大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Mairi Campbell of the 大象传媒 on behalf of Mr Stuart Pert and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the sites terms and conditions.

I started my service with the Royal Navy on 27th September 1943 under NS/AF Act on arrival at H.M.S. Collingwood (shore Station) at Fareham, Hants, after travelling by train from Glasgow Central Station on the eve of 26th September 1943. My parents and some of my family said goodbye to me not knowing what would happen in the year to follow. On arrival at Euston Station, London, after nearly a sleepless night with soldiers. Airmen, but not many seamen travelling, some of those service men travelling with me also were trying to get some sleep, some even lying on the luggage racks or the floor of the carriage.

Not having been out of Scotland before I was very uncertain how I would get to my destination. I remember being told by someone to get a cab to Waterloo Station in the morning and look for the platform for trains to Portsmouth. On arrival at 鈥淧ompey鈥� Station I was shown where to get the local bus to the training barracks at Fareham, H.M.S. Collingwood, on arrival I was escorted by the Petty Officer to the Assembly Hut, where I was given a meal and then a Medical Inspection, thereafter to the kitting out hut and living quarters. I joined as an Ordinary Seaman and afterwards was escorted to our Barrack Hut where I spent nine weeks training as a seaman. During which as trainees we were taken to Portsmouth Swimming Pool for lessons in swimming with full Duck Uniform on and a narrow rubber lifebelt to 鈥渒eep us afloat鈥� also some training was down at a fleet training camp called 鈥淔leetlands鈥� where we did a fire fighting course and some diving off a jetty nearby, what this exercise was for I don鈥檛 know, but our class were only to glad to finish the course as there was a danger of us drowning before we even got drafted to our ship.

I was sent for a further Medical Exam and on getting an aye test, I was told that I was Colour blind, and therefore I would have to enter for further service in the Supply Branch. I was given an option to serve as a writer, a Cook, a Signaller or as an Engineering Stoker. I opted for supply and then sent for 3 weeks training to be a Stoker 2nd Class at the main barracks, H.M.S. Victory.

After my training as a Stocker II, I was, along with other Naval ratings put on a truck with our hammock and large canvas bag (with all my belongings) and sent to the dockside to await our transportation to Ryde in the Isle of Wight where we were to pick up our ship. We were unaware as to what kind of ship we were travelling to, all we were told was the name of our permanent home for the foreseeable future, she was named H.M.S. Kelentan, a Minesweeper Depot Ship of 9,000 tons. By this time it was 31st December 1943 and I had served fully for 3 months since my leaving home. Having met my new stoker mates and got into a shipshape routine we were glad to get ashore from our ship each day while we were at anchor on 鈥淭he Solent鈥� channel, while not really at sea yet as we could see the lights of Pompey, be it that they were literally blacked out all the time.

After about a week at Ryde we sailed for the first time as landlubbers! For a trip to the London Docks, to be fitted out for a warmer climate, still obviously this trip to London from Ryde is not very long but it was remembered as the one and only time I became sea sick, so I soon got my sea-legs! Unaware as to where we would be going after we left London, our first suspicions were that we might be going to the Far East somewhere.
By this time we were experiencing the V2 Rockets and the explosions, so we were in a way glad to hear we would be sailing soon back to Ryde, after having the ship fitted out with special Air conditioning which started giving us a 鈥渂uzz鈥� (what we called rumours about where we were going after Ryde). This date was from 2nd October 1944 to 8th December 1944. We were also issued with tropical clothing at this time.

By the time we had sailed for the Isle of Wight, I was as well as other Shipmates, were on 9th December 1944 promoted to a Stoker 1st Class (which is a badge with a propeller and a star above it). I remained a Stoker 1st Class (which is now Technician 1st Class until my demobilisation in January 1947.

I early February 1945 our ship set sail from Ryde (I.O.W) in our journey down the English Channel to an unknown destination, our first sop was to pick up a convoy of ships at the extreme end of Britain, which then started a voyage halfway round the world.

We sailed through many ports and by then time we were in the Indian Ocean steering towards the Pacific Ocean. All this time without, I鈥檓 glad to say, seeing or hearing any enemy ships or aircraft. I think most of the ships company had started to think we were on a cruise! During this time our ship crossed the International dateline on 24th April 1945 and King Neptune honoured those of our ships company, who had not already entered his domain before, and we were initiated fully by his fellow followers which were appropriate to our standing and we were presented with our certificate as proof, see attached document.

Or next port of call was Fremantle Western Australia and we arrived early the morning of 8th May 1945 to be told over the tannoy loud speaker by our Captain Browning that Peace had been declared in Europe 8th to 17th May. Much as this great news was received by the ships company, we all knew that we were now in a new theatre of war against Japan, and we did not know what lay in front of us. We were very fortunate in our Naval Service up to this point of not experiencing any fighting so far in a theatre of war.

Our Captaingave the signal from the bridge to 鈥渟plice the Main Brace鈥� the ships company were given a toast of a 鈥渢ot of rum鈥� (an order from King George VI) in honour of the defeat of Germany and also to peace in Europe.

戮 of the ships company were allowed ashore at Fremantle, which was the port for Melbourne. Most of the Stokers from Mess 8 got ashore, and although this was declared a National Holiday by our allies, and all the shops were closed for the day, we hailed a local taxi to get us to a bar of some kind or hotel, he said he would take us to a wine farm not far away. We were welcomed warmly on this great day and after being shown around the property we were given a lavish wine tasting session with a number of complimentary bottles to take away with us. In the early evening we went to Perth to see the sights, but my three mates decided to go dancing in one of the local halls. As we had no kit with us to hold our bottles, we had to slip them inside our socks of our bell-bottom trousers, and walk into the dance hall, somewhat unsteadily without being noticed as no alcohol was allowed inside the premises. My memory fails at this stage, but we must of made it back to the ship on time!

We had experienced anxiety and nervousness during the first part of our voyage, but the only sad experience was one day en-route we were told that one of our crew had died after an accident on board ship, and the ships company were assembled on deck, for the 鈥淔uneral at Sea鈥�.

Our next port of call was Sydney N.S.W. after negotiating the sea called the The Australian Bight鈥�. Sydney was of importance to myself as I had relations of my parents supposedly living in Australia since 1928, but all the information I had from my father was that they may still be in Sydney. On the day before departure from the harbour I remembered I had not made enquiries as to my relatives, and while reading the Sydney Sun newspaper, I noticed a snippet in one of the pages stating that the Australian Braodcasting Commission were looking for British or Allied Servicemen who had lost touch with relatives. They said you could write to the studios and give your name and family history and the radio would broadcast the information to try and trace them. When I looked through the letters (which I still have) I felt great at the this news, that from many letters were two people who were in fact my cousins, who had left Glasgow in 1928, three years after I was born, amazing luck!

As aresult of my efforts at this time I was able to inform my parents and family of my successful outcome in tracing related familt from afar. My half cousins were able to travel to Scotland to meet our family, but that time of course I was demobbed from the Royal Navy.

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