大象传媒

One day in Naples we had a launch arrive and a dozen naval ratings came aboard schooner rigged (one of everything). The last time I heard of that was when they sent destroyers to Malta. The Navy men just took one set of gear on those voyages. One of my best pals went on one Malta run and was sunk three times. He had nervous disability for the rest of his life. He has died since.

The gunners came aboard and we had plenty of bunks on our quarters and sheets and pillows from the steward. There was a Killick (leading seaman) with them so I put him in charge of the twelve-pounder with a crew of his own. I showed him the ammunition and showed his team how we had to use speed to send up shells as far as possible. They began to drill and I was very happy with them. Lt Cdr Wilson had done me a favour sending me them. I put the extra men with my Oerlikon gunners, to lift the shell magazines on and off; they are heavy and with someone helping loading was twice as fast. I had my own guns crew on the four inch high or low angle gun, so I was ready for all the Germans in the universe. The Bofors gun was also a great anti-aircraft gun and was manned by a maritime ack-ackcrew of artillery gunners, second to none.

We still had no idea where we were bound. I guess we were invading somewhere, maybe the coast of France. Next day we had a load of Yanks board us with a load of DUCKWs - landing craft to ride on water and on land. Captain Bell was their commander and he never left us. He played solo with us all the time. We used some of the Yankee provisions, with his permission. Bacon, in long tins, and tomatoes. He, Capt Bell, loved bacon and toms for his supper. Our cook gave my peggies a galley key, a big pan and a couple of kits, and we enjoyed our supper every night.

Next day we sailed. The captain and myself had been given an envelope, each heavily sealed, not to be opened until a certain time. I arranged with our captain to see him and open our letters together when the time came. We opened them. We were to pass Corsica at dark and go to some place just before Marseilles, drop the yanks off with their DUCKWs and come back to Naples, alone. We also had a list of Aircraft, we should see, all British, no Yanks or German on the list. There was a brick fort on the beach with some Germans manning it. A French battleship outside flattened it, and also the enemy. We were on our way to Naples.

We were steaming back, when we were all on dusk watch. Everyone in DEMS, at Sea, had to stand by their guns at dawn and dusk because the enemy always those times to attach shipping. The sun had not gone down, but it was a little higher than usual. When a plane flew past us on our starboard side, I spoke 鈥渢hat is a Junkers 88, he will turn and go to the sun, then with the sun behind him, will try and dive bomb us. When you all hear me fire the four-inch, give him hell very rapid.鈥� I waited just long enough for him to turn start his dive and I fired. The barrage, that followed, was murderous. All my gunners had been taught by the Royal Navy and the maritime acc-acc Bofors gun crew, for hours and hours, in how to shoot at an enemy attacking from every angle in the frame, so they were the best before I had ever seen them.

Next day, we went to work cleaning and oiling every weapon on board. I wrote out my action report and gave it to Lt Cdr Wilson to send to London. He then told me he and his staff were joining our ship to take over the DEMS office at Marseilles.

He used to examine the guns every morning to see I was doing my job right and he had a gadget which had a small mirror fixed to it. When slipped into the breech, it would show all of the inside of the barrel. He presented me with one of these. I though I would also like to see what a barrel would look like dirty after having been fired for a spell, so I put a drum on an Oerlikon, and I fired quite a few rounds. I put my gadget in the breech and looked in the mirror. The inside was spotless and I was speechless. I put a clean pull-through in and pulled it all the way through. The rag I had used was as black as the Hobbs of Hell. I put another drum on, and fired another few rounds and told the gunner not to clean it until I told him. I wanted Lt Cdr Wilson to examine it the next day.

The Lt Cdr was waiting early next morning to examine the guns and we soon got to the dirty Oerlikon. He popped his gadget into the breech and said, 鈥淔ine, fine as usual.鈥� I never said anything to him, as would be getting shut of him next day. I picked my gadget and tossed it into the sea.

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