Toy Sailors

The Sea daddy was slightly overweight but in every other way he was always immaculately turned out, he was bombarded with questions about every subject, interests were varied but we all listened to his every word. He enjoyed being the centre of attention and many of his accounts of things “where a matter of fact” we listened intently to his account of naval life and how great things could be when all the training was over, he made us feel that we had to go through the boredom and endurance of basic training to really appreciate the tradition and pride that comes when wearing the Queens uniform.

The Queens uniform! It was never even a thought that had entered my head, why was I really doing this. I suppose the first doubts came into my head why I was really joining the Navy. This was on the second day and then it continued to rise up like a bad smell at various points in my career.

The training continued, I learned how to make my bed, wear my clothes and how to look after them. Wash them, dry them, iron them and sew them. I learned how to eat properly this was not optional we were told it was an offence not to have three meals a day.
We continued to march, we ran, we did assault courses, cross-country courses, we climbed hills, we canoed and at the end of the day we slept.

"Toy sailors", slowly we started to “act as one” this was we were assured, was when teamwork starts to pay off. It happened at the same time the pecking order was formed. Personalities and bullies were soon apparent and in a class full of Glaswegian's, face off’s happened regularly and sometimes there was more than a Glasgow kiss used to settle a quarrel. I was probably the smallest person in the class and I never ever felt I had anything to prove, I was however bullied once bye unusually the twins, they were not very big either but they worked as a tag team, I was left bleeding it was done for no reason that I knew except I was from Fife. The twins were from Partick, they had several run-ins with people, eventually they were kicked out the navy for beating up someone who mattered.

Sea Daddy

The first day of my Naval career started early, My first treat was “Call to Hand’s” a long whistle followed by a deep voice repeating over and over again , I soon found out the whistle was called a “Bosun's Call”.

I suppose the training was always going to be set around the needs of the human stomach, breakfast was brilliant all you could eat just like before, a typical full English with eggs done in every way possible, people everywhere all in a hurry, there was a more sombre mood set due to the early hour, but it was obvious everyone was motivated and new they had a purpose

We had to march to breakfast as indeed we would soon to find out we would have to march to everything for the next three months.

My first day truly began when we had to stand in line to have our hair cut, there was no point in asking for a particular style, it was sit down and it was all off, there was muttering all down the line as someone came out of the door, generally followed by a few chuckles. The overall aim was to make everyone look and act the same, no room for individuals at this stage of the training.

The next queue was to receive clothing and shoes, you would think it would be simple, no not one pair of shoes, shoes, No1 boots, No2 Boots, No2 suit, No8 Shirt, No8 Trousers, 3 pairs of overalls, jacket water proof, coat foul weather, bedding, including three sheets and three pillow cases.
There was Naval accessories pieces of rope, 3 meters of silk, A wooden name stamp and paint, shoe brushes and polish, metal drinking cup, housemade, just about everything was given a number and a naval manual or “BR” book of reference which was to become our training bible.

The pile was just enormous and it was all expected to have names stamped on, folded in “naval fashion” and “stowed” correctly in the small lockers.

Enter the “Sea Daddy” each new class of entrant were all given one, A sea daddy was a naval rating that we were allocated to show us the ropes, right down to how to iron a pair of trousers, that task for most people I suppose was relatively easy but at sixteen having never done any ironing, and now expected to iron perfectly and put the creases in just right place was almost a crying matter.
Sailors trousers had horizontal creases on both legs, dependant on your height you had either five or seven. To tradition I was told it was for seven sea’s or five oceans. A sailors "Dicky" is another blog post, enough to say for now, it was a good trapping line for unknowing young ladies.

Sea Daddy - Someone who takes a less-experienced crewmember under his or her wing and expert tutelage. Often, and traditionally a Senior Rank, however the duty can fall on lower ranks with experience.

Wooden Hut for a home

The place was huge, I wondered how long it would take me to find my way around, I needn’t have worried, I was soon to find out that team work is just one way of saying conjoined.
It wasn’t long before we arrived at our accommodation, not the futuristic buildings that I seen on the way in, no, this was wooden buildings that were recognisable as the same type that were so popular in the “Great Escape”.

We were offloaded from the bus and directed into our hut with the same precision as at the train station, the hut was larger inside than I had imagined, table at one end and the bunk beds laid down the walls, a small locker for clothing and personnel items and a sign on the wall that said, "HEADS"

I think it was really the first time that I really took notice of the people I was going to spend the next sixteen weeks with. They were all shapes and sizes but the most unnerving thing was they were all "Weegies" well all except one and that poor bugger was from London.

It was like being in a foreign country, I did however manage to understand the occasional word, my education allowed me to place the correct word instead of the expletives although on occasion I was stumped for an alternative.

The day seemed to go quickly as we were transferred from one meeting to another and then lecture to lecture, overhead projection was a new teaching aid at the time, and it was used by everyone in there enthusiasm give endless amounts of information.

Dinner was fantastic more choices than you could imagine and as much as you liked, it was obvious we were the new guys, everyone else had been shorne of their hair and were in identical dress.

