As a quartermaster aboard the Brisbane Star my job was to steer the ship and keep lookouts and man the lifeboats if required to make sure everyone got off as safe as possible. I was a young lad of 17 and had been going to sea from the age of 15 (I went to a sea school at 14).

When I joined the Brisbane Star I had already been torpedoed in a tanker and knew what it was like to look death in the face and see people killed. I also knew what it was like to be paid off at sea; wages stopped from the first bang! (The ships were carrying 100 octane). Joining the Brisbane Star I had had enough of London and Essex and I wanted to make a change, so I went off to Liverpool. There was plenty of ships to choose from. I had a chance to join the Melbourne Star or Brisbane Star. I was sure I?d had enough of tramp ships 5 or 7 knots. There I had a ??..of 30 knots, good quarters and sheets and pillow cases on the bed (had been used to a thick blanket & donkey breakfast straw mattress). Both ships were at anchor in the roads. I went for the Melbourne Star; she has sailed by the time I got there, my lucky day, nearly all the crew were killed after she went to Malta. I went on to the Brisbane Star climbed the ladder to the deck and was greeted with the words that she was an ammunition ship.you?d be better off ashore; too late the boat had gone. We sailed as soon as I was aboard. The captain said you can sign articles at sea. Being as I was in my go ashores (clothes) I took the wheel and we sailed out for Scotland, Loch E we, to join the ships in the convoy. There were 13 other ships at anchor, 14 in all with identical cargoes except the tanker Ohio.

We sailed that night and they informed us we were going to Malta; that was the beginning of Aug.1942. We had a good trip down to the Gibraltar Straits, it gave us a chance to know the ship and look around. The cargo was 100 octane in cans, Bryant & May matches, torpedoes, bombs, gun barrels and other materials of war, also cases of whisky which we found on our explorations. We helped ourselves to a few bottles for old times sake; we would not be going into the hold anymore, a little bit scary. We went through the Straits of Gibraltar and the Royal Navy joined us in force; destroyers, battleships, aircraft carriers, light and heavy cruisers. We knew we were in for it. All the navy ships went on the outside, 14 merchant ships in the centre. The first day we had a few planes come over to give us a look, but after that they threw everything at us. The planes came over in waves of a hundred and submarines tried to get to us (the merchant ships). There were a few poor souls going to ?..that day. Merchant ships were blowing up around us. This was a day when no one slept: you did your watch and went straight to get the ammunition to the gunners from ammunition lockers. People ask were you scared. You went past that stage, you went on automatic. Coming off watch I went down below for something to eat; they all said you were better off on deck. I said to hell with it I?m hungry . The four of us on watch went down below, there were plenty of explosions above, we went to go up the companion way; a bomb exploded by the stern (the companion way came out onto the stern deck (poop) ). One of the watch was killed another was badly injured. I was next in line, I was lucky. I helped the injured fellow to the after deck which was also the hospital. I felt sorry for him but no remorse; it might be my turn next. This is what happened at sea, you never had a friend, only acquaintances. This was my philosophy through life. You were not hard or tough but you could not be tied. You would give your life for any person on board but you had to be on your own after the effort.

