Dennis joined the Royal Navy in 1943, opting for sailor life over the army as a Margate boy with salt in his veins. He trained in Gunnery Control, specialising in an early radar technology for controlling ship guns. This was a cutting-edge skill at the time. Assigned to the newly commissioned HMS Cassandra, Dennis quickly bonded with his fellow crew members, becoming a close-knit fighting force. He recalls how, on the open sea, morale hinged on comradeship and the comforts of “canteen messing." Dennis’s first convoy was in 1944, when the Allies had started to turn the tables. His second Russian convoy brought disaster when a torpedo hit Cassandra’s bow, miraculously failing to sink the ship. Unfortunately, sixty-two of Dennis’s fellow sailors were lost – a tragedy that deeply affected him. He returned to Chatham Barracks on survivor’s leave but was later sent to the Far East. Here he observed the devastation at Hiroshima, a saddening reminder of the war’s impact. Dennis shared his eye-opening experiences in a series of interviews hosted by the Margate Blue Nose Club. An enlightening experience for those present.

After joining the Navy in 1943 and completing his training at stone frigates HMS Royal Arthur, HMS Scotia and HMS Ganges, able seaman Vic Ould was sent to Chatham Barracks to wait for his first draft. This came in the form of HMS Carron, a brand-new ship in Greenock, Scotland, who first set sail in the dead of night to evade any U-boats lurking nearby hoping for an easy catch. Vic shares details of the many escort missions the Carron undertook in the Arctic and Atlantic Convoys, and talks about the job of a destroyer and how its crew enables it to operate effectively. He also recalls details about his role as a radar operator, and reflects on the end of his military service in Indonesia. Vic – who became a prolific writer who penned several fascinating ‘first-person accounts’ from sailors aboard other destroyers – shares his story with humour, humility and an eye for detail that brings his memories vividly to life.

On the same day a 16-year-old Harry Card was turned away from the Army for being underage, he was signed up to the Navy by a passing chief petty officer, and so began his death-defying military career. Harry joined HMS Swift, an S-class destroyer, in late 1943 and set sail on the Arctic convoys. He describes the Arctic’s mountainous seas in terrifying detail, and recalls various hair-raising moments of his service including submarine attacks, clearing ice from the ship’s masts, and Operation Tungsten: the Navy air raid that targeted the German battleship Tirpitz. Later on in the war, HMS Swift was on the front line of the D-Day landings. Harry vividly recalls the opening bombardment as they sat poised off Sword Beach in Normandy, before describing the exact moment the ship was struck by an oyster mine and split clean in half. Despite the sinking of the Swift, Harry survived and was given six weeks to recover, after which he set sail once more.  This time he was on HMS Odzani, heading for the Far East where he embarked on further convoy duties and assisted in the liberation of Hong Kong and Singapore.