大象传媒

Alexander Moore
This story is taken from an interview with Alexander Moore, and has been added to the site with their permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions. The interview was by RBL Waterside Branch, and transcription was by Bruce Logan.
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I joined up in 1940. I joined the RN at Cliften Street in Belfast. I was 18. My 5 brothers were all in the Forces. There was just myself a sister in the house, but mother suffered from diabetes.
A couple of us went to Belfast together. Harry Hamilton 鈥� there was to be 6 of us, but they didn鈥檛 turn up at the station. There was just 2 of us.
One of my brothers was in the RN. It was something I looked forward to. The only particular thing I worried about was seasickness.
I signed up as a telegraphist, but I couldn鈥檛 even say the word. I was coming down on the train the whole time, but I couldn鈥檛 even say the word.
Thursday night, dark night. I came into the kitchen. Mother and father 鈥�
鈥淲here were you?鈥�
鈥淚 went to Belfast to join up.鈥�
I tried to tell them 鈥� 鈥渢elegraph pole鈥� was as near as I could get to 鈥渢elegraphist鈥�. But that鈥檚 how I joined up.
They thought they had enough sons in the Forces.

It was before Xmas. A couple of months after I was called to HMS Ganges in Ipswitch. Over in England they were suffering from planes and bombs.
In the barracks it was double-bunks.
I thought it was just like at home, they would pass over. I left Derry thinking it was all quiet. That was my first experience of how close the planes were. Fear.

But after that it was ok. I left the Ganges and went up to Cheltenham and Gloucester. 6 months, I learned Morse code. It sticks with you all the time.

The first service I got was Rekyavik in Iceland. There I joined a Norwegian ship, I was the only Brit aboard. And the funny thing about it, the chap I took over from was a southern Ireland lad. He was shifted somewhere else.
It was a small trawler called Honnigsfag.

The messages were in English. My cabin was next the Capt鈥檚 cabin. He had a big alsatian that became my pet as well.
We took convoys to Murmansk. Not all the way 鈥� a certain distance, then we came back.

I was seasick, a bucket between my legs. When she rolled, I boaked. But I soon got over it.

There was several ships on escort. I never got on deck. I was there for 17 months. We could hear the big stuff up there, but we were at the back on the convoy. We just came back into Rekyavik. 1941-2, the start of the war.

I came home, looking to get a long leave. I got recalled to Devonport barracks. They were gathering Naval Party 10-71. We went on a troopship and landed in South Africa, Durban. We were there not very long, mixed with army. We all guessed the destination. Some might have guessed right.
We eventually landed in Bombay, and went to HMS Briganza. It was like HMS Sea Eagle at Derry 鈥� it was a shore base.

Tommy Burns was on the Repulse when she went down.
I met him at the Briganza. We were there for 3 months, and he showed me about. There wasn鈥檛 just RN there was army, all sorts from all different countries. Navies from all over the world for refuelling. They got a break. It was a meeting place for despatching somewhere else.

It was then we got orders for Rangoon. I didn鈥檛 now where we were going 鈥� Rangoon in Burma. There was 80-100 of us, including army blokes. The war was nearly finished in Rangoon. But the guns were still going when we went ashore. There must have been a day after, and this school of nuns, where the Japs kept most of their prisoners. When it quietened down after the Japs had gone, we discovered the torture chamber in this place. They kept people with rings on the walls, in this school.
Also in Rangoon, because of being a wireless operator I boarded a docked ship 鈥渢he beacon鈥� for 2-3 days to relieve someone on duty, take messages. In that time I couldn鈥檛 believe my luck, because people came from a troopship to get stores and it was a Derry man from my class in Derry Cathedral School. He was White from Fountain Street, in the Merchant Navy. He was a great friend because he gave me a lot of stuff.

At that time you weren鈥檛 getting many messages from home. You wondered if you鈥檇 get back again. We played football. It was a good thing. It took your mind off what you were doing.

I was youngest of 6, and they all came back.

At the school, everyone was looking for souvenirs. All I could get was a Jap typewriter!

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