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Demob from HMS Nigella, Flower class Corvette K19
Transcribed from a video recording

I got my notice to say thanks very much — well it didn’t say thanks very much — that’s the end of the line, mate, the boot. So I was transferred to a landing craft in Sheerness to await my discharge. And that’s when the funny bit comes in again, because we were all issued with what we called Demob uniforms. The Government had decided — we only had our uniforms, no civvies — we had a gratuity, fifty pounds, a lot of money then, so armed with my fifty pounds we went into to the clothing store and were issued with suits. Well the suits fitted where they touched, I think they had barbed wire knitted into them, you could, well really, I think they must have had contracts for the cheapest possible material they could get for these suits, and the hat looked like an American gangster, with a narrow brim, I am sure it was cardboard, well of course I got rid of that sharpish, didn’t I. So that was the end of that one. End of the line. After that I went into the Merchant Navy.

Gordon Richmond

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