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There were a few arguments. It was the boredom. People would be niggling at one another. There were a couple of fights on the deck. We had plenty of good sea mates. Also, the rum would sometimes get to people. I separated 2 people going at it on the Mez鈥� deck. Arthur Wilde knew I could handle myself. I had a good physique because I did a lot of work e.g. plate work. When I was in Scapper Flow, some Yanks were buying us beer. We went back to the pens where the Liberty Boats used to pick us up and this American guy was dancing around saying, 鈥淚 am a golden gloves champ. Do you want to fight?鈥� We didn鈥檛 want to know. Then he said to me, 鈥淵ou limey, do you want to go?鈥� I moved away from him and he was grabbing me, so I hit him and down he went. I knew had a powerful hit. All the Yanks were shouting, egging this Boxer on. I gave him another one. All the Yankee patrol came. You always come across bullies.

Also, Jimmy Woodwood {Liverpool} picked on me one day so I dropped him. The Officer on watch used to come round the Mez鈥� decks at night and this other lad was a smoker. I hated cigarettes. Just before they came to me, there were water tights doors. We heard this bugle go. Jimmy dropped his cigarette and told me to pick it up. I put my foot on it because the Officer on watch would have had it. When the Officer had gone, I said, 鈥淧ick it up. You could have got us in lumber {trouble}.鈥� He replied, 鈥淚鈥檒l fill you in!鈥� {hit him}. As I wouldn鈥檛 run, he grabbed me. He was taller and hit my head, so I hit him back and the next day he gave me his rum. Even after that, he was always looking for fights. I never picked on anyone but I could handle myself. The engineer sent for me once because someone had reported me for fighting on the Mez鈥� deck. I was in Lieutenant Commander Spriggs鈥� office. I told him I was only defending myself. He knew the other guy was a troublemaker so I just got a warning and was okay. As I was going out of the office, he said that unofficially, he was glad that I gave him a good hiding. I told him I wasn鈥檛 like that; I didn鈥檛 want to know about fighting.

I used to go sailing in the Pacific with the Officers. John Avery asked me to go. We used to get the cutter out, the whalers, the engineer Officers: Commander Spriggs and Spooner (I knew the names). Avery was a freemason. These were some of the privileges that I had. He also knew that I was confirmed so I used to go to confirmation/the chapel on the ship. I kept the confirmation book because I was the last lad to help him up the Bay. He died. He became unconscious. We tried to pack him on ice {heat exhaustion}. He had had a lot of rum the day before and he shouldn鈥檛 have gone down on that middle watch. He should have reported sick before he went. It was the rum that had brought the heat exhaustion on. He finished up over the ship鈥檚 side.

It took my years out after the war. I used to go into this British Legion. I am a life member of the Burma star. I did join the Royal Navy Association but I found out that I couldn鈥檛 get to it (it was in Manchester). I am a life member of the Union, the GMB. I could have taken a job representing these Tribunal cases but I didn鈥檛 want to know. There are injuries: there鈥檚 a problem with fungus under my nails. I鈥檝e had 4 toenails off when I was in Salford and I couldn鈥檛 walk for weeks. You could have lost your legs. There鈥檚 also arthritis. I fought for years to try and get something out of it. We got stomach bugs through the bad water. You could get scurvy. Sometimes, we鈥檇 get a bad batch of water and everyone was ill. Someone I know claimed on this and he got a pension out of it (a few years ago). He told me to apply, so I did. I put a claim in a long time ago, about my feet, knee and nails. I tried for years but when I got up to 65, they said it was just old age etc. I went to a lot of Tribunals and I managed to get a little bit of money but I was always under 19% (just under getting a pension). I decided not to go to Tribunals anymore so a guy came to me. He asked me if I ever dream about it, which I do. He said that his father had been through it so he understood. He put me into this dream analysis so I started to get a pension straight away. This was about 4陆 years ago. I get a Navy pension as well now. People don鈥檛 realise what you鈥檝e been through.

My friend was in the Army. He鈥檇 been fighting for a few years. He injured his eye with one of the riffles and almost lost his sight. He keeps trying. He got something but they won鈥檛 give him a full pension.

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