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This story was submitted to the People's War site by Louise Angell of the CSV Action desk at 大象传媒 Radio Derby, on behalf of Robert Franklyn. The author understands the sites terms and conditions.

I joined the navy in 1942 as a volunteer. All my mates went and I didn't want to be left out. I was an able seaman and in action was part of a turret crew. I was on the battleship HMS Duke of York. Our job was to sail to Iceland and wait for the convoys coming, mainly from Britain, taking food to Russia and protect them from the Germans. Boxing Day 1943, the Scharnhorst, a German battleship, that used to pick off the smaller ships in the convoy, appeared and we got into a fight with us. She caught fire and HMS Jamaica went in with torpedoes. She went down and they reckoned there were two thousand people on board. We picked up just 36 survivors and took them back with us. I was on the boat for two and a half years, despite not being able to swim! They came looking for army volunteers and I decided I could do with a spell on dry land and the chance to have a pint. I was sent to Ballykelly, near Londonderry in Northern Ireland with the Welsh Fuisilliers. I did my infantry training and was transferred to the Leicestershire Regiment and became a Commando. I had a different uniform everytime I went home! the training I did was very vigorous. I was based in Wrexham and then went to a barrackes in Worcestershire where I achieved the rank of Sergeant until I was demobbed. My job was discipline, to keep law and order as well as office duties. You went in as a boy and came out a man. I'd never been away from home before that.

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