Page 03 © Jim Buckley

Words like melt, butter, mouth and wouldn't spring to mind.
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0081 - Grandma Hensz. 1947.

A lived in face that saw more of the horrors of war than any person has a right to.
But she survived to tell the tale.
0082 - George & Kids at Dineley Street, Church. October 1946.

I wonder what happened to me?
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0083 - George, Mum & Me in Accrington. 1948.

No back lighting to get rid of the shadow.
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0084 - Mum in Accrington. 1948.

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0085 - George in Accrington. 1948.

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0086 - Me in Accrington. 1948.

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0087 - George & Me in Accrington. 1948.

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0088 - Dad. 1950?

I grow more like my dad every day.
Not surprising really.
0089 - George. Place and year unknown.

Not a lot you can do with a tiny photograph.
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0090 - George & Jim Laycock outside 148, Blackburn Road, Accrington. July 1953.

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0091 - Me in 1953.

Not quite a Teddy Boy.
Couldn't afford the gear.
0092 - RN signing on form. 1st March 1954.

Didn't really know what I was getting in to.
But I soon found out.
0093 - HMS Collingwood. June. 1954.

That is one HUGE parade ground.
Twice around the perimeter with a Lee Enfield .303 rifle at arms length above the head makes you think twice about misbehaving.
0094 - HMS Collingwood. Crest. 1954.

Not awe inspring is it?
HMS Collingwood is the electrical training school, so how come the Crest doesn't reflect this?
0095 - Xmas Party 1954.

I might be smiling but it was no real fun for a young sailor
and no I didn't lose the fags.
0096 - Xmas Party 1954.

It was a boring party.
Not my scene at all but I was duty bound to attend.
0097 - Rose Griffiths at Xmas 1954.

Can't remember where I met Rose.
Maybe at a dance when on leave?
0098 - Rose Griffiths and Me at Xmas 1954.

Think of your own caption.
I'm remembering.
0099 - Rose Griffiths and Me at Xmas 1954.

Keep thinking.
I'll keep remembering.
0100 - Rose Griffiths and Me at Xmas 1954.

In its day this was considered very risqu�.
Well! You know what sailors are.
0101 - Cupid's Cuddling Circle.

Just a joke.
Didn't mean anything.
0102 - Morag McKay. July 1954.

I met Morag just before Xmas 1953 at the Church Conservative Club Dance Hall on Union Road in Oswaldtwistle.
She lived in London with her mother and came to Accrington during school holidays.
0103 - Frauline Christa Ahrens. Pen pal. Germany 1954.

Christa was a good pen pal and wrote in very good English.
The skipper at HMS Flowerdown made me stop writing to her as it was considered a security risk.
0104 - Dorothy Peacham in Portsmouth. June 1955.

Dorothy's dad was a Chief Petty Officer and wasn't keen on his daughter going out with a sailor.
So another one went by the way.
0105 - Me ready for Guard Duty, HMS Collingwood. 1954.

OK! So I straightened my hat before going on duty.
Fours hours outside the camp gates was enough to make you wish for civvy street.
0106 - Juno & Marlboro Divisions at HMS Collingwood. October 1954.

Juno is on the left and was for radio electricians.
Marlboro on the right was for electricians.
0107 - 272 Class at HMS Collingwood, Fareham. March 1955.

Budding radio electricians.
After the course ended I never saw any of them again except for two who were at Kranji Wireless.
0108 - 417 Mess at HMS Collingwood, Fareham. March 1955.

Lt Jones, the divisional commander and my mess mates. In the background and to the right you can see one of a dozen shelters
where he delighted in sending us over at the double whilst wearing gas masks when we transgressed.
0109 - 417 Mess at HMS Collingwood, Fareham. March 1955.

Now you know why it is called a mess.
Shiney floor though, courtesey of blood sweat and tears from us lot.
0110 - Me at HMS Collingwood, Fareham. May 1955.

I wonder what I was thinking about?
Leave probably.
0111 - Helicopter landing on HMS Collingwood Parade Ground. May 1955.

First time that I ever saw a helicopter live.
Noisy things really.
0112 - SS Empire Orwell (18,036 tons) in Indian Ocean. July 1955.

Troopship carrying me and over 2,000 souls (mainly army with a few RAF and 15 sailors) to the Far East.
It took three weeks with afternoon stopovers at Aden and Colombo. It took a day to get through the Suez canal.
0113 - Sign Post leading to Kranji Wireless, Singapore. September 1955.

On the road to nowhere.
Through Yew Tree village and onwards up the hill.
0114 - Main gate at Kranji Wireless, Singapore. September 1955.

Abandon hope all ye who enter in here.
OK! It wasn't quite that bad.
0115 - "D" Block. My mess, Kranji Wireless, Singapore. September 1955.

The messes were on the first floor.
NAAFI and the like were on the ground floor.
0116 - Joey the monkey and Pobble the dog. Kranji Wireless, Singapore. September 1955.

Joey didn't like me for some reason and attacked me once, but never again. I kept out of her way.
Pobble was a great dog and on more than one occassion sorted Joey out.
0117 - Me at Kranji Wireless, Singapore. September 1955.

The art gallery.
Well you know what sailors are.
0118 - Tennis Courts at Kranji Wireless, Singapore. September 1955.

I tried playing tennis but wasn't very good at it.
In fact I was rubbish.
0119 - Swimming Pool at Kranji Wireless, Singapore. September 1955.

Looks nice doesn't it? But in fact it was a static water tank first, frog and toad spawn container second and swimming pool third.
I kept getting ear infections from swimming in it and was eventually banned from swimming.
0120 - Me & Jock at swimming pool, Kranji Wireless, Singapore. September 1955.

Jock was on the same course as me at HMS Collingwood.
Didn't like him then either.
0121 - Start of a dive at swimming pool. Kranji Wireless Singapore. September 1955.

Look out frog spawn here I come.
Still that was better than tadpoles by the million.
0122 - End of the dive at swimming pool, Kranji Wireless Singapore. September 1955.

Good entry. Not too much of a splash.
Now the question is - is this the end of the dive started in the previous picture or is it a separate dive?