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Leonard was my father,he was a Warrant Officer (Gunner (T)) in the Royal Navy.Bessie Jackson was my mother. We were living in a terrace house just outside the RN Barracks(HMS Drake)Devonport.
In May 39 my father had returned from service in Hong Kong but as war appeared imminent he was recalled from leave and joined HMS Escapade (a destroyer).The Prime Minister's declaration of war on 3rd September caused us great concern as my father had joined his ship and we had no idea of his whereabouts
That mobilisation was well under way was very obvious,there was constant stream of sailors going past our house and into the barracks.I have a vivid picture of those who had obviously been out of the service for some time who had struggled into their uniform with string holding there jackets closed.My other memory was how cheerful they all appeared,far different from the worried expresions on the womens'faces.

I had been successful in the local authority's examination (a form of 11+) and won a place at Plymouth College and was to to join the school a few days after war was declared.Because of my father's rank and the fact that I was an only child my parents had to meet the full cost of my education.About the end of September my father's ship was in Devonport for a few hours and my father had been given permission to come home.It was dark when he arrived and I still recall the shock of seeing him,he was in his sea going uniform,the gold lace on his cuff was stained with sea water and he looked absolutely worn out.He only stayed long enough to give my mother the cash he had and to arrange for my school fees to be paid.

Air Raid Precautions were at the front of every adults mind.The government set up a number of schemes to teach the civil population how to protect themselves in the event of air attack.My mother,then aged 40, enrolled on an anti gas course held in the Naval Barracks.When she started the course who should be her instructor but her young brother who was a Chief Petty Officer in the gunnery branch.

