大象传媒

642745 A.C.I. GUY MABBS.

R.A.F Transit. Liverpool.
40 men to replace airmen in Far East

1941 鈥� 18th November

It was a lovely day for November, the sun was shining and wispy clouds scudded across the sky, I belonged to a small party of airforce od-bods, ods and sods we were then referred to. We were replacements for airmen who had completed their time abroad. The party consisted of 34 airmen but there were only 33 of us, the 34th man was under close arrest he always said he would never go abroad, well it looked like he was going to be wrong. This fellow was a marvellous artist, his cell at West Kirby was proof of this, he was also very clever with his hands at picking locks.

We embarked on the Capetown Castle, our small billet was on the main deck, right at the stern, it was like a large square box with about forty bunk beds one above the other, our box was very useful on many occasions and for many reasons, right in front of our box was a large light gun, thankfully it was only used in practice. After claiming our beds and unloading our kit we were free to wander. I had paled up with a fellow Jimmy Cooper, he came from a travelling family from the fairgrounds, he never knew where he was born and neither did anyone else ! Jimmy had four red balls which he used to produce and make disappear at anytime or one red ball or two, three or four at anytime. We strolled out onto the deck onto the portside. Leaning on the rail looking at Liverpool, the Royal Marine Band was playing in their full regalia, they looked wonderful in the white pitch helmets and lovely uniforms not like everyone else in drab khaki. Jimmy was feeling very sorrowful and I had a lump in my throat, we just stood there and waved goodbye to the band and Liverpool and the Liver Building. We headed north towards Scotland to pick up with the convoy and our escort, although we never ever saw anyone only a smokestack on the horizon. We were near the Scottish boarder and about two 鈥� three miles from the coast when Black (the artist) was released from his cell and came over to the rail where we were standing he was on Jim鈥檚 side about six feet away, he wasn鈥檛 dressed very well just shoes socks trousers and shirt - we had a few words in general, he then proceeded to remove his shoes and socks and then he climbed over the rail and the next thing he dived off the side of the ship. He made a beautiful dive so I should imagine he was a good swimmer. To say we were surprised was an understatement 鈥� surprised, aghast we just didn鈥檛 believe it 鈥� the shouts of man overboard was heard and shouted all over the ship. The Capetown Castle just kept going, we heard that the ship had telephoned the shore, Black was swimming strongly as we lost sight of him. So he kept his word that he would not go abroad.

The shops and canteen had opened their doors so we were able to spend some money. There was a free issue to the service of cigarettes they were called V鈥檚 鈥� V for victory, they were terrible, most service people gave them away 鈥� I mention this for what to come ? There was a cigarette on board the ships called Cape Too Cairo they were in boxes of 50 they were about one shilling and sixpence for 50, everyone was buying one to two hundred, they were the worst cigarettes that I ever smoked 鈥� were we conned !

Our party of 33 was allocated a table for forty two of us had to be meal orderlies, dinner time we all went to the galley, food was very good, tea time most of us went to tea mostly for a cup of tea, supper was free for all. The nineteenth of November, I was one of the mess orderlies for the week, nine bods turned up for breakfast porridge and eggs and bacon with toast, this was general, the food was great double of everything, I was very lucky that I wasn鈥檛 sick throughout the voyage. I never forgot I had deviled kidneys for breakfast they were fabulous. One fellow of our party name of Tich Woods he was ill, sea sick from the 19th till we got to the end of the journey, he used to be able to get to the ships rails but after about a week at sea he never stirred from his bunk bed. There were a lot of fellows seasick but all they got was a tablet. After the first week as meal orderly I was free of duties, so I decided to get a job, I became batman to four Airforce Officers, I had to clean their shoes and buttons morning and evening and I was free of all other duties, the doctors came in very useful later. I never became tired of watching the porpoise swimming across the bow (front) of our ship, very fascinating. We awoke one morning and we realised there was not any movement and then we realised that it was very hot !.

