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My father on ocasions would sometimes relate his war experiences to me.His name was Alfie Hooley and he served aboard H.M.S Nigeria during World War Two. Before joining the navy he was working as a builder at R.A.F Hornchurch during the Battle of Britain.A number of German aircraft attacked the base shooting at everthing in site.The old chap Alfie was working with pushed him aside and ran for the ladder leaving him to face the bullets alone.As the bullets whistled close by Alfie finally made it off of the roof to safety. Some months later Alfie was walking along South Lambeth Road in London during an air raid.He often did this because he didn't like being shut up in the shelter. On hearing a falling bomb he took shelter in a doorway.The force of the bomb blew him backwards and covered him in dust.Emerging from the doorway he was greeted by a scene of devastation,many buildings were destroyed and from one upper storey window the lifeless body of a young woman was visible. Alfie later sailed across the Atlantic to join H.M.S Nigeria in South Carolina where the ship was being repaired after a torpedo had struck her during the Malta convoy.Alfie told me that most of the men killed during the attack where below decks and belonged to the Marine Band.One of his shipmates had been given the job of recovering the bodies. During the rest of the war Nigeria's main job was bombardment of enemy territory.Alfie was to be found in one of the ships six inch gun turrets,an officer sat above giving orders.The officer had the habit of tapping Alfie on the head when he couldn't be heard.After taking this for so long Alfie turned to the officer and said "if you do that one more time i'm gonna knock your ****ing block off".Of course he was put on a charge. Nigeria took part in many actions against the Japanese and when not fighting was based in the port of Trincomalee.I get the feeling that once ashore the thing was to get drunk as quick as possible and have a good punch up. Or perhaps that was just Alfie.

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