of War.

I know no more than that, except that one day I said "bon jour" to one of them. I did speak good French. I was up before the Commander for saying that but I explained that I was only being courteous. The Commander almost shouted "Don't you realise that they are the enemy?"

We came home through the Panama Canal, and finished up in British Waters training pilots to land on small carriers. We had many crashes and some pilots were killed. The thing I hated most was burials at sea.

On one occasion we went to a West African Port, and having a cool room on board, I bought a stem of bananas - several hands. When taking them home to my Mother on the bus I was asked by a small boy "what are they". I explained and asked his mother if he would like one. I gave him one which he tasted - he threw it on the floor and trod on it. He said that he did not like it!!! My mother distributed the remainder to all the neighbours. They had never seen bananas during the war. Those neighbours were at Easington in County Durham where my Father, who had been discharged from the Navy for health reasons, was manager of a Bevin Boys' Hostel.

I was demobbed in March 1946 after 6 years in the Royal Navy. For this they gave me four medals including the Atlantic Star and the Pacific Star.

That is what I did in the War. Not much compared with so many people whom I have met since.

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