Our first stop since leaving Liverpool. We were in West Africa the town was Freetown. After breakfast the bum-boats came 9ut to trade their wears, which was mainly fruit and sandals, they threw ropes to us with a basket attach and their wears in it, they shouted the price of things and that was how the deal was done. How very honest. We sailed that night. It was hot, the swimming pool was opened, very queer experience, one moment one was in seven feet of water and the next you were standing on the bottom of the pool, this was because of the motion of the ship and the swell. On the way to South Africa it was almost incident free except for one and that was to be me, I dislocated my left arm at the elbow, the lower part of my arm came out of its socket, and twisted half way round, I was put in the sick bay and my arm was put in a wire cage so I could not move it at all.

We arrived at Durban, South Africa on the 22nd December 1941. I was the first person off the ship and taken to hospital for x-ray, everything was alright so I was able to return to normal duty.

On 23rd December I transhipped with the rest of the odds and sods from the Capetown Castle to the Arangi, which was a smaller ship and less tonnage.

642745 A.C.I. GUY MABBS.

R.A.F Transit. Liverpool.
40 men to replace airmen in Far East

January 2nd 1942, I had arrived in Singapore it was raining warm rain. I was waiting to disembark from the Aranji which I had joined in Durham on 23rd December 1941, going back to the beginning of the journey from Liverpool.

October 18th 1941 I embarked on the Capetown Castle, There were Army, Navy and Airforce personnel being posted abroad, I was with a small party of replacements for the Far East, thirty-four of us all told, the war with Japan hadn鈥檛 started yet so we thought we were lucky, the military band was playing on the dock as we pulled away with the Liver Building the last building I saw of old England, Jimmy Cooper a close mate of mine was taking it bad I had a large lump in my throat which made speech rather difficult.

There were few incidences in the nine-week journey, I suppose it was the first incident that was talked about and which I still remember. An R.A.F airman by the name of Black never did know his Christian name, most people called him 鈥淏lackie鈥�, he was a marvellous artist, the cells at West Kirby guardroom were the proof to this effect. Well Blackie said he would never go abroad, he was brought onto the Capetown Castle under escort and held in close confinement until we were well out to sea. I remember we could just see the land on the starboard bow when Blackie dived overboard, the land could have been the Mull of Kintyre that was the last I saw of him as he swam strongly for land.

October is not a good time for landlovers to be at sea even the size of the Capetown Castle, the small R.A.F contingent I belonged to was focused on the main upper deck, at the stern just in front of a four inch gun which to our relief was only used when the gunners had to exercise, when that happened the whole of our rather large cabin was shaken to pieces. The large cabin had double bunkbeds and it was quite roomy, as we came out of our cabin we would walk straight to the sail which a lot of the boys found very convenient when they weren鈥檛 feeling so good, which was often.

Tich Woods as his nickname implies was short to say the least; he was also very inoffensive which was unusual to say the least for small people. To be ill was an understatement, from the time we pulled away from the Dock to the time we docked at Singapore, he became so weak that he couldn鈥檛 make it to the ships rail, the sick bay wouldn鈥檛 entertain him as there were so many others, that the sick bay would have been full - medicine and attention was supplied but Tich wouldn鈥檛 help himself, he wouldn鈥檛 eat any real meals even when they were brought to him, we all did our best for him, but it was a long journey!

To say Tich was contemplating on the fate of Mick Hughes, I turned and looked at Jimmy Cooper, Jim was crouched up-front on the offside of the driver鈥檚 cab with his sub-machine gun pointing forward giving cover for the driver of the lorry, we had been teamed up at Transic Camp Singapore and posted to Kulang to act as an escort for lorries, I was sitting by the tailboard covering the rear with my sub-machine gun, here we were in convoy and once again I was last. I was rear-end Charlie; it struck me as strange that we were always the last truck, covering the rear of the escort. I turned and lookout into the deepening shadows it was early evening but the road was completely covered by trees, which gave a darker effect.

Thinking back to the time when Jimmy, Mick and two other lads and myself had drawn straws so to speak for who was to stay behind to torch the blue torch paper, none of us had thought much about the operation it all seemed very simple, strike a match light the petrol jump into the thirty hundredweight and drive away 鈥� nothing to it?

The time to strike the match was the crucial time, we had been told the japs would come across the airfield which was a good mile and a half, there again they could come from a different direction, so it was decided to wait until the japs started crossing the airfield, we had arranged the drums of petrol along the top of the hill overlooking the rubber plant, we had bayoneted the drums, it was also decided that once the other side of the airfield became undiscernibly because of the light the blue torch paper should be lit.

