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Once Navy - Always Navy

RNA Southern Ontario
Branch Biography's
These all appeared in various issues of "Ahoy Shipmate"  the official newsletter of the RNA Southern Ontario Branch

  Ed Hughes Chris Shellard Norrie Millen George Squance David Kemp

[Click on image to enlarge]	Ed Hughes - Past Treasurer October 2004 Issue My Navy Days By S/M Ed Hughes On May 17th 1943, I joined HMS Glendower in North Wales for my seamanship training and from there it was off to HMS Wellesley in Liverpool for gunnery training. From there I was transferred to HMS Chrysanthemum, a WW I ship moored on the Thames in London, to await transit to my first ship.
This came about after ten days, when a group of us traveled by train to Gourock in Scotland to board a troop ship going to New York. From there it was on to Asbury Park, New Jersey for more gunnery training before heading to Halifax, Nova Scotia, to again wait for transportation to Vancouver. So it was that in December 1943, I joined the brand new ship, Fort St Croix. She was a 10,000-ton Victory ship armed with a variety of weapons that included a 4” gun mounted on the stern and 8 20mm Oerlikons at various strategic points on the ship. We sailed for the UK with a cargo of balsa wood for the aircraft industry, which was discharged in Liverpool. While we were there, we had some more equipment installed before sailing around the north of Scotland to the Firth of Forth, where we arrived in late March. There we stayed as more and more ships arrived. April came and went and now it was May, and we are still anchored there. What’s happening? Then one night towards the end of May, we sailed south to Tilbury where we got our orders. “NO SHORE LEAVE”! Moans all round! We took on a contingent of Canadian Highland Division troops, and early on June 6th 1944 we were in the Straits of Dover heading west. We had some shelling from Calais but escaped with no damage, and continued on to our destination, Juno Beach in Normandy where we discharged our troops. Altogether we did 15 trips to and from the invasion area, and on the last of these we encountered our first “Doodle Bug”, which one of my DEMS buddies brought down with a well aimed burst of fire from his Oerlikon. After that last trip I managed to get some leave, and on my return I found that I was off to another ship, the SS Fort Covington. She was very similar to the previous ship except that she had 40mm Bofors fitted in place of the AA Rocket launchers. We sailed for Antwerp with supplies for the army that was fighting in the area, and saw some more doodlebugs, but they were too far away to be engaged by our guns. On our third trip we passed a few sunken ships with just the superstructure sticking out of the water, and we were told to be on the lookout for mines. It was on our fourth trip that I saw a strange object that looked like an oil drum floating out to sea. This object seemed to be acting rather strangely and the alarm was raised. It turned out to be one of the German miniature submarines, and our guns were brought into action against it. On our return to the UK we were visited by some high ranking naval officers and I was commended for my alertness and quick action. From Antwerp we were assigned a trip to Rotterdam, and it was on this trip that we damaged our bow by striking a wreck, one of many that littered the harbour. After repairs were carried out we sailed for the UK and then to Canada, and while we were there V.E. Day was declared. Our return trip was to St Nazaire and after unloading it was back to the UK. Once we were out at sea, it was found that we had three extra men aboard who turned out to be Germans. I was issued with a revolver so that I could guard them while they were on deck, but as soon as we arrived back they were handed over to the Military Police to look after. Finally, we arrived in Scotland and then to a Naval Establishment for demob and civilian life. I joined the RNR and then the RNVR, and finally retired from the Navy in 1954. There you have a potted history of my time in the Navy. Once Navy Always Navy! Back to top
	George Squance February 2004 Issue S/M George Squance, who now lives in Peterborough, joined the RN in late 1940, and after initial training went off to learn how to be stoker. Once that training was over, he was drafted to the destroyer, H.M.S. Jupiter. Jupiter was involved in the hunt for the Bismarck and after that was involved in work in the arctic, where she helped to put a German weather ship out of commission
