My Father was at HMS Ganges approx between 1939/40 He originally signed up for 12yrs at Plymouth, He trained as a Signalman at HMS Ganges, and went on to become a "Button Boy" but when he first got there he felt like running away.
He told me many stories about the place, the one I remember is being told to clean and polish his kit all day, and have it out for inspection, only for the officers to come in and throw a bucket of mud all over it. Other tales of climbing the mast in Pyjamas, and hearing the bugle to get up in the middle of the night, have a cold shower and go back to bed! BUT He LOVED that place!
Going down to the Post office to send his Mum at home some money, and the extra money sent home for button boy, buying "Nutty" sticking it in your cheek at night and letting the chocolate melt there all night!
The Rugby instructor was a big guy and all the boys were scared of him on the pitch, so Dad told all that he was going to nail him! He went into a mighty tackle and flattened the instructor, only for Dad to break his own collar bone! Would like to have seen the instructors face after.
In our house growing up we had a shoe polish kit a la Ganges style, and I still do that myself today! Black put on, brown polish etc etc if you mixed them up it was a BIG crime! As kids before we went anywhere he used to inspect us, clean nails, tidy and neat clothes, combed hair etc after he would say "off you go". Other stuff at home such as Scran bags, chitties for school. And sorting out the school bullies.
The weirdest story was Dads boxing medal won at St George Isle of Man, He told me he won the bout as the other guy was punching below the belt, and he got disqualified...do you believe it?...all these years later.. I do not know!
After Ganges Dad went back to Plymouth and waited to join HMS Exeter after her refit at Devonport. He helped in the blitzes in Plymouth carrying children to the shelters. He left Plymouth aboard HMS Exeter, and they were firing while steaming out of their home port, on the biggest air raid of the war, they arrived at Scapa in a howling blizzard, and went on the Icleland convoys to hone their skills, after they were sent to Singapore but on the way there, they were told about the Repulse and Prince of wales sinking. They were then sent to Sourabaya in Java, and were part of the ABDA force defending Java, they were all sunk by overwhelming odds, and Dad spent 36hrs in the water and was picked up by the Japanese.
HMS Exeter had a reputation for always being in the thick of any action.
He spent 6mths in Makassar as a POW and then in October 42 he was sent with 1200 others to Japan. His camp was Nagasaki Fukuoka camp 2b, a hell hole. They were put to work on the dockyards building and repairing ships, Dad was a Riveter, all weighed less than 100lbs and were beaten and starved or simply worked to death. Dad survived 3.5yr and they witnessed the A bomb Drop on Nagasaki, as the camp was 4 miles from the epicentre. My Dad died young aged 51, a combination of Brutality against humanity and also from the A bomb fallout. He was one of a handful of westerners to witness the bomb from the ground.
1942, Makassar POW Camp, Celebes, Indonesia. The Japanese sent us down to the docks as a work party to unload a ship from Singapore. She had on board, 25 Anti aircraft guns to be positioned around the Island. As we considered ourselves still at war we made all work last as long as we could, with a few little “extras” thrown in.
We met the British guy “Tripp” at the water barrel.
We knew something was going to happen but did not know what. Each gun that we unbolted from the hold of the ship. Somehow after the Jap guard checked it for ammo they became un-breeched. Before the Jap officer could come aboard and tell us how stupid we were, The signalman “Tripp” put a shell into each gun. When the guards came below, Tripp opened the breech AND SHOWED THEM! No one could figure out “Tripp’s” thinking, with that all guns were checked.
Each one of those guns that came ashore, Tripp, Tarquino, and Bert Diggle (Exeter Gun Crew) Were throwing the firing pins down the bilges, or over the side. The guns stood in their splinter shields for 2 weeks with ammo and under camouflage canvas. And boy did the Japs have an awakening when they were uncovered on the next air raid and wouldn’t fire!
We made it easier for the Japs to get killed and the bomber guys chalked up a little easier trip over Makassar.