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I was 11 years old when the War broke out and 2 days later I started at Colchester Grammar School. A lot of time was spent in air raid shelters and because of the intense bombing the School was closed. I then attended the church school in Stoneham Street in Coggeshall. We went to school from 8am to 1pm as we had to share with evacuated children from London.

Several of us had pen pals and I struck up a correspondence with a chap on a submarine whose name, I think, was Able Seaman Davis. The letters stopped abruptly and I thought the worst but in fact he did survive the War.

When I left school I started work at Crittalls in Braintree and I biked there from Coggeshall. I well remember the Doodlebugs and the land mines which were dropped by parachute - whenever I heard a Doodlebug I would quickly take shelter in a ditch. At 13 I was in the Army Cadets at the Grammar School in Coggeshall and at 15 I joined the Navy Cadets in Braintree — more cycling 2 nights a week! At weekends I biked to Maldon for sailing.

When I was 17 in 1945 I joined the Royal Navy as a boy seaman. I was placed in the Fleet Air Arm and eventually posted to Aircraft Carriers in the Far East where I was an engine mechanic. I was fascinated to watch the aircraft take off and land on the decks of the carriers. Each plane, called a Seafire had 2 chocks for which I was responsible. It was very exciting and dangerous work. The ship was called the HMS Glory with approximately 1300 crew and 15 aircraft even though this was regarded as a small carrier. I remained with the HMS Glory until 1947 then came home and recommenced work at Crittalls the following year.

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