Then it was in to Liverpool for a boiler clean and a few days leave before sailing for Freetown, St Helena, Simonstown, Durban and Mombassa. After that, it was on to Aden and up the Red Sea, through the Suez Canal and into the Mediterranean where she was involved in various duties. Jupiter was then ordered back down the Red Sea, across the Indian Ocean and on to Colombo. Continuing east from there they escorted the Prince of Wales and Repulse to Singapore. At the time of the Japanese invasion of Malaya, Jupiter was in dry dock, and the crew was billeted ashore on tropical routine. This did not last too long as on December 10th Japanese aircraft sank both the Prince of Wales and Repulse. In January, Jupiter was involved in the sinking of a Japanese submarine, but not before the sub had killed several men of the forward twin 4.7” gun mounting with a hit between the two gun barrels. George was on the ammunition supply team for the gun and wondered why no one was taking the shells that he was passing up. Some time after this, Jupiter was in Batavia, now Jakarta and George was detailed off to go over to H.M.S. Exeter to get some sulphuric acid for the emergency radio transmitters. In the process of lowering a jar of acid down into the boat, it accidentally hit he ship’s side and exploded, covering everyone below with acid. George sustained acid burns, which left keloid scars on his body. He then returned to Jupiter, where a few days later she was involved in the Battle of the Java Sea.  As most of you know, the allied fleet consisting of British, American, Dutch and Australian ships were all sunk with the exception of two U.S. destroyers. This of course included the Jupiter, and poor old George found himself in the water but managed to get into a carley float. There were ten men in this raft and another raft with another ten men and they started to paddle towards where they thought the shore would be. The men in the other raft became discouraged and stopped paddling, but George and his crew continued on. After about thirty hours of paddling, they managed to get ashore, but George learnt later on that the men in the other raft had been taken prisoner. Luckily they had landed in an area that was still under Dutch control, and they were sent on their way to a nearby army base. A Dutch army officer then took six of them in his jeep and drove off, leaving four, including George, to use bicycles to follow along. They knew that the Japanese had landed about five miles up the coast, and when flat tires and other malfunctions happened they were very happy to see the Dutch Army Officer return to take them on to their next stop. Eventually after other incidents that included being shot up by a Japanese reconnaissance plane, they made it to Surabaya. There anyone with injuries had them treated and after some time they were put on a train to a place called Tjilatjap, now called Cilacap. At least they managed to get some sleep while they were on that train. At Tjilatjap they met up with some of the survivors of H.M.S. Electra, and one of them, a Gunnery Officer, got them into some order and they all embarked onto an old steamer called the “General Verspyk”. The stokers, including George, were asked to man the engine room and boiler room, which was coal fired. Needless to say, the ship was loaded with refugees from the fighting, and off they went heading south to Australia. There was one submarine scare during the voyage, but nothing came of it and on March 10th 1942 they landed in Fremantle. Once ashore, it was off to the Naval Base, HMAS Leeuwin, and George recalls that he was impressed by the fact that you could have as much butter as you wanted, after being restricted by rationing on the Jupiter. A little later he was whisked off to hospital to have his acid burns treated, and while he was there a journalist from the Daily Telegraph interviewed him. The resulting story appeared in that paper some time later, and that was how, George’s parents learned of his survival after having received the dreaded telegram, “Missing, presumed killed in action”. George went on to serve with Combined Ops on landing craft, after which he was promoted to Leading Stoker and then on to Petty officer Stoker. After this he qualified as a mechanician and ended up as a Chief E.R.A. He then came over and joined the R.C.N. where he served until his retirement in December 1970. Taken from his book, “By Golly – By George” - By George Squance, Ch. E.R.A. (Ret’d) Back to top
[Click on image to enlarge]	S/M Chris Shellard LIFE MEMBER Past Treasurer, Secretary, Vice Chairman October 2005 Issue Just to let those of you who do not know me, here is a picture taken 40 years ago just before I left the Navy.
I joined up at HMS St Vincent on November 11th 1952, and after training there for a year was drafted to HMS Implacable. I did a week or so sea training on HMS Myngs at Portland and then back on Implacable. From her I was drafted to HMS Carisbrooke Castle in Derry, and after her I joined HMS Cumberland. I served on her for two years before going to HMS Harrier for my RPIII’s course. I then joined HMS Eagle for the next two years where I passed the exam for Killick. After her, I went to HMS Dryad for my RPII’s course. Rated to Leading Seaman, I was then drafted to HMS Loch Alvie for another two year stint. Then it was back to Dryad for my RPI’s course and Petty Officer’s course. After some time as Captain’s Driver at Dryad, I was drafted onto my last ship, HMS London, where I spent the last two years of my service. In 1965, I decided that I had had enough of the Andrew and bought myself out. There you have a potted history of my time in the Navy. Back to top
	Norrie Millen LIFE MEMBER Past Chairman, Past & Present Vice Chairman, Past President, Past Secretary, Past Editor January/February 2006 Issue Taken 43 years ago, this picture was ‘snapped’ in the China fleet Club in Hong Kong, during my third commission on HMS Loch Killisport.
