Mervyn Salter, an able seaman and anti-aircraft gunner, joined the Royal Navy in 1942 at the age of 18. He trained at HMS Raleigh and HMS Drake before being assigned to his first ship, HMS Saumarez, an S-class destroyer. Mervyn recalls his life and duties aboard the ship, including his first voyage during which the Saumarez escorted the Queen Mary with Winston Churchill on board. He goes on to vividly describe the challenges of the Arctic convoys, sharing detailed memories of the harsh conditions, and later provides an engaging account of the Saumarez’s battle with the German battleship Scharnhorst. Mervyn also recounts the ship’s role in providing artillery support on D-Day, which remains a particularly difficult experience for him to talk about. In 1944 the Saumarez gained a new skipper and was promoted to flotilla leader, setting sail for the Pacific where a new ocean provided a new enemy. Mervyn’s reflections on his military service are testament to the courage, resilience and camaraderie that defined his time in the Royal Navy, and his closing words remind us that the events of the war and the sacrifices made by so many must never be forgotten.

Catherine Avent recounts her memories of going from a university undergraduate to a beloved admin officer in charge of a one of a kind navy unit. Despite not having a naval background her romanticisation of the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS) spurred her to join, her naval experiences shaping the rest of her life.   Catherine’s training involved tracking Morse code and sending out warnings on the occasion of interruptions, a vital task reserved for her unit to complete. Being promoted to admin officer came with a steep learning curve due to her new found responsibilities but by the end of her naval career she left well loved by her unit. The interview highlights how accidentally lowering her unit’s morale early in her career deeply affected her, causing her goal to leave the navy having done more good than bad. She knew how lonely and boring being a part of the WRNS could be so frequently took her people to the cinema to keep them happy. Catherine felt a great responsibility to protect her unit, especially during bombings and she left the navy being very proud of them all for surviving and proud of herself for achieving her goal. 

Determined to join the WRNS as soon as she could, 17-year-old Liverpudlian Joan Endersby signed up in 1943 and began her training in London, first in Mill Hill then at Westfield College to learn how to operate a teleprinter. Her first draft sent her to the shores of Loch Foyle in Londonderry where she arrived on Christmas Eve 1943 and felt instantly at ease with her new life. Joan describes the living accommodation of the Wrens and talks in detail about her work tracking the movement of the Atlantic convoys heading in and out of Liverpool. She also shares with great humour stories about her life in Londonderry, reflecting on how society has changed since then. Acknowledging the true horrors of war, Joan feels fortunate to have served with the WRNS, and her wonderfully upbeat character reminds us that light can be found even in the darkest of days.