In the post “A father’s dilemma 4”, I said that I did not know the exact date when my father joined the Royal Navy. When carrying out one of my irregular tidying up sessions, I found the information that I needed. I rediscovered his service record. (There is a lesson here for all family historians: always revisit the files at intervals to refresh your memory about the information that you already possess.) He volunteered on 1st August 1942. This was one month before his 19th birthday when he would have been conscripted, probably into the Army.
The ‘Trade brought up to’ shown on the form was Junior Canteen Assistant. His next of kin was his mother. This was probably due to the poor literacy skills of his father, Patrick.
The form records the names of ships in which he served. The first one was HMS Skirmisher. This was one of the Navy’s unsinkable ships. It was a shore base located in Milford Haven (Pembrokeshire, Wales). He was there until the end of January 1942, undergoing basic training. It is easy to be cynical about the Armed Services almost deliberately putting square pegs in round holes. This was not the case for my father. He was a Canteen Assistant in the NAAFI (Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes). The next three and a half years saw him serving on HMS Tyne, a depot ship. In terms of size, it was similar to HMS Belfast (currently moored near Tower Bridge in London) but a lot slower (17 knots v 32 knots). In order to fulfil its duties of resupplying and repairing the destroyers in its care, HMS Tyne had a crew of over 800. Destroyers are not known for creature comforts. Their crews would value the space and facilities available on HMS Tyne. One of those facilities was a well-equipped NAAFI. Lest it be thought that he spent the war running a shop and canteen, his post at Actions Stations (General Quarters in US parlance) was as a stretcher bearer.
In June & July 1946, he spent five weeks coming home from the Far East on the battleship Duke of York. As the photo shows, even a 42,000 ton ship is still at the mercy of the sea. (Photo: IWM A8143) His final duties were at two more shore stations. Firstly, HMS Pembroke in Chatham, and then HMS Victory 10 in Portsmouth until discharge in October 1946. I am sure that Patrick was pleased to see him safely home.