On the 15th July 1942 I was drafted to my first ship, H.M.S. LEAMINGTON (G19), formally named TWIGGS DD-127 built 1919 transferred to the Royal Navy I940, an ex US American four-funnelled destroyer often referred to as a Four Piper. I served aboard from 15th July until the 12th Aug. 1942. She ended her days being broken up on the 26/5/1951. I set off with my kit bag, hammock and railway warrant to Chatham railway station in an R.N. lorry, to board a train to Victoria Station London. I crossed the city, again by R.N. Lorry to Kings Cross station to catch a train North to Edinburgh. On arrival, I was met by the usual naval patrol, on the station, my rail pass & documents were checked, then I boarded the train to Inverness, where I boarded another train to the Kyle of Lochalsh. Arriving late at night, very weary after a 17-hour journey. I was met by the duty Chief Petty Officer, who checked my documents, and then he "escorted" me to the naval depot in a small van. He informed me that H.M.S. LEAMINGTON had called in to put a rating ashore, who was suffering with severe stomach pains. The destroyer had then left but had failed to send off a signal to that effect. I was a replacement for that rating so my journey had been a complete waste of time. I was bedded down for the night, and come the dawn, while I was having my breakfast I was informed that I would to be given a railway warrant to return to Chatham Depot.
On arriving back in Chatham, I reported to the Seaman's Main
Regulating Office. The Petty Officer, who had sent me off to Kyle
of Lochalsh, two days earlier, told me that I was to stay the
night in the Depot, and report to him the following morning. The Petty
Officer issued me with another rail warrant, and off I went with
kit bag and hammock "up the smoke " (London) to
Victoria station and so over to St. Pancras Station. Where the
train took me to Stranraer on the West Coast of Scotland, then by
ferry to Llarne Northern Ireland and on to Londonderry,(H.M.S.Ferret)
by train, arriving, once again, very late at night. As usual a Chief
Petty Officer was in attendance and he sorted me out very quickly
after he had read my documents. I was bundled into a van, with my
kit bag and hammock, and down to the docks and into a launch,
which was crewed by two " three badger" able seamen.
These men were usually ex naval ratings who have been recalled
from Civy Street. The three badges were actually three stripes
worn on the left arm to denote that the rating had served at
least 15 years in the Royal Navy with good conduct. It was often
said of the stripes, they were not for good conduct but for not
being found out. The search for the Leamington was taking us to
the mouth of the river Foyle and heading for the open sea. The
Chief kept calling out "LEAMINGTON" as we past ships
that were in complete darkness, at anchor in the river, until he
got an affirmative answer. We pulled along side and I proceeded
to climb up a rope ladder while the Chief passed my kit bag and
hammock up onto the deck of the Destroyer, which was actually
"under way". I spent my first night in the sick bay,
within the searchlight tower situated amidships. I slept on the
operating table, which was not at all comfortable. I was allocated
a "Mess" and settled in.
It transpired that we were to rendezvous with an aircraft
carrier, off the port of Liverpool, and escort it up through the
Irish sea to Scarpa Flow, a naval base in the Orkneys.
The second sea duty was to be part of the escort for a convoy of
Merchant Ships and if my memory serves me correctly it was to
Murmansk in Russia. When I reseached my time on the LEAMINGTON
against the records of convoys in the same time period I can only
conclude that the convoy was the ill-fated PQ 17. (I do recommend
the reader to log on the internet and type in DEATH OF CONVOY
PQ-17 and draw your own conclusions.) My action station was
ammunition supply to a water-cooled point 5 inch machine gun,
situated amidships on the port side and I soon found myself being
put to the test on this escort duty. When the convoy came under
attack the German bomber aircraft approached the convoy and
dropped their bombs first then came down low and proceeded to
strafe the Merchant Ships and the escorting vessels. I watched
the tail section of a damaged enemy aircraft break off
with the rear gunner attempting to extricate himself. The
aircraft passed by my action station down the port side, from bow
to stern. Then the damaged bomber together with the tail section
plunge into the sea. At that moment, the LEAMINGTON rapidly
reduced speed, apparently one of the boilers had failed. We had
to withdraw and took evasion action by zig zagging away from the
convoy. We made our way back to home-waters for repairs in the
port of West Hartlepool. As we steamed down the east coast a
drifting mine was spotted off to starboard. Orders were given to
open fire with the machine guns and explode it. Many rounds of
ammunition had been spent, before a single round from a 303 rifle
struck one of the horns and finally exploded the mine.
On arrival in West Hartlepool I was given two weeks leave and a
railway warrant and departed to my home in Kingston-upon-Hull
approximately 97 miles south. On my return off leave, I was
handed another rail warrant and given orders to make my way back
to Chatham Depot.