I would like to tell you of an incident that concluded my pugilistic career. I had a little run in with a snotty nosed Shotley ex-boy whilst serving on submarine Tradewind in Portland in '53. I of course after tot time challenged him to enter the heavyweight tournament in Weymouth for 10 quid for the winner, so we saw the Clubswinger who entered our names.
I started training by punching the heavy bag outside the clubswingers office on the Maidstone for five minutes and decided I was fit. I arrived in Weymouth the night of the boxing show and found out that the git had withdrawn his name.
Getting to the final my second, a 3 badge AB gunlayer wearing a chewing gum grey submarine sweater decorated with grease and oil stains decided we should have a couple of pints of beer and a pint of milk. I do not know what the significance of the milk was, anyway in the first round I jabbed and ran, but at the end of the first round my arms felt like ton weights and after I had all the training lifting pints at the Jolly Sailor in Portland. So I had to try and knock him out as I did not think I could last the distance. So out we went, I set him up with a couple of jabs and hit him with a hook come uppercut. I stepped back to watch him fall but instead he hit me and I did not remember anything until next morning when I woke up in my 'mick' with a big silver cup.
I asked my second what had happened and he told me that in the 3rd round we went into a clinch and I whispered I'm f-----, but everyone heard and had a good laugh. So ended my pugilistic career which started in 1939 with a win. Incidentally I did get my 10 quid and the git went on to become one of the youngest Coxswains in the submarine service, thank goodness I never ran into him again.
Wally Hammond, who was my chum in Anson 73 was always in the rattle for smoking, how did he smuggle smokes pass the Jossman? His mother baked a cake, cut out a slice and took out the middle filled it with woodbines then put the slice back and iced the cake. When he got called over to the main gate he had no problems in showing the Jossman.
In '54 I was on 'Upstart'. We arrived in Dolphin to have the boat's bottom scraped. I got a message that Wally was in the Royal Naval Hospital Haslar, so off I went to visit him. He had a body, leg and arm casts on and I asked what had happened. He said he stole a coppers bike in Gib at the centre gate, where that incline was, and he was going at a great rate of knots and failed to navigate the corner and went over the dry dock. He said that as he went over he peddled like f--- to get to the other side but did not make it!
The last time I saw Wally was in Chats barracks sweeping the parade ground. When in deep water always keep the mouth shut.
Ed: Makes me wonder if Wally is the original Wally <g>
