Coming into Derry port on a royal Navy corvette

Stanley George Taylor
This story is taken from an interview with Stanley George Taylor, and has been added to the site with their permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions. The interview was by Deirdre Donnelly, and transcription was by Bruce Logan.
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I was on a Corvette called “Tintagel Castle”.
Derry was my home base most of the time during the war.We escorted convoys to St Johns in Newfoundland.
I was seasick for 3 weeks! A corvette’s a very small ship. I thought they’d take me off seagoing duties, but I recovered.
I remember the comradeship of 100 men in proximity doing a dangerous job. A nice feeling.
Towards the end of the war, a month before, we sank a U-Boat off the SW of Ireland. 60-70 men went to the bottom. They didn’t even have a chance to swim. She was at 600 ft, nothing could have survived.
The echo on the ASDIC was picked up by Destroyer Vanquisher. Our ship was detached to help Vanquisher. They had lost the contact, so they sent us. We had a new weapon, the squid — 3 large bombs over the front rather than depth charges off the stern. Electrically-fired by sensing equipment.
We searched in the dark hours, 6-7 hours chasing before we knew the trace disappeared. We knew she was destroyed.
We went back to the convoy. Later a ship went back and found small amounts of wreckage. With Admiralty and German records we found it was definitely sunk.
I was more fortunate than most.
I went to sea in 1944. But 1943 was the turning point of the Battle of the Atlantic, sinking U-Boats faster than they could build them. Doenitz pulled the wolfpacks from the mid-Atlantic because of unsustainable losses, so it became easier to cross. They operated individually and cautiously.

We waited at the mouth of the Foyle for permission to enter. It’s a shallow river, we were restricted at speed to avoid the wash. We were told what speed to proceed. We escorted the last convoy from the Americas, which arrived off the Foyle on 8th May, VE day. The skipper was so keen he ignored the regulations and cracked on at full speed. We didn’t get paid at sea, we were paid at the RN base HMS Ferret. With an officer and escort we went up and collected the money for the ship. I was detailed as escort, I was 8 stone 7 at the time!
At Ferret the staff had VE day off, except an officer and 2 ratings. We wanted to draw a month’s pay. But were told -“There’s nobody who can deal with you, but the officers have a float. We can give you enough for 10 shillings each.”
Enough to buy 6 half-pints of beer!
Pubs and Shops were officially shut in Derry. But there was more people in the pubs than when they were officially open.
There was a huge bonfire, everybody singing and dancing and having a great time.

We never went out as a ship’s company, 100 men. But every ship was divided into Messes. I was a ship’s coder, so I was in the communications mess. 20 of us lived and slept in that part of the ship.
You were divided into watches so half the ship’s company stayed aboard while the others went out. Then the following day it would reverse. You never had the opportunity to all go together, somebody had to be on the ship.

The Public hall … not the Guildhall. I can’t remember the name, we all referred to it as “The Public hall”. There were frequent dances — a lot of young girls, and one of few places you could get draught beer. It was nearly always bottled beer, scotch beer from McEwans Brewery. McEwans No3 was sold in half-pint bottles. 1 and 8p a bottle.
In the Public hall was Guinness Porter, but the bar was open infrequently. You see very few dance halls were allowed to sell drink. You’d hear - “the bar will open in 10 mins” — there was a rush, it was open 25 mins, a huge queue ..

By the end I was bored crossing the Atlantic.

I took the railway from Londonderry —the Larne to Stranraer. Then another train to home.
You wreen’t permitted to travel more than a certain distance from the ship. It was not unknown for there to be an emergency call. We weren’t allowed across the border.
There were certain outfitters in Derry. The RN let you buy uniforms from outside suppliers. You needed clothing coupons. You’d write out a request that you wanted naval clothing from a supplier. They gave you coupons or a document. You could use that to buy a sports coat, and travel in civilian clothing.
You had to be in uniform to be recognised and called back.
Crossing the border was punishable. You had to go in disguise, in civies. I know people who went.
None of our ships company got across. Some lads volunteered from the republic. They were allowed to go home, not in uniform.

I was also stationed at Gurrock in Scotland. The experience was much the same. When you got out you went to a dance. A lot of events in those times were organised by Church organisations.

There was always something on, if you wanted to be sociable.
We had to prepare our own food on ship, do our own washing, write letters home … always something to be done. We played a lot of cards, “solo” was the game. Not for money, we couldn’t afford it.

Most of the Churches sponsored voluntary work that supported the canteens. All food was rationed in the war, but allowances were made. It was nice to be able to go somewhere without having to surrender coupons. It was nice to get away from the ship for a while.
We slept in hammocks. There was a locker to put your comb in. that was about it. There was a hatchway to be kept clear, underneath was the ammo locker for the 4in shells. The 4in gun was immediately above the Stoker’s deck above us. The ammo came up a hoist through the messes, behind the gun.
20 of us sleeping in hammocks. There’s just enough space. To get in you grasp the bar. You need enough space between each to get in — 10 inches. I enjoyed sleeping in a hammock. A small ship has a lot of side-to-side, so the hammock’s more comfortable than a bunk. You could fall out of a bunk!

Derry girls?
You’d be lucky to get 7 days home on leave. We spent most time on the ship. 60 years ago nobody was as forward as they are today.

There was a club in the back of a house in the centre of Derry. The “Lion and eagle club” for USN and RN sailors to go together and have a meal. One deterrent was it cost 2 shilling or half a crown to be a member. That was 2 bottles of beer.
You could get a nice steak there, which you couldn’t get in canteens or restaurants.

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