大象传媒

This article, presented here in 8 chapters plus an introduction, is the naval autobiography of Alec Kellaway. Alec served in the Royal Navy from January 1936 to November 1947. His story shows what life was like training for the Navy immediately before the war as well as service in a wide variety of ships during the conflict. The book was written by Alec himself and has previously been published on the HMS Hood Association web site (www.hmshood.com) and in the HMS Cossack Association newsletters.

I was There! Where? Chapter 5a Coastal Forces

A few weeks were spent in Portsmouth doing various jobs and fire watching on duty nights. One fire watching evening I was given some forty or more ratings to take to various buildings in Portsmouth docks after detailing these men around the buildings I was left with the Naval museum as my fire watching area, what an eerie place to be in. On another night I took a detail to fire watch in Portsmouth鈥檚 Kingston prison, this prison was empty as all the inmates had been evacuated, this building was so large that with only about eight of us on duty in various sections we were all glad when morning saw us back in barracks.

I was then transferred to Stamshaw Camp just outside Portsmouth; this was a temporary set of buildings to take the overflow from the main barracks.

Here I became a big noise as all the other Leading Stokers were of acting rate and seniority was very important in the Navy. When we fell in for our daily instructions I was left until last, normally getting an easy number. One morning I was given about 10 or 12 masseurs to go and dig over a piece of land that the Wrens wanted to cultivate for a vegetable patch 鈥� dig for victory being the slogan. A look at the ground convinced me that it was too hard for men who had to massage injured personnel, I reported my thoughts to the regulating office and all I got was to try our best and that was that.

I was suddenly recalled to RNB as I was to be drafted. On arrival at barracks I had a quick medical and was told I would be leaving for Esher the next day. Puzzled about this I was told it was for an engine course for high-speed petrol engines. The trip by train was very short as Esher was near the Thames. The draft was taken to an establishment run by Railton Cars who were doing the instruction on this type of engine. The engines were American Hall Scotts which were being fitted into different types of Fairmile motor launches. These launches being fabricated and built in many yards around the world. These launches were very multi-purpose coming as motor torpedo boats, motor gunboats, air sea rescue and anti-submarine warfare, though there were many variations later on.

The trainees at Railton were given a fortnight鈥檚 course which was very intensive, giving the trainees the know how to maintain the running of the engines and carry out simple repairs. This stood me very well on my first motor launch. We trainees were also given information regarding the construction of the boats and knowledge about the water tanks and fuel storage. It was while at Esher that I heard about the loss of the Hood, 24th May 1941. A fine ship and a good crew lost in a few minutes. I felt very sad about this, remembering my early days on her.

At the end of this course I was recalled to RNB and put in charge of a draft going to Fort William in Scotland. The draft consisted of ordinary seamen and stokers. We were to be given instructions in each other鈥檚 disciplines. This was in case of an emergency there would be some knowledge of other鈥檚 work systems. This would enable a crew to survive; seamen could man the engines, stokers could man the guns and take the helm also simple wireless and signalling along with basic navigation. Most of the draft were men called up for hostilities only. I was probably the only time serving rating in the draft.

The journey to Fort William was long and tedious. Portsmouth to London Waterloo, Waterloo to Kings Cross, Kings Cross to Edinburgh and Edinburgh to Fort William. The train from Kings Cross to Edinburgh stopped at Crewe and there we managed to get a drink and sandwich. On leaving Crewe it was found that one of the draft was missing. This was a puzzler as I was in charge and had lost a man. There was nothing I could do until our arrival at Edinburgh, when I would have to report to the naval patrol office that I had lost a man. The train pulled into Edinburgh and to my amazement there was my missing sailor, he had caught another train from Crewe and arrive before us, a big sigh of relief.

At Fort William we were taken out daily in a motor launch and took over different boat operations to give us confidence in each other. There was no examination at the end. One thing that was missing was instruction in cooking. On ML鈥檚 and small craft the provision and cooking of meals was left to anyone of the crew who felt capable. It must be taken into account that the crew would be very small on any coastal force craft. On my first ML the crew consisted of two officers, one leading seaman coxswain, one leading motor mechanic, one leading stoker, two stokers, three seamen and one telegraphist. One of the stokers was very proficient in that he could help the telegraphist out with his duties. Myself, I could carry out the coxswain鈥檚 duties and assisted in gun maintenance. When it came to cooking we were fortunate in that our telegraphist whose secondary duty was to act as batman to the officers, was also a reasonable cook.

Anyhow to get back to Fort William, after two weeks the draft I took up was on its way to Brixham in Devon to pick up our respective boats. However there was a change of control in the draft, I was no longer in charge. It had been that the ordinary seaman I had taken to Fort William had all been uprated to Leading Seamen as they were going to be processed through King Alfred鈥檚 Naval establishment as Royal Naval volunteer officers. So a Leading Seaman, being senior to a Leading Stoker, I lost my charge.

If the journey from Portsmouth to Fort William was arduous the move from Fort William to Brixham was even more so. We had to change trains five times before arrival at Brixham. Lugging our kit with us. We arrived at Brixham in the early evening and then had to find someone who wanted us. After a lot of flapping around a naval officer was found who would be responsible while we stayed in Brixham. He had to then contact private houses that would take us in as lodgers. I was found a very comfortable digs with two elderly people and the meals were very good. Each day we had to present ourselves to the office for instructions. Each day we would be sent away to report on the next day. This went on a few days until one morning six of us were told to be ready with our kit to go by train to Appledore in North Devon.

