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The reminiscences of
of PO Radio Mechanic Stan Spencer.
Stan joined
HMS Nabthorpe at Ludham and remained with the unit throughout
its commission, returning home to the U.K. aboard the R.M.S.
Andes.
These remarks and recollections
are not intended to be of historical value, rather they are some
recollections after a 55 year period and the less than perfect
recall of an ageing mind..
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My first draft on completing my training and
qualifying as Leading Radio Mechanic at HMS Ariel was to RNAS Inskip
in Lancashire and I'm afraid that my stay there was not of long
duration. I was affronted by a remark made by the Air Radio Officer
and had the temerity to open my mouth in protest. The next thing I
knew was that I got a draft to RNAS Ludham. HMS Flycatcher. The
proper recipient of that draft should have been Leading Radio
Mechanic Eric Leck but he had been taken sick with appendicitis and
the Air Radio Officer Lt. J.C.Brandt, I'm sure, saw this as a
golden opportunity to rid himself of this turbulent Leading Radio
Mechanic.
It was early November 1944 and at that time East Anglia, and in
particular Norfolk, was rather like Siberia. You knew where it was
but you certainly didn't want to go there. It was a particularly
cold winter and in spite of Ludham having been a RAF station, it
seemed that the facilities were significantly less than
satisfactory. Anyway we did our joining routine and waited while
others destined for MONAB 3 arrived. The CO was Cdr E.W. (Ted)
Kenton and the 1st. Lieutenant was Lt. Cdr. Parkinson. For us
Radio types the important guy was the Air Radio Officer Lt. Robert
Wales.
Once we were assembled, and to me it all seemed a bit haphazard, we
started on the task of getting all the stores and equipment that we
were to take to a destination as yet unknown. This exercise entailed
going with a convoy of 3 Ton trucks to the railway sidings at Potter
Heigham where we unloaded gear from the train and on to the trucks.
This went on for days as train after train filled with stores
arrived in the sidings.
One of the most amusing yet hazardous activities at this time
involved erecting the Dorland Hangar. The concept was
excellent and the erection went well until it came to installing the
canvas roof and walls. This huge expanse of canvas acted just
like a sail in the winds coming off the North Sea and to be atop the
thing trying to get the canvas in place was an unnerving experience.
However we managed it without mishap although there were times when
one felt about to be thrown off the top by the billowing canvas.
Everything was checked off and repacked for transit; by then we
knew, to Australia. For me this was just a great bonus as I
knew that I had relatives Down Under and this would be the
opportunity of a lifetime to make contact.
Preparations being completed we embarked on a train for a seemingly
endless night journey to Liverpool where, at Gladstone Dock, we
boarded the Athlone Castle.
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We departed on, I think, the 23rd of
December and laid off Belfast on the 24th. setting sail on
Christmas Day. The transatlantic crossing was uneventful, much
to everyone’s surprise and our arrival in Colon at the Atlantic
end of the Panama Canal was a revelation. Lights at night, no
blackout was something that we had not seen for years, the scent
of the trees and the all pervasive sound of the Cicadas made the
place seem magic. |
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We were allowed off the ship but only in the immediate dock area but
in one of the dock buildings there was a wonderful USO show; USO being the American equivalent of
ENSA. Who the artistes were I don't remember but it was lively
and professional and a real treat.
The transit of the Panama Canal was, for me, the highlight of the
whole journey. The locks, the Gatun Locks and the Gatun lake,
through the Gaillard Cut (Culebra), the Pedro Miguel Lock to the
Miraflores Lake and Locks were breathtaking. The passage through the
Gaillard cut with tropical birds flying from the heights on either
side was magic. Finally Balboa and the Pacific Ocean. I have wanted
to transit the canal again ever since then and I hope to actually do
it. It is the only piece of the world that I have seen but my wife
has not and I'd like to correct that omission.
Leaving Panama the Pacific Ocean was like a sheet of glass. I had
never seen a sea so flat. Not that I had seen anything but the North
Sea until then. All went uneventfully. We loafed on deck
under strict orders as to the length of time that we were allowed to
expose ourselves to the sun. Ten minutes on the first day, gradually
increasing until our hides were safely tanned.
Then one day there was an almighty bang and the ship hove to.
Rumours were rife as to what had happened and further rumours spread
that there were Japanese submarines in the vicinity and here we were
sitting motionless on a calm sea, a sitting duck. It transpired that
a drive chain in part of one of the ships engines had broken and had
allegedly thrashed its was through the drive casing and so it was
necessary to remain hove to while repairs were carried out. I think
that it took about 24 hours before we were under way again.
We spent hours just standing on deck watching the
Flying Fish as they broke the surface near the bow of the ship and
the iridescence of the sun shining on their scales was just
beautiful. We were certainly not thinking about what lay
ahead. In January 1945 we arrived in Sydney and that first
thrill of passing through Sydney Heads into that magnificent harbour
and the first sight of the harbour bridge has never been equalled.
We headed in to Woolloomooloo where we were docked and we prepared
for disembarkation.
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We were herded into trucks and we headed out of Sydney to
Warwick Farm racecourse where we spent a short while under
canvas. Australia Day came while we were at Warwick Farm and we
tasted our first bit of Aussie hospitality when a family picked
myself and a friend up and took us to Koala Park at Pennant
Hills for the day.
