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Here’s something else. When a sailor reports sick in the Navy, the officer of the day must escort him to the Medical Officer and stay with him throughout the consultation.

When sailors are going ashore, the Navy gives them a supply of condoms and a talk from the doctor about sexually transmitted diseases. They didn’t want to spoil the sailors’ fun, but insisted that they must be scrupulously careful.

One day I was Officer of the day and took a sailor along to the doctor. ‘What’s the problem?’ asked the doctor. ‘I’ve got a bit of a problem — er, down there,’ said the sailor. The doctor had a look and said ‘Whatever have you been doing? You’ve got a dose. Didn’t you follow our instructions about this?’ ‘Well, I don’t understand it, doctor,’ said the sailor. ‘I went with one lady, and then I went with another. I used the condom with the first lady and then turned it inside out for the second one.’

This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Becky Barugh and Graham Brown of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Shropshire CSV Action Desk on behalf of Russell Billson and has been added to the site with his permission. Mr Billson fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

See more of Russell's stories and photographs:

• 1) I was so fascinated that I enrolled on the spot!
• 2) I had the time of my life
• 3) Flying Walruses
• 4) A Jack-of-all-trades
• 5) A lucky escape
• 7) Badly needed at home
• 8) Shocking statistics
• Aircraft qualified to fly as first pilot
• Operational Airfields and Bases
• World War Two Key Dates

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