大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War website by a volunteer from CSV/大象传媒 London on behalf of John Verlander and has been added to the site with his permission. Mr. Verlander fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

I was serving on aircraft carriers through the Pacific and Atlantic for 8 - 9 months. Then, after a period in hospital I went back to the main barracks and was sent up to Dover and put in the Dover Armoury at the Castle for 8 months, looking after the MTBs and patrol boats coming in. Then I got another foreign service draft, right towards the end of the war when I thought I was going to be demobbed. I was sent out to the Mediterranean for another 8 months before I finally came back to get demobbed. I was one of the lucky ones and avoided most of the troubles.

One memory that sticks out is that we were coming out of Vancouver on a brand new aircraft carrier that had been built, and the navigator took the wrong channel. We hit rocks and were stranded for 48 hours until tugs could tow us back off again. It had to go back into dry dock for another 3 months to have it repaired. So that was the nearest I ever got to battle really.

I was on duty in Dover on VE day and VJ Day and I couldn鈥檛 get home. I celebrated alright. They let us out locally and I got through a few pints that day I don鈥檛 mind telling you.

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