We were met at Appledore by our future commanding officer, Lieutenant D. Booth RNVR, who told us that our boat was ML 279 but we could not live aboard at the moment as living accommodation had not been finished. We were to be accommodated in Appledore Town Hall, which had been taken over by the RAF as a billet for their air sea rescue launch crew. We crew members got on very well with the airmen, the food was excellent, every day the corporal cook would go to the nearby aerodrome and pick up the daily rations. On his return he would prepare very good meals. It was a pity that we would have to leave!

The day came when we could live on board our boat and it was a real surprise to us. The messes on the main fleet ship were really cramped but here on 279 we had good living space. There were enough bunks and mess tables for about 14 persons plus a double cabin for the coxswain and motor mechanic. The two officers were accommodated aft in a reasonable sized wardrobe, which also were their sleeping quarters. One of the main drawbacks was the supply of fresh water. The water tanks capacity was about 3 tons; this was adequate if the boat was on short journeys but proved inadequate for us at later dates. Our time at Appledore was spent in getting familiar with various aspects of the boat and we received very valuable assistance from the boat builders. The crew were astounded on our first sight of 279 it was noticed that the wooden hull was covered in copper sheeting, this told us that the boat was going into tropical waters. It was also noticed that there were five large tanks on deck. Two each side of the boat and one across the deck behind the engine room hatch. We were told that each tank could hold 500 gallons of petrol with our main tanks holding 1500 gallons. We could go a long way and we did!

Apart from getting to know the boat there was very little for us to do apart from cleaning and discussing our future. An episode I clearly remember was taking our 1st Lieutenant in the dinghy across the River Torridge from Appledore to Instow. In itself not a difficult task; the crossing from Appledore was no problem but on the return journey the tide had started to ebb and with great difficulty I managed to reach the boatyard slipway many yards from 279. It was fortunate that I could walk around from the slipway pulling the dinghy through the water back to 279. In the first instance I had visions of being swept out into the Bristol Channel as the tide was ebbing very fast, but luck was on my side.

The time approached when 279 had her trials and our stay in Appledore was over. We then returned to Brixham for crew training in anti-submarine warfare and with much speculation among the crew regarding our destination. We had done our depth charge exercises, our armament exercises and it was now a waiting period when our CO came aboard said half the crew were to go on 7 days leave and the remainder afterwards. Still no idea where we were going. It fell that I was in the first batch for leave. I knew that our coxswain Tony Bostock had saved his rum ration and had about seven tots in a bottle 鈥� an illegal practice 鈥� I asked him if I could have this and I would let him have my ration on our normal return to duties. He agreed to this and I went on leave with his bottle of rum which I thoroughly enjoyed, but alas for Tony on the day I went on board after my leave I shook hands with him as he was leaving for his officers course and we never met again. Our new coxswain arrived and 279 was sent around to Oreston, near Plymouth to be raised out of the water for under water inspection.

To get our rations and stores it entailed travelling by road to Plymouth and it was necessary to get transport from the navy pool at Plymouth. The first trip to be done, getting rations and some engine spare which meant going into Devonport Dockyard, I was given a time to expect this transport. The transport arrived on time and to our surprise it was a big American Hudson limousine what luxury for common sailors.

One lunch time a few of us with nothing to do went for a beer in the nearest pub, this was without permission to leave the boat, on arrival at the pub we went into the lounge bar only to find our C O in there, this was a shock to us and we beat a hasty retreat into the public bar had a pint then returned to the boat. Not long after our return the C O sent for the coxswain and said 鈥渢hat we were not to leave a bar because he was there we were entitled to drink in the same bar as him while on shore鈥�, our coxswain thanked him and we all breathed a sigh of relief we could have been put on a charge for being off the boat without permission.

We later left the shipyard at Oreston and went into the Devonport Dockyard to complete our storing and getting extra stores for our unknown destination. Life was generally very normal for us but Plymouth and Devonport were being heavily bombed by German bombers and suffered badly although all the drama missed us.

From Devonport we progressed towards our final destination by going to Clovelly, North Devon, to wait for another ML who was to be our flotilla leader. It was very astonishing that only moderate seas were encountered on all our journeys up to Londonderry, this was soon to alter. Our stay at Clovelly was very brief we were soon on our way

Anyhow on our journey towards Londonderry a mine was noticed that had broken away from its moorings, it being a threat to any vessel that it may encounter. As 279 was nearest to the mine we were told to try and sink it. At first rifles were used to no effect, then machine guns, then our grenade thrower 鈥� which was a length of tubing with an air bottle at the base, fitted with a triggering device, a grenade with safety pin removed was dropped into the tube, the tube was aimed at a target, the trigger was then operated and a blast of air would send the grenade on its way. It was for defence against low attacking aircraft. Against this mine it was very unsuccessful. After that our 3-pounder gun on the forecastle was given an outing, no success. It was now realised that all our armament had been used and the mine still bobbed about.

Our senior officer who had been observing our attempts at mine destruction sent a signal to say your best attempt now would be to ram it! Then gave the order to carry on to Londonderry leaving the mine to bob along its merry way though warning signals were sent out.

The two MLs arrived at Londonderry and waited for other MLs to arrive. Within a few days two other MLs joined us and the four were ordered to take on food supplies, fill all fuel and water tanks for a prolonged sea trip. This was carried out and the four MLs sailed away from Londonderry. This little flotilla rounded Northern Ireland and sailed into the Atlantic where two Corvettes who were our escorts to Gibraltar met us. A journey that was to take seven days in very heavy seas. It was marvellous that we reached Gibraltar as only about two of us were not seasick.

Alec's Story continues in Chapter 5b - Coastal Forces

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