Feb, Mar 1954 - Man overboard, Flame-throwers

1 February 1954   -   Wednesday and Thursday are Chinese New Year and all the British boys will be doing the guards and all the dirty work.

8 February 1954   -   Coming back after a detail we heard a ferry blasting away frantically.   Finally we deciphered it as “three longs”, man overboard.   We went about and then we saw the bod struggling in the water and we went full belt for him.   As we came up to him, up went his arms and down he went…however he came up again and I managed to heave a lifebuoy at him.   We pulled him aboard and he nearly passed out…the ferry came alongside and they took him on board.

22 February 1954   -   The “Georgic” left today and the “Windrush” goes Thursday.   The “Captain Hobson” is in but i believe that she is carrying the Indians home.   They are a scruffy looking lot.   I know they have been in Korea but should that make their tunics ill-fitting and look of poor quality?   No!   I wasn’t impressed.

4 March 1954   -   I’ve seen something interesting happening to the trees lately…during the summer the trees are covered in leaves but no flowers and now they are flowering and there isn’t a leaf in sight.

22 March 1954   -   I have settled down on the boat now and I have found that my outlook has changed completely.   When I went on the boats last year I found that I objected to doing work that entailed getting dirty and I didn’t have a clue as to boat handling.   But now I don’t mind what job I do and my handling has improved tremendously.

There’s a rumour going around that all national servicemen are to be demobbed a month early.   I hope that is true.   (It wasn’t)

When on duty the beds in the duty room are just planks on a bed frame, no mattress, and if we want blankets we must supply our own.

28 March 1954   -   Earlier, last week, we were on duty boat and I saw a pall of smoke over the sea.   A little later I saw a devil of a lot of flame and I thought it was a tanker on fire.   It looked like an oil fire but it turned out to be the R.N. with flame throwers.   I think they are ghastly weapons.