大象传媒

Tuesday, May 8th 1945 was, as usual, hot, humid and accompanied by the various odours of a naval ship moored in the open haven of a West African port. The ship was H.M.S. Philoctetes. The harbour was Freetown, Sierra Leone.

That morning we had all listened to the fluctuating (short wave radio) sonorous tones of Winston Churchill announcing the end of hostilities in Europe and, more importantly (for some !) directing the Fleet to 鈥渟plice the mainbrace鈥�.
I had not long turned 18 and so, was not entitled to draw rum until I reached my majority (21). Despite this anachronism, I was issued with two gin tickets , and six beer tickets which, accompanied by payment in west African money, could redeem at the canteen ashore at Kissy, the shore establishment.

I dressed in the ring of the day (appropriate uniform) after cleaning up. Tropical duties were from 6am to 1pm 鈥� unless you were duty watch aboard.

It is, perhaps, worth amplifying this here. In the Royal Navy, at that time, each ships鈥� company was divided into two 'watches'. One is the starboard watch, and the other, the port watch. Moreover, each 'watch' is divided into two parts. The 1st and the 2nd part. From this you will gather that, when Liberty Men 'piped' over the ship鈥檚 tannoy system. One part of one 'watch' remains abroad as a 鈥榮keleton鈥� crew, so as to operate all appropriate systems.
The off-duty 'watch' would enjoy a more expensive liberty (shore leave) than that part of the duty 'watch' which was required to report back earlier. Officers only were allowed an overnight shore leave. Other ranks were required to return by midnight.

Much bartering etc, led to many men obtaining much more than their statutory entitlement to both rum and gin and, to a lesser degree, beer tickets. I gave my gin tickets away, collected my beer at the expanded metal grille protected bar, and retreated to the rear of the canteen, which also doubled as an open air cinema.
It was an open-sided structure with logs supporting a thatched roof 鈥� bar at one end, the other, tiered benches rising almost to the eaves. Carrying my beer bottles up these, I had a good over view of a hall approximately the size of a badminton court. I must mention here that my beer, Canadian Black Horse Brewery 鈥� Montreal, was quite strong !

I was joined by a drunken Leading Telegraphist, who white faced with alcoholic rage attempted to intimidate the coloured barman (a naval auxiliary) into providing him with more gin or beer.
The frightened barman, eyes rolling with fear, kept repeating the mantra
鈥淣o tickets, no drink, boss !!鈥�
The Telegraphist, fingers hooked into the metal grille, which were bleeding with the effort being exerted, was causing the grille to creak ominously. This drunken idiot, in immaculate 鈥榳hites鈥� was later to stagger into a table, groaning with beer bottles at which a group of Stockers from a corvette in the F.E.F. (Freetown Escort Force) producing 鈥楧aily Mirror鈥� goalkeeper saves to reduce the potential spillage. Having restored some stability to their stocks, they proceeded to severely chastise the drunk. He was later to be found on the slimy floor of a native urinal, comatose. Many other horrific scenes occurred 鈥︹�︹��

Belatedly, I now come to the point of all this 鈥榮etting the scene鈥� so to speak. Having finished my beers and being concerned for my safety in the scenes I was witnessing, I left the canteen, and commenced to walk back to Kissy Jetty to catch one Liberty Cutters back to Pholoctetes. I passed a trio of Petty Officers supporting their middle member, who as so intoxicated that his toes (inside white regulation canvas topped shoes) were scuffing along the dirt road.

He was, normally, an inoffensive chap called Walker, who came from Wallsend. I later learnt he had been in the Navy from the beginning of the War. He was a Petty Officer Motor Mechanic.

At the jetty I quickly jumped into the rising and falling cutter, and took up a position on the 鈥渘ettles鈥� to the rear of the helmsman.
From this position, I was out of harm鈥檚 way, and I could observe much of the amusing attempts to the board the cutter by returning Liberty men 鈥� some of whom, in particular, Walker were clearly inebriated. It was quite a pantomime, even with the assistance of both the Bowman and engineer.

I should explain that cutters of this size can ferry up to a hundred men in comfort at a time. The current at this point runs at about nine knots, so that the helmsman must be experienced and keep the cutter engine racing to maintain station (position) alongside the jetty.

Because of the steady stream of returning personnel, tying up and casting off was never adopted. Ultimately, a full complement, including all the drunks were safety aboard and off we went, out to Philoctetes.

H.M.S. 'Philoctetes' was a converted Runciman passenger/cargo vessel of approximately 11,000 tons, functioning as a depot repair ship. Tied up to her starboard boom was a flower class corvette and a sloop. One of Philoctetes' boiler rooms had been removed. The space created was now a large machine shop which serviced the frigates, sloops and corvettes in need of repairs which formed part of the F.E.F.

Down the starboard side of Philoctetes was the usual Jacob鈥檚 Ladder, with a level landing stage at the bottom, all of which was stable and supported from above in the usual fashion.

Disembarking from the cutter was tricky. First came the list as everyone rushed to leave (all the while rising and falling) This was compounded by the cutter rising higher in the water as the personnel left. I had always jumped for the landing stage quickly running up the ladder and watched the 鈥榝un鈥� from the focsule some eighty to a hundred feet above. In the event, tragedy occurred of the cutter to the landing stage.

Walker tried some three or four times to jump from the gunwale of the cutter to the landing stage. His last attempt even though assisted by friends' who would not brook interference failed. He slipped, and disappeared into the racing current. His blond hair a halo as he sank to the cries of
鈥淢an over-board !!鈥�
An officer of the corvette alongside, doffed his uniform cap and shoes, and dived in, with others, all coming up with out him. They were only recovered with difficulty 鈥� otherwise more fatalities might have been recorded.

Walker was never seen again, his body never recovered. He left a widow and two daughters after six years of war!

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