Motor Torpedo Boats

My war
Things you should know about my war 1940 to 1946 and luckey escapes from death during world war two. ...
I started my life in the navy on an ex-American destroyer in Devonport dockyard during five nights of blitz when Devonport was wiped out. Many times we were hit with incendiary bombs which were shovelled up and thrown overboard. There were several high explosive near misses. The fire was so bright that you could read a newspaper in the dark. The next morning was like being on the moon. Everything was destroyed and there were many dead.
I was posted to Portland naval base for training on motor torpedo boats which are high speed wooden craft with deck torpedos and an Orlikon gun on the stern. They ran on aviation fuel with no self-sealing fuel tanks; just double skin mahogony hulls with armour only round the bridge. The engines were Rolls Merlin super-charged or the American copy Packard Merlin engines which were identical being built under license in America.
After training I moved to Lowestoft and we fought against the German e-boats. These were better designed fighting craft as the crew lived ashore and the boats were made narrower and faster than the MTBs, so they had the edge on us. I then moved from Lowestoft to Queenborough on the isle of Sheppey. We had a mysterious explosion nearby which confounded the powers that be. It turned out to be a V2 rocket, one of the first to land in Britain. The Buzz bombs were already coming over to bomb London. These were shot down by antiaircraft fire and pursued by fighters who tried to tip them over by going wing tip to wing tip.

