CHAPTER FIVE
Leaving Home
My call up came eventually informing me that I was to report to Victoria Barracks in Portsmouth on 15th May 1952 just 1 month before my 18th Birthday. I had a Railway Warrant sent to me, which I cashed at the ticket Office at Waterloo Station. I was given instructions to go to Portsmouth Town Station and there report to the Naval Patrol who would be waiting at the Station. I felt a mixture of excitement and concern as to whether I really had done the right thing. Victoria Barracks was an imposing pile of old Victorian style architecture quite close to South Parade in Portsmouth overlooking the Solent. It had been condemned years before as being unfit for occupation, but because of the recently ended World War 2, the ongoing Korean War, the Malayan Crisis (Unofficial anti communist war) the Jewish terrorist campaign in Palestine and EOKA crisis in Cyprus; it was still very much in use. The fun fair was just a few hundred yards away and my earliest recall of that was the incessant playing of the top tune of the day "Oh wheel of Fortune." I was lined up with a group of other young men of my own age group, and a Gunnery Petty Officer who was to be our class instructor for the next six weeks of basic training introduced us to the barrack life.
He lined us up roughly according to size and after picking up our cases; we were 'Marched!' up to our dormitory, which was on the first floor of one of the blocks. The bunks were doubled up, one above the other and in the passage between each pair of bunks was a metal locker, half each for the top and bottom bunk. No wardrobes or hanging space. Everything had to be folded and put away. There was a row of coat hooks for our raincoats we were to be issued with later. After being introduced to the do's and don'ts concerning our living space etc; and what our duties were in that regard, we were taken on the grand tour of the Barracks. We were then taken to the pay office and given 10/-. Our first payday! I felt like a king so rich, I had hardly got used to the idea of such wealth when we were marched around to the "Slops" that is Naval Stores where we were each given a small brown suitcase into which was put our toothbrush, toothpaste, shaving kit, shoe cleaning equipment (Black) two small towels, Two large towels, socks, Housewife (sewing kit) soap, including washing soap known as 'Pusser's Hard'. A bevy of smiling WRENS who made us feel very grown up dropped all of these goodies into our cases. The big let down came at the far end of the row when a not so smiley Chief Petty Officer demanded 9/6d leaving me with a mere 6d to last me until the next payday.
Having been shown the dining room and learning the routine, we were told that we would not be allowed to go out of the Barracks for fourteen days and then subject only to having been successful in our behaviour and presentation. We were allowed to find our bearings that evening but the next morning the Reveille roused us at 7.a.m. and the first day's rush around began. Our kind smiley Petty Officer was there with a vengeance screaming and shouting and I certainly wasn't going to get an early morning cup of tea. I moved and made every effort not to call attention to myself, although everything was a bit of a blur. The food was plentiful including a full cooked breakfast and buckets of tea. We very quickly learned to look after our own enamel mug and personal cutlery (Eating irons). Everyone seemed to eat at the double and if one didn't keep up one soon got left behind. Afterwards we were lined up by our beds and shown how they were to be left from that moment on, a passing threat no one seemed to miss. The instructors seemed to have a very clear way of making themselves understood. The language, swearing and blasphemy were all around and if anyone showed any dislike it was showered on them even more forcefully. The whole routine was a total culture shock. After ensuring the mess (The word dormitory was now no longer used, we were told girls at 'Roedean' slept in dormitories) was spotless and fit for the Officer of the day to inspect without causing him to be too traumatised. He was very sensitive about such things we were informed. The dry wit took a little time to be got used to.
We were fallen in on the small parade ground outside our block. Here we were told we were not going to be allowed to go on to the big parade ground with the real sailors until we began to look a bit like them, because the Petty Officer didn't want to give the Gunnery Officer a Heart Attack, as he explained he was very fond of the man and his health could be made frail by our shambling about like a lot of delinquents, which we were then informed was contrary to the articles of war and Naval Discipline and was a hanging offence! More dry humour. Having explained exactly where we fitted in the ranks of the Royal Navy, and within the social structure of society in general, then we were taken to be kitted out in our uniforms. This was not exactly intended to be a moral boosting exercise apparently, but secretly I found it hilarious. We were all described as miscellaneous men, that is Writers (Scribes), Stores assistants (Jack Dusties) a couple of Shipwright Apprentices (Chippies) and Sick Berth Attendants (Doc's). The rank and file of the Royal Navy is nothing if not perverse in all things. Doctors or Surgeons were referred to as 'Quacks' and their assistants as 'Doc'. We were to wear 'Fore and Aft' rig, that is a suit and tie with a peaked cap. We were taken back to the 'Slops' and given two uniforms, two caps shirts underpants, pyjamas sheets for our beds a blanket, Hammock, Hammock mattress, Clues and Lashings, boots (Two pairs, but only one pair to have studs in), everything in fact that we needed. From now on we would have to take our civilian clothes home, we would not be allowed to wear them again while we were in the barracks they were exclusively for use 'Up the line' that is to say at home. Then to the kit marking room to mark all of our black and dark clothes with white paint and all of our white clothes, towels, sheets etc., with black paint. While all of this activity was going on we were being regaled with a host of information we had to remember by heart. We were told at this stage that we had one week to make up our minds whether we stayed, but if we didn't like it after one week we were in for Seven Years at least, unless they decided to throw us out. By the end of the day I was dizzy. I learned that one chap left the first day, two more left after a couple of days, another had been found committing some crime or other and he was sent packing immediately. We ended up with a class of sixteen men out of twenty. One more chap was found to be totally unsuitable and released after five weeks, he left in tears because he really wanted to stay, but with hindsight I think they were absolutely right to send him home, he would have suffered terribly had he stayed.
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