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We left England aboard the troopship M.V. DUNERA, which was a converted cargo ship, that was years later, converted again for educational school trips. It was more like a cruise with plenty of time to relax, smoke and chat. Practically every one of the troops aboard was sea-sick on our passage across the Bay of Biscay, except me and a handful of others. Luckily I have never been seasick in my life and at times I have known some very rough seas that did damage to the flight-deck high up on our aircraft carrier. We arrived at Valletta Harbour, Malta, on Christmas Day 1948 to be posted to the light fleet aircraft carriers HMS TRIUMPH (my ship), HMS OCEAN and other ships.
HMS TRIUMPH
I was one of the keyboard sentries in charge of a large array of keys working in ‘four hour watches’, except for the two ‘dog watches’ of two hours each and then a day off - my first taste of shift work which I have preferred to 9-5 ever since. Other duties when not on watch were the traditional Colour Guard ceremony, when the flag was hoisted every morning at 8 am., lifebuoy watch duties at sea and occasionally Captain’s boat crew. This was not as easy as you might think, as you had to keep your balance without holding on, other than the boat-hook in your hand, whilst standing on a bouncing speed-boat and then finally attempting to hook on to a battleship to allow the captain to go aboard without getting wet in the proceeds.
HMS TRIUMPH was regularly at sea, circling Malta, exercising its pilots and planes. Our mess deck was directly underneath the flight deck and when off duty we could watch the Seafires and Fireflys taking off and landing. Sometimes there was a nasty crash or even a plane over the side but there was always the escorting destroyer on hand to pick up the rather wet pilot. Luckily we never lost one.
HMS TRIUMPH along with the Med Fleet visited Tripoli in North Africa and Gibraltar (at the western entrance to the Med) on their Spring Cruise and so we were able to see a little more of the world. Tripoli is the capital of Libya and on the edge of the desert. From 1911 to 1943 Tripoli was occupied by Italy. ‘Il Duce’ (Benito Mussolini) had his dream to create a new Roman Empire in the Mediterranean and North Africa with Tripoli the capital. He spent millions here but not on the people of Tripoli.
On 22 March 1949 HMS TRIUMPH completed her tour of duties in the Mediterranean and was ‘paid off’ (decommissioned) and returned to England.
HMS LIVERPOOL
The Royal Marine National Service contingent aboard the TRIUMPH was then transferred to HMS LIVERPOOL on similar duties. HMS LIVERPOOL was a Light Cruiser commissioned in 1938 and decommissioned in 1952. In WWII she was part of the Mediterranean Fleet under Admiral Cunningham on convoy duty when, on their return trip from Malta to Alexandria, they were attacked by Italian aircraft. On the evening of 14 October 1940 south east of Crete she was hit by an aerial torpedo and their petrol stowage exploded, her bow and the roof of ‘A’ turret were blown off. Fifteen of her men were killed and twenty-two injured. Heavily damaged she was taken in tow, stern first, by HMS ORION to Alexandria, where temporary repairs were made. She then sailed to the US Navy Yard at Mare Island, California but was not operational again until January 1942. When I joined HMS LIVERPOOL in April 1949 she was part of the 1st Cruiser Squadron, Mediterranean Fleet under the command of Flag Officer (Rear Admiral) Lord Louis Mountbatten whose Flagship was the LIVERPOOL.
I was lucky to be able to go on the Med Fleet’s Autumn Cruise to the Eastern Mediterranean. We passed through the Santorini caldera, one of the Greek Cyclade Islands in the Aegean Sea. This massive crater was the result of a gigantic volcanic eruption in 1650 BC which probably caused the end of the Minoan civilization in Crete. This was an unforgettable sight which I saw once again in 2004 on a different sort of cruise, but whereas it is now a tourist destination with about 13,000 inhabitants, in 1949 it was practically deserted with not a house in sight. Cyprus, Corfu and Rhodes were other places I visited courtesy of His Majesty which I later revisited on holiday after I retired.
Our twenty-seven months National Service was coming to an end and so the Royal Marine contingent returned to England in September 1949. We sailed aboard a Union Castle liner taking officers and their families home, so we lived it up with top-class food and no duties. We spent the last few weeks at Chatham Barracks (not far from Charlton) and as we were due to some leave were released to the Reserve on 19 October 1949. I kept in touch with two of my mates after our release. Norman (Ginger) Flanagan lived in North London and I would pop over on my motorcycle and from there we would go ice-skating at Alexandra Palace or to the Speedway together. Wilf (Ginger) Burrows lived in Manchester and worked in the dark-room and later as photographer on the Daily Herald newspaper. We kept in touch for many years but he died in 1984 aged 55 of cancer only one day before his son died of the same dreaded disease. Norman Patrick Flanagan died at Haringey North London in 1966 at the age of only 37 years.