We heard very little from my father for some time,it transpired later that his ship was on convoy duty between England and Gibraltar and escorting the Briish Expeditionary Force(BEF) to France.At the end of October my father came home with the news that he was to join HMS Prince of Wales,a new battleship which was under constuction in Cammell-Laird ship yard in Birkenhead.As my father was likely to be in Birkenhead for some monthe my parents decided to set up home there.I left Plymouth College and started at Park High School in Birkenhead.We should have known better thinking we would be settled for a few months,soon after we had arrived in the North my father was sent to Dover,put in charge of (I think) 6 fishing trawlers converted minesweepers.Their task was to sweep the approaches to Dover harbour.We spent 3 months in Dover,it was a bitter winter heavy snow.My parents could not get me into a school so I spent much of the daylight hours tobogganing on the steep slopes outside the town.For me that was great fun but I paid the penalty when I returned to Park High I achieved a 0% result in the end of term Algera exam.My father rejoined his ship but in April he was sent to HMS Veteran(a WW 1 destroyer).He spent the 5 months on anti invasion and anti E Boat patrols.We had remained in Birkenhead during this period.My father returned to us in September.The Germans had stated to bomb Liverpool and Birkenhead docks.We were living in a first floor flat in Park Road East,on the other side of the road was the British Legion Bowling Club.We had no air raid shelter so in accordance with Government advice when the airraid warning sounded we took refuge under the stairs.On night there was an incredible noise over head followed by a great thump and the whole hose shook,my mother became a bit hysterical,my father took the recommended action ,a sharp slap across the face which soon brought my mother back to reality.As my father was one of the kindest men who would never dream of smaking my mother I am not sure who was the more upset soon after the all clear had sounded there was a great banging on the front door.When the landlady opened it there was a policeman telling to get out as a large bomb had landed on the bowling but failed to explode.This was our first near miss.We had friends who lived not far away and they took us in and within a few days my mother had found a furnished house just below Bidston Hill.We stayed in this house until HMS Prince of Wales was completed.
1941 was not a good year.Towards the end of February we moved back to Plymouth.Like most young boys I had collected a shoe box full of shrapnel which I insisted in taking home to Plymouth,on arrival in Plymouth we took a taxi to my aunt's house but in the excitment of seeing my cousins I left the box of shrapnel in the taxi.To my mother's horror the driver found it later and brought it to my aunts house it at a cost of 7 shillings and 6 pence.I wonder if my pocket money was docked to meet the excess fare.
Before moving to Birkenhead our furniture had been placed in store.As Plymouth had suffered severe air raids while we were away my mother wanted to get our goods out of store and into a house.My aunt told us of an unfurnished house for rent 5 doors from her which my mother rented and all our furniture was put in it,a bit of a waste of time for on 21st?May 1941 ou house,No 15, was hit by an incendiary bomb and was set afire and completly destroyed,my aunts house ,No 10, was also destroyed as were Nos 5 and 20.We were not in the house at the time as my mother was in a very nervous state and we had gone to stay with a cousin who lived near Crownhill on the edge of the moor.We saw Plymouth burning but had no idea that our house was adding to the glow.The following morning we took the bus into Devonport and as we walked from the bus stop we saw what was left of our house,I do not remember my mother's reaction but I was very incensed as when my father returned from Hong Kong in 1939 he brought me a model of a chinese junk which of course had gone up in smoke.My mother and I went into what was left of our house and searched through the ashes.We found the blade of my father's dress sword, the frame of the piano and a few pieces of my hornby train set.On a lighter note, in the scullery,which was untouched by the fire we found the aluminium colander which had been given to my mother as a 2nd wedding present by one of her father's cronies who the night before the wedding arrived a bit the worse for wear with the colander and insisted that he had not given her a present a few days ago.My mother used this colander almost to the end of her days.
My mother found another house to rent, near my cousin in Crownhill, where my mother and I, my aunt and her two daughters and her son and our grandmother 'camped'.Until my aunt found a house.As far as I can recall we were given some furniture and bedding by the local authority but my memory is hazy.I do remember my mother was given £140 in compensation for the loss of all our belongings
While we were enduring the blitz on Plymouth my father was at sea in the Prince of Wales.In May came the news of the Bismark action and again it was sometime before we had news of my father.When the Prince of Wales berthed in Rosyth to have her battle damage repaired my mother and I went to Dunfermline to see my father,we stayed in a B & B for about 3 weeks.When the ship was repaired we said goodbye to my father and returned to Plymouth,by train.We settled to life with my grandmother in Crownhill.I had returned to school were the disruption to my education was very apparent.I had not studied latin during the time I was away and my mathamatical ability was pretty low.At the end of the term I was put in the B stream.I travelled to school each day by bus with a number of friends.After an air raid we all hoped the school had been hit and we would get away with not having done our home work!,it never happened.The state school across the road was destroyed.I had to walk a fair way to and from the bus stop and as I was walking down the road home I heard the announcement every person with naval connections dreaded-"The Admiralty regret to announce the loss of HMS Prince of Wales,next of kin of casualties will be informed as soon as possible"When I arrived home my mother was in a dreadful state but 4 days later the telegram arrived confirming that my father was amongst the survivors.We heard no more until we received a cablegram from my father say in g he was in Ceylon recuperating from surgery.News from my father was intermitant and eventually we received another cable telling my mother to stop writing as he was on his way home.I think he arrived home in May 1942.He had undergone surgery in Johore Baru and was only got out of the hospital in time as the Japs were only 15 miles away.In the rush to operate on my father and other injured the surgeons had left a ball of silk in his wound.My father suffered greatly from infection in the wound and made several visits to the naval hospital until all the silk was removed (I have it) and he was declared fit for sea duty, in 1944 when he joined HMS Duke of York in which served until 1946 both at home and in the Far East.
From 1942 onwards the build for D Day went on.We soon saw American soldiers arriving in the West Country.A logistic unit occupied the fort near us and what remember best is the continuous music,my age group were into Glen Millar,Harry James and othe big bands so it was no hardship to hear this music all day long.Life at school went on in its routne manner,with on exception,we had a ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Guard Platoon based on the school, they used our miniture range and when they went out to the rifle ranges they took we older members of the cadet force also.I learnt to shot with a .303 fifle at the age of 13.Most of the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Guard were 1st World War veterans and excellent shots.When it came to my turn to join the forces I was a competant shot with a 303.
We realised the invasion of Europe was close as the US servicemen were not as numerous and in the first few days of June they marched past our house as they went to the embarkation points on the River Tamar. We knew my father was not involved on D Day as he was in the Mediteranean.Like schoolboys everywhere I followed the progress of the invasion avidly,even to using the map of Europe in my school atlas to plot the course of the war.I did not have a lot of time for outside activities as 1944 was the year I took the School Certificate(forerunner of GCSE), success in the 7 subjects that made up the certificate was vital as I planned to obtain a commission in the Armed Forces,without a School Certificate you just did not stand a chance.
There was great excitment on VE Day I was 17 and went up to Plymouth Hoe with my friends,male and female where we danced for hours.My celebrations were slightly muted as my father was in the Far East and the Japanese were still fighting. I was also anxiously awaiting the result of a competative examination for the grant of a naval cadet ship,which I Did not get.
There was great rejoicing in our family on VJ Day,we knew my father was safe although we did not see him until July 1946 when I was in the Armed Forces.
My mother played her part in the 2nd World War.When I was 14 the Ministry of Labour considered I did not need my mother to look after me so she was directed into the Wmens Royal Naval Service (WRENS)She was classed as an "immobile" Wren and was not required to leave Plymouth.She spent 2 years as an Ordinary Wren and I dont think she ever came to terms with having to salute her husband when they were both in uniform.She was discharged as physically unfit for naval service which was not surprising as she was 45.The Ministry of Labour was determined to get all they could out of so directed her into work at the local cooperative society shop.This had its bright side,she was the first to see foodstuffs which were not rationed but in short supply and was able to buy them.It was said that the manager would ask my mother at the end of the week if she paid for the goods she had bought or he paid her.
My memories of the war are a mixture of excitment,anxiety and a little sorrow as one or two of my school friends and the lady who taught me in my last year in primary school to whom I owe a great debt of gratitude were killed in the airraids on Plymouth.

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