大象传媒

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After completing my first year of a B.Sc(Econ) degree in the summer of 1941, I volunteered for the W.R.N.S. I was accepted as 鈥渢he Navy wants people who have passed lots of exams鈥�, subject unspecified, and then I was told that I would later be informed of my category. After preliminary training in Mill Hill, a small group of us were drafted, not as we hoped to the seaside, but to Chelsea, London. Our quarters were the mediaeval Crosby Hall and our 鈥榯raining ship鈥� Chelsea Polytechnic. There we were told we had to complete a 2陆 year course in six months, the first three on learning basic radio theory and how to use the tools.

Hopefully our next ship was to be by the sea but not so; it was HMS Ariel near Warrington. We had been drafted to the Fleet Air Arm and were for three months to study in utmost secrecy something we should never mention called 鈥榬adar鈥�, we must memorise everything and no books could be taken out of the secure camp. Somehow I completed the course and after three months was drafted as a Petty Officer to HMS Nighjar, (Inskip) where the real work of servicing began in aircraft or in our workshop. Squadrons mostly of open Swordfish biplanes, which carried a pilot, a navigator and a radio operator, were flown in from carriers and we had to fit and test their radar sets. Sets were flight-tested by homing on Blackpool Tower and if you could get your pilot aligned up in front of it, you had proof that the set functioned properly. We also had Iffy direction-finders that sent out a signal enabling pilots to localise their carrier at sea and altimeters to help in landing. Intractable problems were solved by civilian scientists flying in from the Malvern research establishment.

Later I was drafted back to HMS Ariel where I remember on one occasion round-the-clock work fitting cables for an urgent shipment to Burma. My last posting was to HMS Vulture at St. Merryn, Padstow, where we had more modern aircraft and streamlined American sets that were easier to lug about but almost impossible to service. There I stayed until I was demobbed in April 1946.

I was lucky to be in 鈥榟appy ships鈥� where we were allowed to do everything possible to alleviate the sadness of war. Before D-Day all shore leave was stopped so the Captain permitted me, with three of the sailors, to have an enormous 21st birthday party in the mess. I still have a copy of 鈥楾he Nightjar鈥�, the Inskip magazine, and I joined classical music and poetry groups there. Of course there were 鈥榟ops鈥� to our own band and sport such as football. I have also kept HMS Vulture鈥檚 Christmas card which was designed by a famous artist. Normal life somehow went on!

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