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This story was added to the website on behalf of Stanley Stoney by Joanne with Stanley's permission.

The tankers.

Up until 1942 I was in the merchant navy. I was on the petroleum tankers that the German U-boats liked to blow up, because one hit could blow the whole convoy up. The navy made the tankers travel on the outer rim of any convoy. It was very nerve-racking not knowing whether your tanker would be hit and eventually I went ashore.

Who will volunteer?

I was told to report to Hull naval board and told that they were short of aircraft engineers and sent to Heresford to train. After our training we were asked who would volunteer for a special project. This was pot luck because they never told you what the project was and it was always ‘should you volunteer or would you be worse off if you volunteered’? I told my mates I am going to volunteer.

The right decision.

It was the right decision to volunteer I was placed on a special repair party, fixing American engines, the first party in the RAF. I was sent on the Empress of Canada to the USA. When we arrived in America there were no naval places to stay so we were placed in hotels, our boss knew we were on a good thing and kept telling us. We were sent to New Jersey, Chicago and to San Diego and for a while stayed with Mrs Buchannan at 211 Lemon Grove Avenue off Santa Monica Boulevard. I will always remember the address and how nice they were with us. Mrs Buchannan had two daughters and a son and looked after us like a Mum.

Hollywood during the war.

Whilst in Hollywood and on leave we got into the Warner studios and also met Errol Flynn outside Paramount studios. At Columbia broadcasting station there was a bloke from Lancashire on the reception and he said ‘you’re Navy blokes’ to us and introduced us around and we met Al Jolson. We met Tom Conway of the Falcon series, Harold Lloyd and Anna Ward, a Texan leading lady. Everyone was very nice to us and we got plenty of food and drink bought. We did not have autograph books and had to make do with asking the stars for autographs on pieces of paper. I also got my photograph taken with Susan Heywood who was very famous at the time. It was like been in Heaven after been on the petroleum tankers.

The Far East

However it was not to last, after this I was sent to Mombasa for the African campaign that had ended by the time I arrived. Eventually I saw out the war in the Far East. When we first arrived in the Far East there was nowhere for us to sleep and we had to sleep on the grandstand steps until they sorted somewhere out. Whilst in the Far East I took out engines dismantled them tested them for metal fatigue and reassembled them.

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