- Contributed by听
- wxmcommunitystudio
- People in story:听
- John Neville Thomas
- Location of story:听
- 'HMS London'
- Background to story:听
- Royal Navy
- Article ID:听
- A9022150
- Contributed on:听
- 31 January 2006
My name is John Neville Thomas, but my name is Neville. I was born on June 15th 1922.
I volunteered to join the Royal Navy, as soon as I could get in. (Did you go at 18?) No, I went earlier than that. I was 16, I think. I joined up, and I got away with it, because I looked older.
I was a seaman on the HMS London. I went to sea when I was a young lad. I grew up quick though. I was young when I went to war. A lot younger than I should have been. It was a good ship though. I stayed with the same crew, well you did. And we went to the Far East. We were fighting the Germans, and the Japanese, and I think we were fighting the Italians too. That was in the Middle East, I think. I can鈥檛 remember a lot, to be honest. Part of it is that I don鈥檛 want to remember.
When they said the war was over, I was in the Far East. You fought a lot, but some people had a worse time than others.
When the war was over, I came home to live with my mother, and went to work in the local steelworks.
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