From Warwick Farm we soon transferred to Schofields, which at
that time was far from complete. The CCC "Civilian Construction
Corps" was still very much in evidence and remained so for some
while building living accommodation. The NAAFI was the envy of
the CCC as we kept UK hours and they could only visit the local
and enjoy the uncivilized Aussie hours including the six o'clock
swill. However they did run a good "Two Up" school after work. |
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We soon settled into a routine, the first squadrons landed and work
began in earnest. Our transportable Radio Workshops were situated at
a remote part of the site and early on, torrential rains made the
terrain into a quagmire. Much time was spent in digging drainage
ditches to channel the water away from the workshops. The early
morning duty was to ensure that the YG and YJ beacons were switched
on and operational. The YG was a Morse radio beacon and the YJ a
Radar beacon for navigation purposes. There were, of course, quiet
periods but when squadrons landed on then it was concentrated
effort. At this time the control tower was a mobile affair in a
truck, as the permanent control tower had not been built.
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I believe that we weren't intended
to handle all types of aircraft originally but in the event
anything that landed was coped with including Seafires,
Barracudas, Fireflies, Hellcats, Avengers and Corsairs.
There was also one Stinson Reliant communications aircraft.
At one time there were even a couple of Commonwealth Wackett
Boomerangs, an Australian built small fighter aircraft.
There were great differences between British and American
aircraft. Flush riveting on the American planes was
immediately obvious and on the whole the accessibility of
equipment was superior on the America machines. I can only
speak from the point of view of radio installations. |
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All American aircraft used Radial engines, Wright
Double Cyclone and Pratt and Whitney Twin Wasp. I'm sure that
engine, airframe and armourer trades also noticed great differences
in their fields.
We even had an open day when the local populace were invited to come
aboard. That made for good relations with the locals.
Schofields was located adjacent to the Sydney to Richmond railway
line and virtually took up the ground between Quakers Hill and
Schofields stations. On the other side of the territory was
Eastern Creek a tributary of the Hawkesbury River.
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Some of the facilities were to us a bit primitive especially the
heads which consisted of a long hut in which were installed two rows
of toilets, about ten a side facing each other with absolutely no
privacy. Flushing consisted of two channels, one below each row of
toilets, through which ran a continuous stream of water. It was the
conversation centre of the site.
Runs ashore consisted of taking the train from Quakers Hill to
Sydney as there was nothing in the vicinity, except a small pub
which I think was called the ROYAL in Riverstone, the station past
Schofields. |
I do remember that the publican had been the
lightweight boxing champion of Australia. Our trips to Sydney
were made possible by the issuing of a fortnightly season ticket
which would take one over the whole range of the New South Wales
Railways "Sydney and surrounding areas" system. This cost four
shillings for a two-week ticket. It was very good value indeed. Of
course, no one came back except on the last train out of Central
Station.
Our presence brought out a couple of local entrepreneurs. One
was a local milkman who would come onboard every day with his cart
to sell us milk and fruit. He was always a welcome sight and I drank
more milk during that period than at any other time of my life.
The other was a guy who would be at the entrance to Quakers Hill
station when the train arrived from Sydney and he sold hot dogs.
He seemed to do a roaring trade thought why anyone would want to eat
hot-dogs late at night I can't imagine. I suppose we were
always hungry. Not a vendor but a welcome sight on the place
was the Australian Church Army representative who was allowed to
operate on the station even though we had our own C of E Padre, The
Rev. Lamb. I remember the Church Army man's surname only, it
was Hoepper and he was known as "Hep". He was always ready to
listen to any of our concerns or troubles and I'm sure that many
MONAB 3'ers will recall his cheerful presence.
We were by now in a settled routine, and the facilities improved;
permanent workshops and the control tower were built and thus it
continued until VE Day. This was, of course a cause for great
celebration for us but not so much for the local population.
However we had a day free and then back to the routine.
Life was always busy and interesting and the time
came when MONAB 3 was to pack up and move on. We were told that the
first stop was to be for some Jungle training at the Australian Army
jungle school. However came the fateful day when the dropping
of the Atom bomb was announced on the radio with all the speculation
as to what this would mean, then the second bomb and the end of the
war in the Pacific.
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Then there was real celebration in Australia. Of course we
were freed to go to Sydney to join in the hi-jinks and the
celebrations were really great, from Kings Cross to Martin
Place.
Here I recall a very sad event. When we returned late at
night one of our group, Leading Radio Mechanic Findlay Gee was
distinctly under the weather and during the night was taken
worse. He was got to the sick bay but in spite of the
attention of all concerned he died of heart failure during the
night. His funeral was a very sombre affair and it was the
first and last time that I have acted as a pallbearer. |
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It was not very long before we were instructed to pack up and
prepare for our return to UK. There was an option to remain in
Australia and transfer to the RAN and one of our number, John
Dunford, who had married a girl from Riverstone opted to remain.
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We handed over Schofields to, I think MSR 2 who had come down from
Queensland and we embarked on the RMS Andes at Wooloomooloo, where
we had first set foot on Australian soil.
There were on board, many Australians who
had been prisoners of the Japanese and who were returning to
Perth, which was our first port of call and a jolly good run
ashore. Bombay was
next and once again a good run ashore. Just to prove that the
world is a small place I met, in Crawford market an old English
lady who had lived in India for years and who came from the same
small Cheshire village that was my mothers birthplace. y memory. |
Suez canal transit and home to Southampton from where we were taken
to HMS Daedalus 3, which was located in Havant and with a draft to
HMS Ariel my MONAB saga ended. It is a period long past and however
my recall diminishes it will forever impressed on m
Some years later on a visit to family members who I had been able to
meet in 1945 I returned to Schofields which was then HMAS Nirimba
and while the airfield had been taken over for civilian use the site
looked much as it did on the day we left and I have to say that
memories flooded back at the entrance gatehouse.
Having put these reminiscences together I have now taken the time to
look at those of Messrs Purcall, Sutton and Dickinson and I take
pleasure in discovering that there are consistencies between their
recollections and mine in various respects. It gives me satisfaction
to learn that my memory is not as faulty as I had thought
Stan Spencer
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