Office boy Stan Hoare was called up in June 1943 and he joined the Royal Navy as a radar rating, completing his training at HMS Raleigh in Cornwall and on the Isle of Man. Stan’s first ship was HMS Hart, a modified Black Swan-class sloop, and he recalls the sense of pride he felt when boarding for the first time. He shares memories of his life and work on board the ship during sea trials, the Arctic convoys and D-Day, and remembers the serious consequences of an accident caused by heavy fog in the Bristol Channel during his watch. Stan went on to take a gunnery course and was subsequently transferred to HMS Duke of York, joining the British Pacific Fleet and setting sail for Australia. He vividly describes the differences between the two ships of his service, and remembers the final crashing wave that spared his life but ended his military career. Stan’s story, shared with much humour and humility, illustrates the overwhelming courage, dedication and resilience of all those who served with, before and after him.

Graeme Golightly attended a merchant navy boarding school before passing the Royal Marines entrance tests at sixteen. He was proud to complete the gruelling thirty-week training, one of fourteen to pass from a group of fifty-two. Posted to 40 Commando in Plymouth, he was deployed to the Falklands with Bravo Company and despite hopes for diplomacy, recalls the poignant moment the company prepared for war and secured Port San Carlos, stepping into freezing water weighed down with heavy kit and ammunition. Graeme remembers hearing there were white flags flying over Stanley and being tasked to take the surrender of the Argentinean military force. He went on to serve in Northern Ireland until illness ended his frontline role, moving to a desk position before transitioning to civilian life. Graeme remained deeply proud of his green beret, the perspective gained through service, and the lifelong camaraderie of the Royal Marines family.

Having long been drawn to the water, Gordon Hooton decided to run away from home and volunteer for the Royal Navy at just sixteen years old. Both his time in the Home Guard and the skills inherited from a childhood of swimming and high diving put him in good stead for naval training at HMS Ganges, and Gordon soon found himself waiting for a draft at Chatham Dockyard. Following some work aboard the submarine recently returned from the stratagems of Operation Mincemeat, Gordon assumed a position aboard the HMS Savage and embarked north to join a huge convoy headed for Russia. Gordon shares his experience aboard the HMS Savage; everything from his initial sea sickness to narrowly avoiding being torpedoed by a fleet of German U-Boats in Polyarny. Following the German surrender, Gordon disembarked the HMS Savage and boarded a great American liner bound for Sri Lanka from Southampton. Assigned as chief quartermaster of this ship, Gordon recounts his experience of escorting a Japanese ship up the Malacca Strait to be sunk. He also explains the processes involved in the dangerous task of mine sweeping at sea. After the war Gordon was decommissioned on medical grounds, which unfortunately brought a premature end to his career in the Navy. Gordon’s story highlights the dangers inherent to a career in the Navy, and his ability to adapt to the ruthless naval warfare of the Second World War at such a young age is a testament to his fortitude.