I joined the RN as a “Boy” at the tender age of 15 years and 2 months at HMS St Vincent. At 5’ 0¼” tall and weighing in at 112 lbs, I was the original 8 stone weakling. I could Read, Rite & do Rithmatic, none of them too well. After my year at HMS St Vincent, I was ‘selected’ for ASDIC [SONAR] operator training and drafted to HMS Osprey at Portland. Qualifying as a “Ping” Bosun, I was drafted to HMS Ulster [Type 15 - for West Indies station]. This included close escort to HMY Britannia during official opening of the St Lawrence Seaway in 1959. Next draft HMS Vigilant [Type 15], followed by HMS Loch Killisport in Far East for 20 months. Upgrade training and draft to HMS Daring for Home Fleet on completion.  HMS Rhyl followed, which I served on for just over 3 years. Then my first real shore draft since I had joined 10 years previously, saw me joining HMS Neptune – Polaris S/M base.  4 years later on to my only ‘big’ ship, the helicopter cruiser HMS Blake. 2 years later I was sent back to HMS Vernon to do my TASI’s course and after qualifying and a spell teaching at the TAS school was drafted to HMS Rooke in Gibraltar as the Staff NBCDI. Just over 2 years later I joined my last ship HMS Zulu and was deployed initially in Far East before Home Sea Service. Last draft was HMS Caledonia in Rosyth and discharge after just under 25 years service. My career in a nut shell! Full details, including juicy bits, names and addresses, can be obtained from writer for two bottles of “Pusser’s” and a kiss! Back to top
[Click on image to enlarge]	Shipmate David Kemp LIFE MEMBER Chairman 1991 -present  May/June 2006 Issue
My father joined the Royal Navy as a Boy Seaman at HMS Ganges many years ago and served though until the end of WW11.  Soon after my fifteenth birthday I gathered the paperwork together to follow in his footsteps. Choosing the moment carefully, after Sunday lunch, I put the paperwork for signing in front of him, in an explosive gesture he tore it up muttering “I don’t want you to go that way”. So I looked at the brochure closely and at the bottom of the page was mention of Artificer Apprentice. So I asked very carefully what that was all about only to be told that I could join that way. I was the first to do the entrance exam at my Secondary school then the interviews at my first exposure to Naval life. It didn’t take long to be called by mail complete with a railway warrant to go to HMS Fisgard at Torpoint in Cornwall. It must have made a big impression on me as to this day I can, it bores everyone who hears it, recite the list of classmates that I joined up with. Having been selected from the elite few I became an Engineering Artificer Apprentice (the lowest of the low) and off to HMS Caledonia in Rosyth, Scotland. Intense training with runs ashore made life a little easier. It was during this time that I met Jean and started a lifetime relationship. A little stormy at first but that was Navy life.  Complete with kit and another warrant it was off to Belfast to pick up HMS Torquay, the first Rothsay class frigate to go to sea, then it was down to the Med, and as we were doing long stints of Cyprus patrols, the usual ports were visited.  Between commissions, Jean and I were married and set up home in Portsmouth, a stones throw from Fratton Park.  Drafty has a sense of humour as it was off to Petty Officers course at HMS Royal Arthur and to pick up my buttons. As soon as that was done it was off to Singapore to pick up HMS Cavalier for an 18 month unaccompanied draft. That time is worth a long description but the long and the short of it was it took six months to get home via the Pacific and Panama Canal.  A little shore time, then it was off to Portland to do day running trials on the HMS Grenville, five days a week with every weekend in harbour (they were the good days). More shore time at the Naval Aircraft and Marine Examination Board just down the road from home in a country house where they had an ejection seat test rig for trainee pilots. Once a week they were put through their paces while we watched and laughed.  “Why not sit the exam for the Special Duties List Officer?” asked my Boss. So that was the start of another career, and it was off to Greenwich (for the knife, fork and spoon course), then the deputy Engineer on HMS Aurora, but of course drafty still had a sense of humour so it was off to the Submarine School, then three Submarines in a row, HM S/M's Auriga, Grampus and Ocelot before going into the school to run the conventional teaching section. After two years I was told that I should be going to a diesel frigate but we had just sold the last one. When it was pointed out to drafty that I was qualified to run steam and diesel he sent me off to be the MEO of HMS Achilles followed by HMS Bacchante. That was it, I had had enough, and so I retired to become a civilian as we all are now.  Submitted by S/M David Kemp Back to top

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