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“Batten down the hatches” the familiar order before the Ship went into action. Where were we going? No-body knew. It must be a secret because there were on Standing Orders, “No Nothing”, the talk amongst the crew was rife. Twelve hours out to sea we were instructed to undertake “Extra Damage” control, there were no reasons given except that we had to get below the water line and use all the lower conning positions. That was why I was down in the Engine room. All I remember was what sounded like a depth charge. The next morning we arrived off Hiroshima.

As I was the official photographer, I was ordered to get dressed in this “space suit” — mask, goggles, gloves and boots. There I was, sealed in a suite I had never seen before, camera round my neck, and I was told to go and “take photographs of the bomb damage.”

It was like walking on the Moon. Each step threw up dust, everything I touched was powder, it was awful. I saw a child’s tricycle but no child, there were dead bodies all around me. The heat was tremendous, the closer I got to what was left of the buildings the more intense the heat; I couldn’t get close enough to take the photos. The smell was horrible, like burnt pork dinner, and I wanted to be sick. I saw things that I do not want to remember, but which I can’t forget. I wanted to scream, but there was no one to hear me. I looked around and thought “I have to get out of here.”

Despite the suit, I must have got too much radiation, and I think I must have got something in my boot. My toenails haven’t grown properly since, and my love life was affected if you know what I mean.

In the circumstances, I would do it again- after all I was following orders in a time of war. But with hindsight, knowing what I know now, I would have disobeyed the order.

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