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This story was submitted to the Peoples War website by Susie, on behalf of Robert. Robert fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

After peace was signed The HMS Whelp left Japan and was sent to Hong Kong. We didn’t actually get to go home until January 1946.

Mountbatten was in charge of the South East Asian Command in Hong Kong, uncle of Prince Philip who was second in command on the Whelp. There was another official signing there to mark the end of the war, but after this we were told we were being kept at Hong Kong because there were still skirmishes going on in Macau.

As far as we were concerned we were still at war and had to send in-shore and out-shore patrols because of the levels of piracy and amount of ferries being terrorised. We travelled up the Canton River, putting ashore and destroying armed motorboats, it was dangerous doing this as although the war was over the area was ruined.

Finally, two destroyers were sent out to take over from us and we were told to come home via Hawai, San Fransisco, through the Panama Canal, up to Boston and then home. It transpired that the US wanted to charge us for going throught the Panama Canal though so our trip was cancelled and we were sent home the normal way. I could have been at home getting £5 a week in wages and instead I was stuck on a destroyer only earning £1 a week!

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