Whilst at Queenbourgh we had top overhaul the engines on a MTB and we were running up to test. However, the engine backfired and caught fire. Everyone rushed to the escape hatch but my mate and I didn't make it and the hatch was slammed shut. We were trapped so all we could do was grab fire extinguishers and fight the fire, putting it out. We hammered on the hatch, which was opened and they were amazed when we both crawled out because not only had the crew jumped overboard because they were moored alongside an ammunition barge and the captain had gone to the wheelhouse and activated the CO2 fire extinguishers. Fortunately, they did not work otherwise we would have both died.
Then I was transferred to tank landing craft no. LCT 106 which was due to go to the middle east. To get out there, the landing craft was dismantled into 4 sections and loaded on the deck of a Liberty ship. While we were waiting at Gurrock for the ship to sail, there was a lot of activity on the stern where the crew's quarters were. I discovered later when at sea that the crew had breached the cargo by going down the large vents and bringing up what they wished, tobacco, liquor, gramophone records and clothes.
We set sail formed up in a large convoy during the night. Next morning, at day break, we discovered that we were alone, the reason being that we could only do 4 knots which is walking pace, so the convoy had to keep up speed and left us behind. It took us 7 weeks to get to Cape Town, fortunately not encountering any enemy action.
Approaching Cape Town, the crew who had breached the cargo and done a lot of damage, expected that the captain had informed the authorities, so they threw all their ill-gotten gains over the side. However, no police appeared. We refuelled and carried on up the east coast of Africa to Port Suez.
We had a new young master with his first ship. The chief mate was a retired master who had volunteered for service, but he had to do one voyage as a chief mate before being given a ship of his own. There was obvious friction between the experienced chief mate and the new young master.
The crew objected to the chief mate who was a stickler for discipline and they complained to the young master, saying that they would not serve with this "Nazi bastard". Proceeding up the African coast to Suez, there was sudden pandimonium on the bridge. The captain had gone out on the bridge in the night to find only a crewman at the wheel, no officer in sight. We were heading straight for rocks. He immediately took control, changed the ship's course and continued towards Suez. There was no sign of the chief mate, so the ship was searched and not finding him, he was presumed lost overboard.
We continued on to Suez with no chief mate but just before landing the chief mate was found in a drunken stupor in the forward hold. He was covered in filth and of course was relieved of his post and placed under arrest by the captain.
We expected the police to be waiting at Port Said to arrest the crew, but the only person arrested was the chief mate. The crew got off scot free!
Two years later, I left North Africa to return to the UK on the troop ship Mauretania. It was full of service personnel being transported back to Britain. I was in the wardroom when who should walk in but the chief mate. I said that I was pleased to see him and what had he been doing? He said that he had been in jail doing hard labour and he had lost all his certificates and was a ruined man.after a spell in u/k I was posted to the Far East based at SINGAPORE serving on a FRIGATE on joining the ship I was made entertainment officer.We worked tropical routine so finished at noon the rest of the day was spent socializing at the Tanglin Club dancing swimming the club was a former chinise millionares club very posh.Attending a tea dance a bevy of girls walked in I could only see the back of one girl but I knew it was Joan Harris an old flame from Bath my home town.We were both pleased to see each other I told her I was entertainment officer so she said she would muster up some girls for a party which would be held on board ship.We collected the girls and the party was in full swing. The Capten was not amember of the Ward Room so could not attend so spent the evening pering through the portholes at the merry time we were all having.The Electrical Officer had his wine list stopped so could not drink on board however he was passing the Captains cabin in a merry state when the door opened and he fell inside completly blotto.All the officers were told to report to the Captain in the Ward Room at 8am next morning.We all assembled as ordered. He asked the first officer for an explanation who replied as follows I went ashore to collect our guests and they entertained us with plenty of drinks so I got drunk thats my story and I am sticking to it.He went to the next officer and asked the same question who replied thats my story and I am also sticking to it.The Captain went abright red started shaking violently turned on his heels and stamped out.He could not court martial all the officers under his command as this would look very bad on his record so we were dismissed and heard no more about the affair.
More about LCT 106 we were operating in the MED OFF NORTH AFRICA running supplies of petrel and ammunition for the EIGHT ARMEY petrol was in tin cans like buisket tins which were easaly puntured the 85 octane fuel ran down into the bilges making the craft a floating time bomb . We were all blacked out and the lavatory was in the hold next to the bow door, A seaman entered the hold to go to the toilet it was in total darkness and to my horror pulled out his lighter and flicked it alight I shouted telling him to put the bloody thing out or we would all be blown to kingdom come .We sailed on to El AGALIA and unloaded the cargo on to the beach to waiting soldiers who were short ammo and fuel .They were also short of water and immediately formed a long line to get a welcome drink of water which was semi salt and tasted alfull as it had been carried in the ballast tanks used for sea water . When docked a great storm blew up and sank a lot of ships including LCT 106 we managed to get ashore with what we stood up in .We then got alift on a south african whaler which zig zaged to avoid U Boats as we were on the open decks it was a most uncomftable journey .When I got back to base in the Bitter Lakes I was greeted with the remarks we heard you missing presumed dead off EL AGALIA we lived in tents and I was robbed of all my money and photos by some bastered who took advantage of the lack of security Then a raid was planned on TOBROK this was common knoledge in the Bars of Aexandria s0 the GERMANS were waiting for us and formed their Tanks around the harbour and blew the raiding party to kingdom come.My mate was killed in this action .I was then posted to Portland naval base to take an intensive Engineering course which I passed as LUIETENANT (E)RNVR Then I was posted to Lowestoft to fight the German (E) Boats . These were better than our motor torpedo boats equiped with more powerfull engines , faster and heavy Bofo guns so we were batting on a sticky wicket . The base was manned by young Officers and men more like a RAF FIGHTER station than a NAVAL BASE It was very full of fun plenty of parties to attend and cheap drinks to add to the fun . I was then posted to Qeenborough in the ISLE OF SHEPPEY as engineer in charge of a flotilla of Gun Boats . The C/O was a ex trawler skipper who suffered from D/T,S He could not get out of his bunk every morning without downing a double wiskey , We had to catch a bus to Sheernes to go drinking A double decker bus waiting at the Bus Stop and the driver and conductress were talking away ignoring all of us , S a fellow officer opened the drivers door hopped in started the engine put the bus in gear and drove of downthe road with the driver in hot persute after 200 yds he stopped got out the driver took over and we carried on to Sheerness.

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