大象传媒

After two months of training I was selected and drafted as a seaman gunner to a L.C. A. flotilla that was based on loch fine lnverary Scotland This outfit was being used to train a large force of Canadian troops in the art of amphibious assault Once again I was to spend long hours in the boat landing troops on the beaches We were accommodated aboard an old paddle steamer swinging around the hook on the loch - The food was poor and slung hammocks in overcrowded mess decks where the order of the day The only thing good about the ship was the rum ration The weather conditions were cold and wet In fact it was raining when I arrived and still raining when I left three months later The training at lnverary was intense with live ammunition and explosive charges being used to simulate battle conditions Men were drowned , injured and killed in these day and night training operations - which was a high price to pay for a trained assault force The training ended and I was drafted to join a L.C.A carrier ship at Southampton A word about the L.CA. landing craft assault She was a strong wooden craft with armoured side panels and armoured doors which protected the 35 men she carried who sat in three rows behind them Forward of these doors was the heavy iron bound ramp which was lowered and raised by hand There were two armoured cockpits port and starboard, one was for the coxswain or helmsman with the steering controls voice pipe and telegraphs , with which to pass his orders to the stoker in the small engine room at the stern where he sat between two ford V8 engines which supplied the power to drive the boat through its twin screws at a speed of ten knots The port side cockpit mounted a Lewis machine gun which was to protect the craft against enemy air attack and to give support fire to the disembarking troops There were signaling flags and a hand operated bilge pump and a kedge anchor. For hoisting and lowering the craft from the ships davits was a very strong steel eye fore and aft She lay low in the water and offered a poor target for the enemy gunners , this also made her less seaworthy It needed skilful handling to keep her from swamping in rough weather The carrier ship was a 2800 ton coal burning ex Irish sea ferry (Princess Margaret) which had been converted to carry eight L.C.A.s slung from heavy duty power operated davits These lowered the craft with crew and troops aboard into the water They also picked up the craft in the same way This operation required good seamanship on the part of the landing craft crews to release the pitching boat from the falls and clear the ships side before a rubbing strake which surrounded the ship came crashing down on them This strake should have been removed when the ship was converted. Also the hull shape made this ship unsuitable as a L.C.A. carrier and we landing craft men thought that it must have been an armchair sailor at the Admiralty who chose it. The ship was armed and accommodated 700 troops she also accommodated a large number of cockroaches The L.C.A. crews mess deck was below the troop space at the stern of the ship just above the propeller shaft This iron box in which we lived was kept spotless and we did our best to keep the cockroaches at bay it was a merchant navy vessel crewed by merchant officers and men we had our own officers and our CO dished out punishment like Captain Bly but unlike Captain Bly who was a good seaman he was a poor one. Our other three officers were OK and one who was very popular with the men often complained to the CO about excessive punishment .The CO soon had him drafted and before our mr Christian left the ship we presented him with a cigarette lighter inscribed 鈥渢o an officer and a gentleman鈥� He shook hands all round and went down the gangway with a tear in his eye we would miss this highly respected officer. Things eventually came to a head between the men and the CO. The ship was anchored off Cowes, the duty boat was ordered to take the officers ashore to a dance. We had received a signal that mail was awaiting us in the RN post office .After dropping off the officers ,the crew asked permission to collect our mail The CO refused and they where ordered back to the ship When the boat returned to pick up the officers the CO was again asked permission to collect the mail . He refused and to make matters worse it was noticed that the officers had collected their own. When told the L.C.A. crews were furious and consulted stripy a three badged time serving able seaman known as the lower deck lawyer who after a great deal of thought came up with a risky solution to our problem when the crews were fell in and given their various duties by the officer of the watch and told to dismiss they were to disregard the order and stand fast.
When the officer of the watch wanted to know why the men were acting this way the leading seaman was to inform him the men were refusing to dismiss until they were allowed to collect their mail This action was carried out and the officer of the watch disappeared to report to the CO who came storming up with a 38 revolver and informed us he would give us one more chance to dismiss and carry on with our duties He gave the order to dismiss no one moved. He then said the reason the mail has not been collected is because of the bad weather If I can get a volunteer crew I will go ashore myself and collect it The 40 men took one pace forward A crew was picked and away they went .The rest smartly turned forward and went about their duties. Stripy informed us that with holding mail according to Admiralty regulations was a crime and that was the reason the CO backed down and the affair was hushed up It also had the effect of reducing the amount of
punishment being dished out for the slightest infringement and the ship became a more pleasant environment - how a man of this type could be put in charge of men .especially in wartime is a mystery He would be described today as a waste of space .

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