Flying fish on board ship in South Atlantic, circa 1942
- Contributed by听
- flyingfish-atlantic
- People in story:听
- Sub Lieutenant Bill Moat RNVR
- Location of story:听
- South Atlantic
- Background to story:听
- Royal Navy
- Article ID:听
- A8959468
- Contributed on:听
- 29 January 2006
My father Bill Moat, who qualified in Local Government accountancy before the war, was called up and joined the Royal Navy in June 1940 as an Ordinary Signalman.
Dad trained during active service in electronics, radio and radar gaining promotion to Signalman, Wireless Mechanic, Leading Radio Mechanic and Petty Officer Radio Mechanic, finally leaving in May 1946 after being commissioned as acting Sub Lieutenant (Special Scientific Branch) RNVR in February 1945 and qualifying as Sub Lieutenant and Radar Officer in December 1945.
On board ship, Dad took part in the Battle of the Atlantic (convoy escort), North African landings and D-Day campaigns. Of particular interest to the family is a unique photographic record taken by Dad on board the ships he served in.
One example (in which a flying fish had flown on board in the South Atlantic) is shown here. This photograph fascinated his grandchildren and once got my young daughter (who liked to feed the ducks) in trouble at school for "stupidly" matching the words "Fish - Fly" and "Birds - Swim"!
From March 1942 to September 1943 Dad served aboard HMS Clare (formerly USS Abel P Upshur), one of fifty Town Class destroyers transferred from the United States to Great Britain in 1940 as a result of the Destroyers for Bases 鈥淟end/Lease鈥 Agreement.
A story not related in these photographs, which was told by my father, described his visit on shore leave during the war to a Washington DC tailor鈥檚 shop when he arranged to purchase a pair of trousers with turn-ups. On leaving the shop he heard the tailor turn round to an assistant and say 鈥淗ey Harry, the guy wants cuffs on his pants!鈥.
Regrettably, through permanent illness, Dad is no longer able to communicate the stories behind the many photographs, except through the various written comments made at the time in the album which my father compiled.
My sister and I know these photographs were and are still very important to Dad, although regrettably he found precious little leisure opportunity to talk to us about them, with full time caring duties in retirement, prior to succumbing eventually to ill health himself.
These photographs are something of a family legacy which this entry may help to preserve in future. More of these photographs will hopefully be available soon at www.flyingfish.me.uk
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