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MY STORY
Freedom
In 1945 I was a Petty Officer serving on the aircraft-carrier H.M.S. Speaker with the British Pacific Fleet based at Sydney with a forward base at Manus in the Admiralty Islands.
Following the cease-fire in August we proceeded to the Japanese mainland and entered Tokyo Bay on August 30th, our aircraft having been flown off to other carriers. "Speaker" was converted to an "accommodation" ship with its hangar kitted out for hammocks &c.. Many of the crew gave up their bunks for the prospective passengers.
A huge fleet was now in Tokyo Bay and we were anchored opposite Yokohama.
In order to make room for ex prisoners-of-war our Squadron personnel
(including me) were transferred to H.M.S.Ruler on August 31st.
On September 2nd the formal surrender of Japan was signed on board the American battleship "Missouri" a short distance away from our position. General MacArthur led the Allied delegation and we were able to follow the surrender ceremony on the radio.
Monday, September 3rd was a great day for H.M.S.Speaker (Captain U.H.R.James). Aircraft from the American and British fleets had located prisoner-of-war camps on the mainland, and units were sent in to liberate the prisoners and bring them to embarkation points on the coast. The Americans supplied seamen’s clothing which was a luxury for the freed prisoners. “Speaker” took on board nearly five hundred ex prisoners-of-war of various nationalities and was due to leave the bay to take them to Australia or other destinations.
Every ship in the bay "cleared lower decks" so that all available personnel could be on deck to cheer the prisoners-of-war as they departed for repatriation. When Captain James realised that all the Fleet was observing their exit from the bay he changed “Speaker”’s course and, instead of heading straight out to open sea, he weaved between the lines of ships with the prisoners-of-war and his ship's company on the flight deck. There was terrific cheering from every ship as she passed and we sent up coloured rockets as she came close by us. “Speaker” sailed very close to many ships so that they could all pay tribute to the freed prisoners (who were now described only as “passengers”) In fact, Captain James admitted later that they had sailed rather closer to some ships than they had intended! As they left the bay “Speaker” signalled “we have never had so much notice taken of us” A truly memorable send-off and the most moving event I encountered throughout the war (I was 21 at the time).
S.Bolton, Boston, Lincolnshire.

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