蜜芽传媒

This article is a transcription of a book written by Jack Taylor who served in the Royal Navy throughout World War 2. Jack saw service in a wide range of ships and in many theatres of the war. Another article, written by Jack, about the loss of H.M.S. Hood can be found on the H.M.S. Hood web site www.hmshood.com

A Destroyer and Aircraft Carrier at War
Chapter 6, Farewell Electra, on to the big ships

A few days in Reykjvik and then it was back to Scapa Flow and back to the old monotonous routine. One piece of good news for me was that I had passed the exam for Leading Seaman and I was told by Chief Petty Officer Gould that I would be Captain鈥檚 requestman on the Thursday morning. The great day for me came and the Captain rated me Leading Seaman, backdated my pay 3 months, and congratulated me.

I went off to my mess and sewed on the badge of a Leading Seaman on the left arm of all my uniforms. I was made coxwain of the No. 1 whaler and my job consisted of making sure the whaler was clean and always ready to be lowered.

I had also put in a request to take a course for a higher non substantive rate in Gunnery. This was the only way to gain more money as an Able Seaman. I got two shillings a day. When I passed to Leading Seaman I got four shillings a day. I got three pence a day for a good conduct badge 鈥� which was one stripe.

We were in floating dock at Scapa when I was piped to the coxwain鈥檚 office and told that a relief had arrived for me from Barracks and I was to get ready for a shore draft to Chatham gunnery School. The ship had its quota of Leading Seaman on board and I was excess to requirements and had been granted a draft to the gunnery school. It was with sad farewells that I left the destroyer 鈥淓lectra鈥� after one year and 10 months of having been part of a happy ship.

On 12th June 1941 I left Scapa Flow for Chatham Barracks which was known as H.M.S. Pembroke, the stone frigate. I entrained at Thurso in Scotland for a long and tedious journey south.

Having arrived at the main gate of the barracks with my sea bags and hammock the Petty Officer said, 鈥淲here are you from lad?鈥� I replied, 鈥淗.M. destroyer Electra on draft for the gunnery school.鈥� 鈥淥K,鈥� he said, 鈥淧ick up your gear and report to the S.M.R.O. (Senior Regulating Officer). Do you know where it is?鈥� 鈥淵es,鈥� I replied, 鈥淚 was drafted there in 1938.鈥�

Reporting at the S.M.R.O. I was booked into a mess and received my joining card and watch card. The joining card denotes the routine before you can go on liberty. The routine card is as follows: Gas mask test, Dentist, ship鈥檚 office, register optician and Doctor.

Having got your joining card fully stamped and passed you then got detailed to your watch and job. I checked in at the gunnery school and was sent to H.M.S. Collingwood section. I found I was killick of the mess. The word killick derives from Kelleck which is a small boat鈥檚 anchor and a Leading Seaman wears an anchor badge on his left arm denoting his rank, hence 鈥淜illick.鈥�

A three badge Able Seaman, who was in the mess when I walked in said, 鈥淕ood morning, my name is Wood. I鈥檓 the cook of the mess and run Bosun.鈥� I made myself known and said, 鈥淗ow many in the mess?鈥� He said 24 and that they were all new entries and under training. He was about to draw the run ration and get the food from the galley. As he went out I called 鈥淒on鈥檛 forget there鈥檚 one extra drawing rum!鈥� He quipped, 鈥淗ow could I forget?鈥�

鈥淪linger Woods,鈥� that was how he was known, was a grand old chap. He was at least 50 years old, had served his time and was on Fleet Reserve which made him liable for service and was recalled to the colours. I gave him a free hand in the mess and he looked after us very well. When the new entries came in for dinner they were a little surprised to see me as Slinger had been running things since the last Leading Seaman went on draft to sea 2 weeks before.

I made a little speech as to what was about to happen. I wanted everything cleaned, shoes and parts of uniform stowed away and all washing taken down. Any gear left laying about would be thrown in the scran bag. After that little pep talk we got on very well.

At revellie next morning 0600 hours I turned out and went round the mess calling them to get out, lash up and stow. They crawled out and did not make much effort to lash up hammocks but slowly started to get dressed and put on boots and gaiters. I then exploded! Half of them did not bother to wash before breakfast and when the bugle sounded they just rushed out and fell in. I altered all that! I had 18 mess called at 5.30 every morning. Each man had to be washed, dressed, lashed up and stowed before 0600 hours or the whole mess would be in the Commander鈥檚 Report. I made it quite clear that if the duty officer came in how scruffy they were I would be the one at fault and I was not going to take the can for them. So I made each man dependant on the other. If any one of them jeopardized the mess them they all got their leave passes stopped. After that we got on very well.

I reported at 0800 to Chief Petty Officer Ott. A peculiar name but he was a very clever man. He asked me what branch of the Gunnery School I would like to qualify in and I chose to be a rangetaker, the badge of which was crossed guns with the letter 鈥淐鈥� under and a star over them. The 鈥淐鈥� stands for 鈥淐ontrol.鈥�

The next four months were long and hard. I had to do more field training, section leading, Lewis and machine gun stripping and assembly. All the different types of ammunition were covered. After that I finally made it to the rangefinder class. I did not know that being a Leading Seaman you had to be a Jack of all trades.

Chief Petty Officer Ott was a very good teacher. I learned all about prisms, pentagonals, concave and convex, refraction of light and how white light is made up from colours: green, indigo, blue, violet, red, orange and yellow. In fact, the colours of the rainbow. Once we knew how a rangefinder worked, we were then allowed to get behind one and see at first hand what it was that we were expected to handle and take care of. The Barr and Stroud 15 foot rangefinder, a precision instrument. We had to do a written paper and an oral exam about the rangefinder. I qualified 26 September 1941 with 81%. Back in the mess I sewed on my badge. As a qualified rangetaker and another sixpence a day! I reported back to the S.M.R.O. that I was now qualified and no longer attached to the Barrack Guard which I enjoyed very much 24 hours on 24 hours off 鈥� plenty of free time and week-ends.

On 14th October 1941 I was drafted to the Battleship 鈥淩esolution鈥� which was in dock at Devonport and was commissioning foe the far East.

Jack's Story continues in Chapter 7: Africa and India in Resolution

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