大象传媒

Chapter 4:
Active Service

After the refit the real work started, we took on two Squadrons and after working up we were ready for active service

Premier joined the Home Fleet, based at Scapa Flow and for the next few months there was a regular routine of joining a convoy off the Clyde then going north as part of the convoy protection, around Norway we would break off, then our aircraft were busy sowing mines in the Fiords to stop the enemy boats getting out. There was also a lot of anti -submarine activity. On some of those trips we were out for quite extended periods. There were some good spells as well as some very bad spells.

The bad spells one tends to forget but I can recall a few near misses, one of these was when we watched a torpedo coming towards the ship, somehow we were lucky and it passed very close to the stern end, it carried on for quite a distance and hit a tanker which just exploded; I guess that every one on that ship would be lost. Another time I well remember was when a mine came very close, there was a crowd of us leaning over the side watching it bob along in the wake of the ship, somehow it kept just clear and we left it behind; I think that was when the Destroyers took over and the Royal Marine sharpshooters got it with rifle fire.

There was also the question of us losing aircraft. I cannot remember if we lost any to enemy action, I don`t think so but we did lose a few during bad weather deck landings. One of these was a crash into the rear end of the flight deck, in that case the quick solution was to push it into the sea we got the pilot out then I had the job of driving one of the small tugs with a baulk of timber between the tug and the aircraft and keep pushing until it went over. That drastic action was necessary as there were still a lot of aircraft waiting to land and there was nowhere else for them to go. I think that we managed to salvage the rest of the crashes and repair them. I have some good pictures of most of the crashes, the ships photographer was a good friend.

My mistake of missing the ship in New York did not seem to have done me much harm as about this time I was invited to apply for promotion, I did just that and within a short time I went up to Leading Air Fitter and was also put forward for training as Air Artificer; I did`nt manage that as I left the service before a course date came up

I got well organised. Most evenings, when there was no action, I was in the workshop office writing, or at the bench making trinkets from scrap Perspex and aluminium. It was not long before I had a good trade established. I made no charge for the trinkets but it did earn me quite a few favours. Most other folk would be playing 鈥淗ousy-Housy鈥� (Bingo), I never went to that, I could`nt stand it then and I have not changed over the years.

Eventually we set out to do the full trip on a Russian convoy, that was convoy JW65-67 and it happened to be the last convoy to Russia before VE day. We set off on 16 April 1945, there was a fair amount of enemy activity to start with but some really bad weather set in, that was enough to stop attacks and protective flying. At one point it was said to be the worst weather in living memory with waves of around 90ft.. Premier suffered some damage by slapping down on to a wave which smashed the rear end of the flight deck, that was late afternoon and the rest of that day and night was spent on repairs. The repairs worked and the next day we were ready for flying again.

A few days later we got to Murmansk. A trip ashore at Murmansk was quite an experience, the original town had been totally destroyed and building was just restarting. That was the only time I went ashore wearing sea boots, they were needed as the mud was deep on all the roads. Basically there were no roads. After a few days we set out for home and arrived in Scapa Flow two days after VE day.

There was only a short break and some leave then we went to the Clyde and spent the next few months training squadrons. That finished with VJ day when we were anchored off The Tail-O-The Bank, when the announcement came through the whole fleet went mad and for hours the air was full of signal rockets.

After VE Day when we were spending a lot of time in the Clyde it was mostly a five day a week job so almost every week end I had shore leave that meant leaving the ship at around mid day on Saturday and going ashore in the duty Liberty Boat. The next problem was to get from Greenock to Glasgow, mostly that was done by hitching a lift on a Tate & Lyle sugar lorry, they were doing continuous runs between Greenock and Glasgow, the 鈥淔are鈥� was a few duty free cigarettes each, with around thirty bodies on board the lorry drivers did quite well.

If it was a long week end leave I would go to Dunfermline and spend the time at Georgeinas home, if it was just day leave I would travel to Dunfermline on the Saturday then get the last bus to Glasgow in the evening; that was fine but most evenings I was impossible to get a bed booked in Glasgow so it meant filling in the time between 11 pm and 5pm, which was when I discovered the all night coffee stall in St. Vincent Street, a lot of Navy personnel used to gather there until 5 am when it was possible to get onto Central Station and onto the train for Greenock. There were three all night coffee stalls in Glasgow at that time and these were where the 鈥淟adies of the Night鈥� plied their trade; most of the ladies were quite pleasant and some were well educated but none off them seemed to know why they were on the street anyhow talking to them was an interesting way to pass the hours

Some of us also discovered a place of shelter, a newspaper packing warehouse, the packing finished around midnight so we could go in and use the packing benches as a bed; the benches were quite large and the pillow was a pile of old papers; maybe not the best of beds but better that the streets on a cold or wet night.

If I did`nt get long week end leave I would get ashore on the Sundays and Georgina would join me in Glasgow, it was during one of the weekends that I proposed marriage to her, we were in Kelvingrove Park in Glasgow on a fine sunny day, I don`t think it was the most romantic proposal; as far as I can remember I said 鈥淚 suppose we will get married one day鈥� the answer was鈥� Yes of course鈥� so that was that and we have now been married a long time.

It was only a short while before we left the Clyde again, this time to head for the Forth and anchor just east of the rail bridge. By this time there was a scheme in place to release skilled workers back into civilian life; I applied for release and it came through within days. The main reason I wanted release was because I wanted to get married but not whilst I was still in the Navy.

The release date was 5th Feb. 1946, I went ashore on the evening leave Liberty Boat, complete with all my kit which was quite a lot; a short bus journey took me from Rosyth to Dunfermline where I was to stay for a short while. Two days later I went to Redford Barracks in Edinburgh to be kitted out with civilian clothes; I was lucky and got very good stuff.

I was still formally on the RN books until the end of extended leave period then on 4th April 1946 my war period finished, and the fight to survive in civilian life began.

Summary

For me the war was in some ways a blessing, I received good training, my technical and general education improved and it taught me that I could go on further still. That is what I did, during the early 1950s, after a few years hard work I gained HND in Building Construction and spent the rest of my working days as a Building Surveyor/Clerk of Works, I also became Certificated Teacher of Technical Subjects but decided that teaching would not be my ideal long term employment.

It is a great shame that many others were not so lucky.

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Becky Barugh of the 大象传媒 Radio Shropshire CSV Action Desk on behalf of John Gilbey and has been added to the site with his permission. Mr Gilbey fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

See more of John's stories:

• People鈥檚 War according to John Gilbey 鈥� Chapter One
• People鈥檚 War according to John Gilbey 鈥� Chapter Two
• People鈥檚 War according to John Gilbey 鈥� Chapter Three

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