大象传媒

When war broke out I was working in a warehouse for a greengrocers鈥� wholesalers. In 1941 my parents and I were bombed out of our home in Bristol (my brothers Les and Den were both in London by this time). Food distribution was a reserved occupation so I didn't get to join the Royal Navy until December 1942 (now aged 19). Initially given basic trained on HMS Royal Arthur at Skegness, but was selected for Radar work following an examination. I had about 9 months training altogether, including 4-5 months in London and on the Isle of Man getting familiar with the radar equipment, and finally a place in Hampshire.

I was assigned to a fleet destroyer (HMS Teazer, R23), and was never assigned to any other ship. Capable of well over 30 knots, they were far faster than most other craft. Everyone was new to start with. I was responsible for all the radar equipment aboard. For the first year I had the rank of Leading Radar Mechanic, later being promoted to Acting Petty Officer, and finally Petty Officer.

From Plymouth we sailed down the English Channel and hove to off Falmouth until HMS London (a County Class Cruiser) sailed out, carrying Winston Churchill. We formed an escort around her, with HMS Teazer leading it to Gibraltar. As evening fell we set again into the Mediterranean with another destroyer. However, once it was totally dark we turned around and very rapidly headed back out the Mediterranean and past Gibraltar. We slowed down for a while, and after a few hours, met up with some U.S. ships including the USS Iowa carrying Roosevelt.

Standard procedure was for the ship to flee if it encountered enemy U-boats as nothing could match its speed. However, once en route to Gibraltar there was a bit of a sticky moment. Having fled an enemy encounter, we received a radio message from the accompanying ship that she had engine trouble. Our captain decided that they had to go back, otherwise the other ship would have had no chance. Engaged 4 U-boats over a period of around 6 hours. By morning, when the enemies broke off, two enemy U-boats were damaged, one possibly sunk.

Another hairy moment was when the Teazer and another destroyer, together with a cruiser, had to attack some land based guns to help the American fifth army in their push up through Northern Italy. The plan was for the two destroyers to lead the attack, and to get in 鈥渦nder鈥� the land guns. As we approached, with shots falling all around, it soon became apparent that this was not possible. Smoke was laid down and the destroyers managed to retreat to safety, having knocked out one of the land guns in the process. As one of the stokers joked at the time 鈥渁t least we can easily swim ashore if we get hit鈥�.

Other 鈥渉ighlights鈥� of his time with the Teazer was when we had to escort two troop vessels (carrying the Eighth Army heading for Naples). No other escort vessels as they would have slowed the troop ships down.

I only ever got to board the Tyrian once, in Italy, while both ships were in port (probably Brindisi). Soon discovered that the ships were not so similar, and the Tyrian was far better built.

Eventually I was transferred to a naval base in Malta, where I spent the rest of the war, while the Teazer was sent out to Far East. I finally left Malta in April 1946, and was demobbed a month later.

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