We were allowed a good break for our lunch but everyone else seamed to be working to a tight schedule and they were scoffing there food down. The noise was deafining as probably two or even three hundred people were eating and talking all at the same time.

That was pretty much the way the first day carried on, Bed time was early and I could remember crying as I fell asleep, homesick I suppose, or maybe I was unsure if this was really a mistake, but I didn't want to be seen to have fell at the first hurdle.

The use of the term "head" to refer to a ship's toilet dates to at least as early as 1708, "Head" in a nautical sense referring to the bow or fore part of a ship dates to 1485. The ship's toilet was typically placed at the head of the ship near the base of the bowsprit, where splashing water served to naturally clean the toilet area.

Raleigh

This was my first time ever on a sleeper and even though quite daunted I knew everyone else on the train was in exactly the same position. I tried to sleep but there was just no way.

Eleven hours on what seemed to be the slowest train ever, we stopped in several sidings to let other trains through, I was sharing the cabin with someone else but he is faceless and any conversation we had was lost in the insignificance.

We pulled in to Plymouth station were we all alighted together, there were sailors and marines everywhere herding into a fleet of blue buses, the manoeuvre was done without any complication it was obviously a well rehearsed procedure. We all moved as one, there was no attempt to find baggage as it was all being thrown down a line of sailors from the baggage compartment of the train to two awaiting blue lorries, it was like watching an army of ants transferring food.

The journey from the station to what was going to be our new home took about an hour, we crossed the river Tamar by ferry and then it wasn’t long before we arrived at the gates of HMS Raleigh.

We passed white buildings with very futuristic styled windows they were three stories high and they had names over the doors. We passed old cannons, the roads had white stones lining them. We passed what I was soon to find out was the parade ground a place I grew to love! A flag flew high above the establishment I knew it was white ensign after all my father had been in the Navy before me, it didn’t quite look the same though.

Night Train

It seamed ages before I heard any more, In fact it was so long I had forgot that I had applied to join. I tried to apply for various apprenticeships as a joiner, there were either no vacancies, or the onset of flat pack furniture was the death nail in the coffin for the industry.
I arrived home from school to find a letter on the mantle piece addressed to me, I opened it with wonder as It was the first time I could remember getting mail other than a birthday card. It was a certificate " Congratulations you have been successful in your interview to join the Royal Navy.
I was in shock, "I've got a job I shouted in excitement", all sorts of emotions started to kick in all at the same time. My next thought was oh shit what have I done!
Before I knew it another interview followed, more mail telling me what to take with me and finally a one way ticket to Plymouth, on the Night Train.

Cough

It was a big class room with posters all over the walls, Sailors and Marines doing all those adventurous things to encourage young boys to make a future for themselves in the services.
A big clock was ticking, It seamed ages before a small Royal Marine entered the room, He barked out be quiet, face your front, nothing strange there except we were already facing the front and you could have heard a pin drop. Every desk was provided with paper and pen. No pencils or rubbers. From that point onwards I never stopped writing, cramp came and went as quick as the various tests. Maths, English, General knowledge, Mechanical and Electrical aptitude, each test was timed which put just a bit of pressure on. Uncomfortably the Marine marched up and down constantly between the desks, he had shiny boots that he was obviously proud of, and they looked far too big for him!
Eventually he said pens down, relax We then were told to go for lunch, more money provided be back for medical and fitness check at 1300 sharp, 1300 what time is that I thought to myself.
I never had lunch I thought the money would be better used later.
Having never had a medical as such I was unsure what was expected, anyway it was eye test, height and weight check. An old doctor checked for reflexes, spine, arm and leg movement, taking great interest in any obvious old cuts or stitch marks.
The final moment of embarrassment was when I was asked to cough, this time it was a female doctor, Arousal was just not going to happen the marine was better looking.

                                                                    

Wooden Ships

Breakfast over I returned to the recruitment office, this time however the place was quite busy, any confidence I had when walking through the door suddenly left me and the thought of spending the next few hours with total strangers knotted my stomach.
It wasn't long until we had explained to us the plan for the morning, now the knot felt bigger but at least we moved from the reception area where eye contact with anyone felt painful.The first stop was a classroom were we had various tests to decide if we would be joining at all and what branch we could join, I wanted to be a shipwright like my dad, I said this to one of the staff, he laughed and said we don't have wooden ships anymore, I felt a blanket of embarrassment come over me and after that I didn't really know what I wanted to be and thought it would be safest to remain "shtumm".

Press ganged

I joined the Royal Navy at the age of sixteen, why? I don't know, I really wanted to be a joiner.
There was no apprenticeships at the time for joiners, I asked for several jobs at local workshops however it was the start of the age of flat pack furniture, and spotty , long haired kids were seen as unemployable. It's funny I now look at the young adults today with there multiple piercings and drab fashions and think, well, nothing has changed, it's the perception of fuddy duddys like myself that hold back the strengths and confidences of the next generation.

I got an appointment at the RN Recruitment office in Edinburgh I turned up at the appointed time to be given £1.30 to go and get my breakfast at the local cafe, the Full Monty only cost 64p I was dead chuffed, well you would be, I think it was a good ploy to get you to sign on the dotted line. The modern day equivalent of taking the queens shilling.