Scozmo's Photery

Thank you to everyone for your comments on my life Pt. 1 🙂

I’ve had the thought around doing this for some time and I think it might be quite uplifting putting it all down on e-paper 🙂 That and jogging my memory as well as cataloguing some aspects of my life that I may leave to my brothers and sister ….. not that they’ll want it. Nothing intended by that remark, we all just get on with our lives eventually.

So I was to join the Royal Navy on March 18th 1975. As I said before, I’m not convinced now that I knew what to expect, that or, I had no pre-conceptions, my only clear decision being, get away from Belfast.

We (my mum) had gathered up all the requisite items to get me started, yes, they send (or sent) a list of minimum needs to get started i.e. underpants x 3, pyjamas, cotton x 2 prs etc. Why?

Well, it’s all based on going to sea. Military vessels, I don’t like the term war ships, are limited in people space, they have a prime function and people are essential for that function but we have to fit around the machinery and fittings. We’ve probably all seen films based in submarines!!!!!!

So as the day approached, I had a suitcase that accepted all my essentials and possibly a wee bit of room for extras, but not much.

I don’t remember much about the run up to departure but, I gave notice and left my job in the builder’s providers and had a night or two out with my school pals, who all thought I’d lost my marbles. Every one of them were N. Irish and therefor local and happy to stay so, to a certain extent.

I do remember that my dad drove me to the ferry in Belfast, bound for Liverpool (I think) and some of his final parting words were “you’ll be back soon, you never like being told what to do”!

Was it those words or me that decided my future? I had only signed up for three years after all.

I’m 69 now and I have no idea when that happened but, maybe another reason for writing this, my memory is getting vague. Hmmmm So, I crossed to Liverpool and caught a train bound for Plymouth (I guess) 🙂 As I said in Pt. 1 I was 18 years old but probably 15 mentally, part of growing up with younger siblings?

One thing I do remember is sitting on the train in a station somewhere in England(shire) and hearing an announcement that mentioned Portsmouth Harbour!!!! Panic! Was I on the wrong train? (I wasn’t but for a short while…. )

Travel was paid for by her Maj. The RN sent a “Travel Warrant”, a (blue?) slip of paper (or two) that I handed over to ticket offices and it was magically converted into tickets! Wasn’t that nice of them? I had no idea where I was going or how I would know if I’d arrived! Wide eyes and clueless! I didn’t even know what a plymouth was. 🙂

I arrived in said Plymouth, which it turns out is in the county of Devon, which it turns out, is in the S. West of England(shire).

I had noticed other wide-eyed, clueless lads dotted around the train so, when we arrived in Plymouth, I now possibly had someone to follow.

We milled our way across railway bridges and out onto the main platform carpark, I may even have spoken to one of the other lost boys en route!

There was a very smart looking chap in a sailor suit standing outside the station with a clipboard. (must be important) The sheep-like gaggle of spotty youths drifted towards said uniform where names were called out and a list was ticked. Once a name had been called out, that lost soul was asked to board the odd looking blue bus with the words Royal Navy painted in white down the sides.

Nervous? Excited? Feeling totally lost? Yup.

And then, all the names had been called out, the clipboard was being lowered and I was still standing there like a lost soul!!!!

What on earth was I supposed to do? Was I in the wrong place? Had I missed something completely? Had they forgotten about me?

I blushed, mumbled, probably raised my hand and asked the official looking sailor …. erm …… “you haven’t called my name!?”

“What is your name?”

“Scott” (blush, fart, mumble)

“Your not on my list!”

Have you had any moments like that? You’re in a totally new environment, you don’t really know where you are or what you are supposed to be doing next? I could feel all those eyes on the bus, staring.

There was page flipping, list checking and then he said …. “you’re not meant to be here until tonight”

So ………

“Get on the bus and we’ll sort it out later!”

Phew. Typically, the only “Irish” one and you got it wrong. I hadn’t. It was all just timetables and confusion so, I boarded the bus, (still being stared at), probably blushing like a virgin and found a seat. I may even have chatted to one of the other “lemmings” as we trundled away into the deepest recesses of Cornwall!

Another county! I was well traveled already!

I have absolutely no doubt that someone welcomed us to HMS Raleigh but, by now my head was spinning. There were flags, uniforms everywhere, gates, barracks ….. scary stuff.

We were the new recruits, the newbies, fresh meat, I’ve since heard the term nozzers! but I don’t remember it being used at all back then.

We were probably gathered into a loose herd. Briefed on what was happening next, then shepherded towards some old wooden huts, one of which was our new home!

So began my first career? A gaggle of strangers all gathered together in an old wooden hut in darkest Cornwall, wondering what the morning might bring.

Stay safe and well all. More soon.