大象传媒

Richard Scott whilst a boiler stoker at the Newcastle Main Post Office had gone to night classes and obtained an HNC Engineering(Electrical). At the outbreak of war he transfered to Post Office Telecommunications(British Telecom didn't exist then).He was placed in a reserved occupation.
It was only when he became a senior engineer sent to Sheffield after the City was destroyed that he was able to apply to the Royal Navy to join the RNVR. He was called for an interview to London, entering a long room with three officers at the top-end of a long table, it was indicated to him to take a seat at the other end of the table. He had trouble hearing the questions and said so, they spoke up.He was accepted.Training was at the peacetime girls school of Roedean (Later in life he was to tell people he had been to Roedean!). He was posted to Minesweepers as a Sub-Lieutenant.
One of the long standing problems of electro-magnetic minesweeping was that when a mine was exploded it severed the cable dragged behind the two wooden hulled ships. The two ships would then have to return to port to receive a new one. Some within the Service considered this to be a cushy number. Acting First-Lieutenant Richard Scott(RNVR) having first battled crew who sabotaged the Electical equipment so as to avoid the perils of mine clearance, achieved a means of joining a cable at Sea. The Admiral responsible for Minesweeping sent a message to all ships stating 'History has been made today.'
I don't know the reason for his run ashore but in late May 1944 he found himself in a pub listening to someone talking in an ill-informed way on the potential invasion of France. Scott was even invited to take part in a bet, none there were choosing June 1944, he could have done,having only that day been given his final briefing.
During the landings his ship was blown up by a mine and as a result he found himself on the beach. Never being able to keep himself to himself it was not long before any Royal Naval personnel, being shipless, who made their presence known to the Beachmaster were directed to see Lieutenant Scott who put them to work, he did say he tried to be polite to more senior Officers but they were very much like fish out of water.
Having returned to Newcastle-upon-Tyne on Leave he was tasked to meet a secret agent and instead of escorting her to a waiting submarine he was to tell her the war was over and that she was not going on her mission (see article A1994376).
They married after the war.
A posting to Burma for Lieutenant Scott meant that he did not get a chance to celebrate VE day! He thought Vera Lynn should not have received her Burma medal as she had spent so little time in Burma, so he refused his.
After the war he was specifically asked to stay on in the regular Navy by the previously mentioned Admiral who he had now met, but Lieutenant Scott declined.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.