Dad’s War - Michael Robison (Robinson) J/PX 169189         

LAST UPDATE 08 November, 2009

   

1939 - 1942  I will add his ships and dates as we go

THE INFORMATION ON THIS PAGE WAS WRITTEN IN HIS OWN WORDS

My call-up papers for the Navy came in November 1939, and I was to report to H.M.S. Royal Arthur, on 7th November 1939, which to my surprise was the Butlins Holiday Camp at Skegness. November in Skegness was bitterly cold, the huts had no heating and after vaccination lots of the men went down with Flu, some even died, due to the vaccinations. After the initial training we got our uniforms and now we were Sailors. Very raw, but now waiting for draught chits to a Ship or whatever!

Posted to Victory 13th December 1939
I went down to Portsmouth in December and had my 21st birthday in Pompey barracks. There was plenty of training, on to Whale Island for gunnery practice, I was made up to A.B. - Able Seaman and L.A.1, which was Gunner A.1. 
Got kitted out with tropical gear and left Portsmouth for the Middle East, on the train through France to Cherbourg where I embarked on S.S. Andes. We sailed through the Med. to Alexandria then through the Suez Canal to Aden. 
Left S.S. Andes and went aboard our first naval ship, the aircraft carrier H.M.S. Eagle. Click here for Photo  
(I discovered a book called “Eagle’s War - The War Diary of an Aircraft Carrier” by Peter C Smith which I borrowed from the local Library and it extended my knowledge of what he got up to whilst he was posted on her.) 

Posted to HMS Eagle on 4th February 1940
Dad continues - What a come-down from the Andes, I didn't find my kitbag etc. for two days! 
We sailed into the Indian Ocean and on to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and dropped anchor at Frincomalee. Talk about join the Navy and see the world. On the way to Singapore, in the Indian Ocean we came across a ship which did not answer our signal. We manned our 65” guns and loaded ready to fire, then all her lights went on - it was a liner bound for Egypt!
Later as we got nearer to Singapore, in the Malayan Straits, we had to defuse all bombs etc. and store them. Unfortunately, one aerial bomb exploded on the way down the chute, killing 14 of our ratings. The cleaning up was done by starboard and Post watches, before we could enter Harbour. A horrible job for most of us, unused to these jobs, but it had to be done. (This incident is graphically described in the above mentioned book)
We arrived in Singapore and went into the Dry dock for cleaning up and painting etc. While the Ship was in Dry Dock we had a few days leave in Singapore, then back to Changi, which was a brand new barracks.  We left Singapore and sailed back to Alexandria via Ceylon and into H.M.S. Canopus, which was the name of the Naval Barracks.

Posted to Canopus 3rd March 1941
I got a nice job in the telephone exchange and stayed in Canopus as Eagle went on its way home, with 2 dozen of us left in Alexandria. (Lucky old Dad because HMS Eagle was sunk 5 months later on 11 August 1942.) Plenty of football and I played for Canopus against the Med. Fleet and Egyptian teams. Got a recommendation from S.T.I. for a trial for Portsmouth. H.M.S. Grimsby was sunk in the Med. and the survivors came to Canopus, among them were Alf Drinkwater from Shepperton and Jimmy Dickinson who played for Portsmouth and later went on to become an England International football player, he was a smashing bloke and a good player.

This was too good to be true - I was drafted to South Africa, to Port Elizabeth via Mombassa and Durban. We docked in Durban and I had a smashing time. Everywhere we went everything was free drinks etc. We were invited to dinner etc. I was sorry to leave, but we went on to Port Elizabeth, a lovely spot, where we were on guard duty to an ammunition ship carrying ammo for the Battleships Prince of Wales'' and "Repulse'', we had a good time until the Ships left for the Far East. We later learned, due to radio reports of Ships in the area, that "Prince of Wales'' and "Repulse" were sunk by Jap Planes. Another cock-up by Winston. After this we travelled by train to Capetown and aboard M.T. troopship "Dempo" a Dutch Liner, with 300 or more German prisoners on board bound for the U.K.

Next Page