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This story has been written onto the ´óÏó´«Ã½ People’s War site by CSV Storygatherer Lyn Hedges on behalf of Stanley Bowles. They fully understand the terms and conditions of the site.

Whiter than white
At the end of the War, I was serving in Malta in Fort Ricasoli. German prisoners of war were sent to Malta, where they worked around the fort or on the air sea rescue frigate, HMS Arrow. Among the prisoners there was a sergeant major and two sergeants and I was in charge of them for a while, even though I was only 26 years old. The problem was how to handle this task? Eventually, I said to the sergeant major, ‘you’re in charge of these two sergeants, the two sergeants are to work in pairs and I’m in charge of you. Don’t let me down.’

One of the jobs we had to do in Malta was to whitewash the stones that led up to the fortress. The prisoners had just got to the last stone when they ran out of whitewash. I knew the job had to be finished, as the Admiral was coming to inspect the following day. What should I do? So I went aboard HMS Arrow, saw a sergeant and managed to get a tin of white paint so the prisoners were able to paint the last stone white.

Funnily enough, just two years ago, I visited Malta and saw a snow-white stone, which stood out among all the others at the entrance to the fort. I’m pretty sure it was the same stone!

A wrong number
When I was in Malta, Lord Louis Mountbatten was the Vice Admiral Malta (VAM). I had 14 Maltese ratings under me and one day I sent them out in a steam pinnace to HMS St Angelo to get coal. Eventually, I rang what I thought was the number of the QM at HMS St Angelo and said to the man who replied ‘excuse me old mate, could you just nip outside and see if my men have finished coaling’. Unfortunately, I hadn’t got through to the QM but to the VAM. I’d dialled the wrong number. ‘I know nothing about your bloody boat’, he said and put the phone down.

Father Dominic
In Malta, although I had a billet in the High Street, I spent most of my time living in a cave called the Winch House.

One day, I was sitting on a bollard outside the cave cleaning a rifle when I saw a Maltese couple who were engaged to be married. They asked me if I would mind if they walked down the moat. Because I knew them, I said it would be OK but asked them not to touch anything. ‘You can go as far as the lighthouse’, I said, ‘but let me know when you come back.’

A few moments later, a large priest came down the steps towards my cave. He was following the young couple, as was the custom in Malta at the time. I jumped up with my rifle and asked him where he was going.

‘Don’t point your gun at me’, he said.

I explained that the gun was empty but I still wanted to know where he was going. I wasn’t supposed to allow civilians down there unless they had the permission of the DSO.

‘Then why have you let that young couple go down? They’re civilians’, he said.

I explained that it was all right because I knew them. They were friends of mine. I was only doing my duty by not letting him go down there.

At that, he turned tail and went.

When the courting couple came back I told them about the priest. ‘Oh dear’, they said. ‘That was Father Dominic. Be careful. He’s very high up in the church. You’ll be in trouble now.’

Shortly afterwards, the phone rang and it was Lt Cdr Crocker, my superior.

‘Come and see me at once’, he said. ‘Do you realise what you’ve done? You’ve allowed civilians to go down the moat. You’ve threatened a Maltese priest with a gun. You’ll get sent back to England for this.’ That was the last thing I wanted because I’d been on the Russian convoys and thought I would have to go on convoy duty again. But he promised to do his best to try and get me out of the situation.

I decided to try a bit of squeeze. Cigarettes were in very short supply, but I just happened to have a packet of 25 Players at the bottom of my case. I dressed up in my best clothes and walked down to the cathedral where I found Father Dominic with a young priest. He looked up and said ‘You’re the man with a gun’.

‘I’m very sorry sir’, I said. ‘And I hope you’ll accept this little present.’

He saw the cigarettes and said ‘Do you want my blessing?’

‘That would be a great honour, sir’, I said.

And so I accepted his blessing and everything was all right between us after that.

‘You’re a crafty one, Bowles’, said Lt Cdr Crocker when I told him what had happened.

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