Fred joined the Royal Navy in 1943, aged seventeen. He completed a stokers course and was assigned to HMS Nith, which was being used on convoy escort. In preparation for D-Day his ship was designated a HQ ship for landing craft. When the invasion took place he remembers seeing soldiers bodies floating in the sea around the ship. This upset him but an officer instructed him to ignore them and proceed with his duties.

On 24^th June the ship was at anchor and he was assigned the port watch, which was a change from his usual starboard watch. While on duty the ships anti-aircraft guns began firing, followed by an explosion as the ship was hit on its starboard side by a remote controlled unmanned German bomber. This killed and injured several of the crew and severely damaged the ship. An American torpedo boat went to get help and a hospital ship eventually arrived. Fred and some comrades were trying to work in the dark when he tripped over a dead sailor with his legs blown off.

In general Fred thinks that he was too young to be worried, although he did get anxious when he was working in the engine room and could hear the ‘ping’ from the ASDIC, trying to locate nearby submarines. He was in the navy for three years and felt that it was a positive experience. When the war ended his mother was happy that he and his three brothers had all survived.