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.

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.

Alex talks about the first strict days of his Naval training at the shore station of HMS Ganges in Ipswich, and the even stricter regime that followed at Chatham Barracks, recalling the general attitude amongst his peers of ‘just getting on with’ whatever they had to do. His first draft as an ordinary seaman was to HMS Savage, a brand-new ship which he was one of the first to board. Unfortunately for Alex, as soon as he left the shore for the very first time, he was laid low by seasickness which took a fortnight to get over and left him temporarily unable to care if the ship sank or sailed! Alex shares stories from his time on the Russian convoys and the unimaginable hardships the crews endured. He also details close contact with the SS Penelope Barker, as well as Savage’s heroic role in the sinking of the German battleship Scharnhorst: an amazing account made even more incredible when he remembers the moment the Savage turned her guns in the wrong direction… A charming, generous and funny man, Alex’s story is that of a young sailor at sea determined to do his bit, regardless of the dangers and fears he encountered along the way.