We arrived at Pantelleria Strait the Navy told us they had to leave and that we were now on our own. They said good luck and left. The Italian navy were keeping out of the way but were giving out messages to follow them. We had been warned this could happen but they had no luck. 13th Aug. we took a torpedo in the bows . I had been up there just before on lookout; I was wandering off to look for my relief when it happened. It blew a hole in the bows big enough to run a bus through. We were lucky, no fire or explosion and we kept afloat. I left the foc?stle and went to help with the ammunition. Whilst standing there somebody said there?s a hell of a lot of blood about; I did not realise I had been hit in the leg and it was bleeding freely. I got myself to the sick bay. They treated me and put me with the rest of the injured. I said I was alright to move about so I carried on with my shift. I could not stand people dying. After being hit we made our way to Tunisia; they were not at war (Free French). We got inside the 3 mile limit, the German planes came over. We were told by the bridge not to fire under any circumstances. Two ships that had come to the 3 mile limit had opened fire and had exploded after being hit. I think one was the Port Chalmers (incorrect, more likely the Glenorchy). We knew we were in for it. We were challenged by the Vichy French gun boat to keep out of their waters. We informed them That we had several injured people on board and would like to put them ashore to be treated and also interned. They gave us 24 hours and then we had to go. The question was brought up and the discussed among the Merchant Navy personnel what would happen to us if we went ashore. There were several people there when the discussion was going on. Army and Navy personnel. Somebody reported to the commander that we were talking mutiny on board. All Merchant navy off duty to report forward of the bridge; I was one of them, we did not know what it was for but soon found out. The commander told us what he had heard and we tried to explain the problem about internment for M.N. personel: he would not listen. He turned to the gunners aboard that he would count to ten and we had to clear the decks. I don?t think he had got to two and everybody disappeared. We spoke to the gunners afterwards and asked if they would have opened fire. They answered yes, we obey the last command. I then realised why I was in the merchant Navy and could have a mind of my own. This made the dailys at home before we got there; so much for a discussion. Of course they painted us black, no more trusting service people. Anything we talked about now was in guarded tongue. In the darkness of the 15th or 16th we sailed into the unknown not knowing what was out there; we had plenty of lookouts. The next day at daylight we picked up air cover from Malta. Air cover ensured we had no more enemy attacks and we got to Grand Harbour. No band to greet us like the earlier arrivals. My leg in the meantime had become swollen and very sore; strange I had not worried about it before. We tied up at the grand Harbour. I was one of the first ashore on a stretcher with the rest of the wounded. We were handed over the heads of people around and taken to a field hospital in the rocks. In a couple of days the swelling had gone down and I was ready to go back to the ship. I met some of the lads, they said the Germans came over quite often and had a shoot-up which I soon learned to my peril. My shift was cleaning out the holds of the ship; I was topside filling baskets up with rubbish out of the hold when the germans decided to have a shoot-up. I disappeared down the hold shot in the leg, the same leg but broken this time as well. I remember hitting the bottom of the hold and running up the booby hatch ladder where I passed out remembering no more until I woke up in hospital the 90th General, with my leg in plaster and pulleys hoisting it up. They said I had been there for a couple of days, spark out, not a murmur. I was informed this would be my home for a couple of months or more. I was asked if I would like to home to England by submarine or plane. I refused saying I would go out the same way I came in, by ship. There was an air raid on the hospital while I was there. They evacuated all except two, myself and an air force chappie who was in a state. They hit the hospital, it was at the end of the ward blowing us both out of our beds. He landed on top of me pouring with blood. The hospital staff came into the ward thinking we were dead seeing all the blood. I wasn?t any worse than I had been before. Nobody told me what happened to the airman but said I was lucky. When the bomb struck it hit the nurses? quarter killing all the staff off-shift. I was 18 on the 13th Nov.. I was getting about a bit by then and asked if I could go out with the lads who visited me regularly. I was told O.K. but take it easy. We went for a few beers down the Gut, they informed me it was O.K., there had been no raids for a couple of days. We settled down to a drinking session as it was my birthday. I wanted to go to the toilet. I was helped up some stairs, there was an almighty bang, the door blew off leaving one great hole where the toilet had been. I was at the bottom of the stairs with the rest laughing my head off saying that was a near one! They had me back in hospital double quick. They had to laugh when I told them the story. They said if I had been sober I would have been killed, but there was another stretch for me to do with my leg on pulleys to repair the damage. Food was very short everywhere on the island, even the hospital suffered . We used to have fresh meat, some days it was O.K. until one day, I was looking out of the window and they brought a large dog in. It was shot and skinned. There was fresh meat that day but not for me. I could not eat it: what the eyes don?t see the heart don?t grieve; never a truer word. I was released from hospital soon after Christmas 1942 and went back to my ship. Things had quietened down by then. The Yanks had arrived, the invasion off of ?..had begun. We were told to stand by in case we were needed to ship material over there. We sailed from Malta in the January bound for South America, Buenos Aires on the river Plate, stopping at South Africa, Table Bay. Had a few repairs done on our bows ; it had been filled with cement into No.1 hold. Whilst in Table Bay we lost one man drowned by the blacks. They would wait for you to come back at night, rob you and then throw you in the docks. We arrived B.A., very quiet trip, loaded with boned beef. We sailed from and on the way picked up a pocket battleship?????????we made a run for it to Gibraltar. It was different from last time, very quiet except for the depth charges every half hour to keep frogmen at bay.

We sailed from there home to Liverpool. They gave all personnel on board invitations to Liverpool Town Hall to be greeted by a representative of the Prime Minister, gave us drinks and said thank you for a job well done. I received from the Prime minister of Malta a replica of the George Cross. They tried to put me in with Royal Naval personnel when I received it and was amazed when I informed them that I was Merchant navy. He said I was the first one he had met and presented a medal to. This was my life on board the Brisbane Star 1942/43. I went back to my tramp ships after this and was torpedoed once more, another tanker.