So what was delaying Mick. I came out of deep thought, Jimmy was saying something, 鈥渨hat鈥檚 that Jim鈥� any sign of Mick, and he should be with us by now. I replied that we should be able to see the light from the fire by now, as we proceeded towards Singapore leaving Kulang well behind, I started wondering what had happened to Mick Hughes?

My thoughts were disturbed when a light in the distance caught my eye, I told Jim that a vehicle was coming up fast and to be ready incase they were fifth column, these people tried to force the trucks off the road, as the vehicle approached I was not able to discern what type of vehicle is was because of the glaring lights and then the lights flashed, I just wasn鈥檛 sure that it was Mick - as the enemy played tricks, not until the truck was right up behind us and had switched its headlights off that I was sure that it was Mick.

There were many duties mainly to keep people occupied. I did a job as mess orderly for breakfast and dinner also as a batman to two R.A.F doctors. I used to clean their buttons and shoes; it helped pass the time the doctors were very good to me in many ways. There wasn鈥檛 all that much to do, there was always a card school going in fact several every day and many all day, the sea scene soon lost its interest of the gulls and porpoise and the phosphorus sea at night.

We rarely saw other ships and when we did it was just a smokestack. When we arrived in Freetown, well that was something, we moved in midstream and the native gunboats came out to fly their wares which was mainly fruit, the natives used to sling a rope aboard with a basket on the other end, by making gesticulations we were able to make one another understand what was required. Freetown must have been someway inland, as all that was in sight were the native villages and a lot of jungle. When we awoke the next day we were well into the South Atlantic Ocean, a show as put on when we crossed the Equator this broke the monotony for a time.

It was just after this that I had an accident, Jim and I were larking about and he was chasing me on deck when I caught my arm on a bollard rather awkward and I dislocated my arm at the elbow it came out of its socket and twisted right round the opposite way, it looked most peculiar, Jim took me to the sick bay where they straightened my arm and put it in a padded wire cage.

Life became very awkward, fortunately it was my left arm that was damaged all duties ceased but I had to report to the sick bay everyday. Lying in the sun all day became very boring he cinema was only open in the evening, I don鈥檛 remember how many times I saw the films, one other item I shall always remember 鈥淭he Caf茅 to Cairo鈥� cigarettes they were in 50 and I think all of the service men bought them and regretted it.

Arriving at Durban on the 22nd December 1941 great speculation on whether we would be there for Christmas? When the Capetown Castle docked I was the first person off and taken straight to hospital to have my arm x-rayed, nothing was broken so I was put on manipulation massage and therapy. My arm quickly healed and I was pleased to dispose of the wire cage.

Durban was a thriving bustling town with a pleasant temperature of lower 70潞f the stay although short was welcome, we changed ships from the Capetown Castle which I believe went onto the Middle East, onto the Aranji, an Australian line, on the 23rd and sailed out of Durban on the 24th Christmas Eve, most people were upset, understandable under the circumstances but there was a war on and trouble in the Far East.

On the Aranji I volunteered once more this time as a steward serving meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner. I had seven officers on two tables I was also treated as staff on the ship and slept in the glory hole, which is right on top of the screws or propellers, the lowest part of the ship, it was a fair number no connection with the services and no duties.

The Aranji was smaller than the Capetown Castle, after leaving Durban we steamed towards the Equator the weather was good and got hotter; this was the first time I ever saw a barracuda, they are not very nice fish sociably so I鈥檝e been informed. We stopped at the Maldives which island, I鈥檝e no idea, I would be interested to find out, we were waiting there for our escort in the meanwhile we were allowed to go swimming in the sea. I dived off the top deck of the Aranji I never thought I would reach the sea buy when I did I never thought I would surface again, quite an experience once more something one doesn鈥檛 forget.

During the night we steamed out of the Maldives islands where we met our escort, HMS Exeter and HMS Emerald; the Emerald was an ack ack ship so I was informed. There were no incidences and everything was very serene until we past in-between Sumatra and Java into the Java Sea, there we saw a plane shot down, the first since I was on leave in London, that must have been 1st January 1942 New Years Day and that was only yesterday.

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