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Alec-Penstone

A veteran interview with

Alec Penstone

This is the first of 8 films about Alec Penstone’s incredible life as a WWII submarine detector.

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About Alec Penstone

Alec Penstone’s life took a big turn during World War II. Before the war, he worked in a factory and was only 14 years old when war broke out. He spent much of the early war days in London as a volunteer ARP messenger during ‘The Blitz’. He then joined the Royal Navy in 1942. He wanted to have an adventure and help his country.

Alec was posted onto HMS Campania as a submarine detector and quickly learned that life as a sailor was tough. HMS Campania was part of the Arctic convoys – ships that sailed from the United Kingdom, Iceland and North America to the northern ports in the Soviet Union in very cold waters. He helped hunt for enemy submarines called U-boats. It was hard and scary work.

When the war comes to an end in Europe, Alec is given 7 days VE leave in which he gets married before being sent off to the Far East to fight the Japanese. However after the Hiroshima atom bomb was dropped, he was put on more general ‘police work’ duties.

Alec’s interview highlights how the sailors stuck together during tough times and gives great insight into what it was like to live on a ship during the war. His account reminds us that war is terrible. Many people lost their lives. But it also shows how strong people can be when they work together. His story helps us remember and honour the sailors who fought for their country during some of the darkest times in history.

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Reviewed by:
Jake Woods

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Home | Veterans | Alec Penstone

A veteran interview with

Alec Penstone

Alec-Penstone

This is the first of 8 films about Alec Penstone’s incredible life as a WWII submarine detector.

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https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/alec-penstone/

Cite this interview:

MLA Style:
Penstone, Alec. A Veteran Interview with Alec Penstone. Interview by Unknown. Legasee, 14 Jul. 2011 https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/alec-penstone/. Accessed 17 May. 2025.
APA Style:
Penstone, A. (2011, July 14). A Veteran Interview with Alec Penstone [Interview by Unknown]. Legasee. Retrieved May 17, 2025, from https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/alec-penstone/
Chicago Style:
Penstone, Alec. 2011. A Veteran Interview with Alec Penstone. Interview by Unknown. Legasee, July 14. Accessed May 17, 2025. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/alec-penstone/
Harvard Style:
Penstone, A. (2011). A Veteran Interview with Alec Penstone. [Interviewed by Unknown]. Legasee, 14 July. Available at https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/alec-penstone/ (Accessed: 17 May 2025)
Vancouver Style:
Penstone, A. A Veteran Interview with Alec Penstone [Internet]. Interview by Unknown. Legasee; 2011 Jul 14 [cited 2025 May 17]. Available from: https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/alec-penstone/
An interview with

Nick Tobin

Nick recalls in incredible detail his immense pride in commanding HMS Antelope but also the heartbreak of its sinking during the Falklands War.

Nick was always keen on a career in the Navy and enlisted in 1962. By 1981 he was in command of  HMS Antelope which was a privilege to command as Nick says he was blessed with an excellent ship’s company and modern equipment. It comes as no surprise to Nick when they are instructed to return from training operations to prepare to travel to the South Atlantic. On the way down they practice military operations intensely. Nick is also put in tactical command of six support vessels, a supply ship, a tanker and four landing ships which increases his responsibilities significantly. They arrive at Ascension Island on 21st April where the Antelope acts as guardship. Nick is then instructed to shepherd the support groups to the total exclusion zone and return with the tanker the RFA Tidespring which is carrying Argentinians to be repatriated. Nick was doubly worried that the conditions onboard for the prisoners did not meet the terms of the Geneva Convention but also that incredibly dangerous members of the Argentinian special forces were in the group and had to be held safely. On 23rd May the Antelope comes under attack. Nick recalls events in incredible detail how two bombs hit them but did not explode. They are able to manoeuvre the ship to the San Carlos waters to enable bomb disposal but, tragically, the attempts fail and one of the bombs detonates, killing one, injuring more and causing significant damage to the ship. With the ship both lurching and in flames, and communication out, Nick gives the command to abandon ship. They are picked up by the QE2 where Nick is able to decompress with fellow commanding officers of  HMS Ardent and HMS Coventry, both also sunken. It was a relief to return home to family and the grand reception at Southampton. It was heartbreaking for Nick to leave the Antelope and a frustrating Board of Inquiry followed where Nick and two fellow officers were found negligent. Thankfully, the Commander-in-Chief dismissed the findings so the men did not face court martial but Nick says he didn’t feel completely vindicated until after he retired when the surviving bomb disposal expert was interviewed and said the correct decision had been made.
Service:
Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker
An interview with

Gladys Yates

A WRNS Officer Steward describes her wartime childhood and memories of serving officers at Chatham Barracks during WWII

Aged 14 when WWII broke out, Gladys spent the early war years in Gillingham, Kent. Gladys frequently sought refuge at home or in shelters when bombs and landmines were dropped on her street. She explains how the war shattered everybody’s lives and deprived young people of their carefree teenage years. At 17, Gladys decided to join the WRNS to contribute to the war effort, following in the footsteps of her Navy and Marine relatives. She trained in Rochester to wait on tables for breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner, before serving at Chatham Barracks as an Officer Steward. She describes her daily routine, getting to know the naval officers, and her friendships and moments of mischief with fellow Wrens. As the war drew to a close, Gladys felt optimistic about the future and was excited for life to return to normal. After peace was declared, local people flocked to see the barracks lights fully illuminated again – a captivating sight that symbolically marked the end of the war’s disruption. Though Gladys sheds light on the difficulties faced by WWII’s teenage generation, she fondly cherishes her memories of her time as a Wren.
Service:
Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker
An interview with

Harry Eddy

The incredible service of a Navy Wireman who was one of the first onto Sword Beach on D-Day.

Harry Eddy was born in Devon and joined the Navy in 1943. Following training in Letchworth and Troon, he passed as a wireman and was posted to the LCT-944 (landing craft tank) in readiness for the D-Day landings. Harry describes in detail life aboard his LCT and the responsibilities of his role, recalling the horrors of war and the Navy’s perhaps rather shocking approach to recruits who abandoned their posts during the height of battle. He also remembers how an attempt by his crew to rescue a stricken landing craft from Sword Beach nearly sank his own ship, leaving him lucky to make it back to Britain alive. After the liberation of France, Harry recalls how he and his shipmates headed for Westkapelle, a coastal town in the Netherlands, where the promised and much-relied-upon air support didn’t arrive. In his own words, “It made D-Day look easy.” Harry also shares his memories of VE Day, and joyfully recalls an emotional reunion at a meeting of the LST and Landing Craft Association with his best friend from the war who he hadn’t seen for 40 years.
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Service:
Interviewed by:
Brig. C Elderton