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Albert Edward Gee - Autobiography Part 6 |
I enjoyed my time on the Impregnable, we used to see Navy ships come in harbour battered about. On one occasion a destroyer came in stern first; her whole bow right up to the bridge was missing. We used to see the submarines with just the conning tower above water, and, as my brother was serving on submarines I was eager to finish my training and, if possible also get into submarines but it was not to be until several years later, by which time my brother was out of the Navy and in charge of a radio station at Singapore. He stayed there until the Japanese moved in during the second world war when he went to Australia and was made Director of Communications for Queensland and the Northern Territories based at Port Moresby, New Guinea.
There were nearly 2000 boys on the Impregnable and it was easy to dodge some musters. We had what they called Divisions and prayers at 9 am each morning, previous to which we used to clean bright work. One day I had gone to the wash places to wash my hands when I met a dockyard worker and got into conversation with him. He was from St Albans and knew my home town, Bishops Stortford well. The Bugles sounded for Divisions but I stayed put. When prayers were over I came out and joined my class. The instructor asked me where I had been - apparently they had an article of clothing that I had lost and were looking for me during Divisions. I said that I was in the lavatory with a touch of diarrhoea. He said that he had to report me missing so that I should go and tell the Officer in Charge where I was and why I had not been present during Divisions. The Officer listened to my reason then wrote a note for me to take to the sick bay. They gave me an ounce of Castor Oil and saw that I swallowed it. Then the fun started I really did have diarrhoea. It happened on Wednesday and we had a half day. We went ashore to the recreation ground all of the afternoon. Before we had even got ashore I was in trouble, and made a dash for the lavatory. I stayed for ages until I thought that I was safe. Then I got part way to the field and had to dash back. Once during one of my visits I found a full house so I scrambled through a window into the Instructor's part. An Instructor, on a visit to the lavatory to see if there were any boys smoking, looked through the window and saw me, he went round to the door to catch me but a boy tipped me off and I got back through the window with my trousers half mast sat down on the nearest seat and was just in time to hear the Instructor cursing because he had lost me.
One thing that I shall always remember was the smell of rum when the men in the ship's company drew their rations, it smelt wonderful, but when I became 18 and was able to draw a ration I could not touch it, consequently I had lots of friends for some of the men would do anything for an extra tot of rum. At that time England had a very bad epidemic of Spanish Flu and thousands were dying every day. I was one of the permanent burial party from the Impregnable and we buried sometimes two and sometimes three boys every day. Eventually, I went down with the 'flu, rather suddenly. I was watching the ships in the harbour during the evening and felt fine but I must have passed out and came round in the Sick Bay. My eldest brother (Charles) at this time was serving in Submarine E52 at Harwich, He had his wife and two month old baby son with him. His wife used to go to Parkstone Quay to meet his sub., when they were due in. She waited rather a long time as they were somewhat overdue, caught a cold, then 'flu and died. My mother had to go to Harwich and take the baby (Terry) home.
The Royal Navy had a benefactress - Dame Agnes Weston - who built a sailors rest at Devonport and another at Portsmouth, each with several hundred beds, each bed in a cubicle where sailors on all night leave could sleep. There were also billiard rooms and a canteen. She died at this time but I do not know whether it was from the 'flu. The Navy honoured her by sending a small party of mourners from each ship or establishment in Devonport to the funeral. I was one chosen from the Impregnable.
I finished my training and was sent to a light Cruiser H.M.S. Suffolk on the 1st November. We went out to patrol the Western Approaches on the 4th November but the Armistice was signed on the 11th November so we came in harbour and four ships of which we were one tied up to a buoy together and most of our crew went into Barracks and our ships were filled up with 2nd class men. A second class man was a man who had been in trouble so often that he was only allowed ashore one afternoon a month, he was on reduced pay and had most other privileges stopped. They were a rough lot. We boys were warned that we would not be expected to do anything other than see to the safety of our own kit whilst we were on the ship, so we spent all day by our kit bags and relieved each other if we had to leave for any reason. After about two weeks we boys were all drafted into Barracks ( very likely Vivid as shown on his service record) and I was able to have my first "run ashore".
Devonport and Plymouth were indescribable, thousands of men ashore celebrating drunks and fighting everywhere. When the Armistice was signed most ships returned to their "home" ports and the crews were given leave so that Devonport and Plymouth were crowded with men.
Part 7 |
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