The Last Post

e weekend, if the weather was favourable, people would visit the ship. The boat deck area was the chosen place for many romantic interludes. A naval ëblind eyeí was turned when it came to this sort of activity. Late in 1944, HMS King George V moved to Devonport for fourteen-inch gun calibration plus seven days leave for our crew. Then the ship sailed up to Greenock, Scotland, where we ammunitioned ship and took on stores. The British Monarch, King George VI, with Queen Elizabeth, Princess Elizabeth (who is now the present Queen), Princess Margaret, and the Deputy Prime Minister, Clement Attlee visited the ship. We properly trained young seamen formed the guard of honour. I have nothing much to say about Greenock, as no one was allowed ashore except ëBona Fide Natives.í KGV sailed for the Far East on 29 October 1944. Our first port of call was Gibraltar, mainly to take on fuel. Our next port of call was Malta, GC, where something definitely went wrong. There was plenty of activity ashore, mainly in the area called the ëGutí, Strata Stretta, or Straight Street, which was full of bawdy houses, bars and eateries. At one of the bars called the ëQEí, Bobby and Sugar, two Spanish dancers, strutted their stuff. I returned on board ship with other sailors in a ëdghaisaí (a Maltese one-man rowing boat, similar to a gondola.) My run ashore cost me a torn shirt, my cap, and a shoe. When asked by the duty officer if Iíd had a good time, I replied, ìMy bloody oath, I did.î ìWell, young lad, you can swear on oath at the Commanderís defaulters table tomorrow,î he replied. I was quickly learning about

HMS King George V 72 ñ Waving Goodbye to a Thousand Flies what goes on in the rest of the world and was awarded seven daysí stoppage of leave and pay to assist my education. (Twenty years later when I was in Gibraltar serving on my last ship, HMS Maryland, I again met Sugar, one of the Spanish performers, at the small watering hole called ëThe Sugar Bar.í) The activities we were involved in during our stay in the Mediterranean were not worth mentioning, apart from the fact that the fastest speed I recall HMS King George V doing was after our bombardment of the German gun emplacements at Melos (or Milos.) We were close to shore having a look-see when Gerry opened up and we were straddled by shellfire. I was not amused as I observed it all from my action station on the ADP (Air Defence Position). After a further whacking, the German garrison surrendered. Alexandria, Egypt Our stay in Alexandria, Egypt was enjoyable. The canteen at the Services Club was super. Near the jetty, a dead dog floated upside down with his legs up, all bloated and smelly. After avoiding it for a couple of days, my duty as the bowman of the shipís motor cutter gave me a chance to despatch it with a jab from my boat hook. It exploded. The ensuing smell was probably worse than the pig market smell in Jordan Road, Hong Kong on a warm day, but the fish enjoyed eating the thousands of little white squiggly things. Alexandria, Egypt, more commonly referred to as ëAlex,í was very diverse in the area of entertainment. This ranged from naughty post cards to absolute obscenities. I must admit that as a young sailor, curiosity got the better of me. I found a poorly printed locally- produced publication doing the rounds of the mess decks. The titles left little to the imagination. ëThe Naughty Countessí was one and the other, ëThe Autobiography of a Flea.í The eye-opening information contained in these very naughty books absolutely amazed me. In the Navy, these sorts of books were referred to as Alex AFOís (Admiralty fleet orders.) Many tales have been recounted about a peculiar staged performance (which I hasten to admit I would never have seen) supposedly taking place between a very large woman and a donkey. War veterans have enjoyed many good laughs at reunions when the fabricated telegrams from an Alex Madam were read, stating, for example, ìIt is with regret that I inform you of the passing of the

HMS King George V John Leonard Spencer ñ 73 internationally acclaimed donkey, ëLord Hee Whoreí aged fifty one years, signed Fatima Omar, Madame, Sister Street, Alexandria, Egyptî. This was usually followed by some drunken twit stating, ìCor blimey! That bloody donkey led a long and fruitful life.î e weekend, if the weather was favourable, people would visit

the ship. The boat deck area was the chosen place for many romantic interludes. A naval ëblind eyeí was turned when it came to this sort of activity. Late in 1944, HMS King George V moved to Devonport for fourteen-inch gun calibration plus seven days leave for our crew. Then the ship sailed up to Greenock, Scotland, where we ammunitioned ship and took on stores. The British Monarch, King George VI, with Queen Elizabeth, Princess Elizabeth (who is now the present Queen), Princess Margaret, and the Deputy Prime Minister, Clement Attlee visited the ship. We properly trained young seamen formed the guard of honour. I have nothing much to say about Greenock, as no one was allowed ashore except ëBona Fide Natives.í KGV sailed for the Far East on 29 October 1944. Our first port of call was Gibraltar, mainly to take on fuel. Our next port of call was Malta, GC, where something definitely went wrong. There was plenty of activity ashore, mainly in the area called the ëGutí, Strata Stretta, or Straight Street, which was full of bawdy houses, bars and eateries. At one of the bars called the ëQEí, Bobby and Sugar, two Spanish dancers, strutted their stuff. I returned on board ship with other sailors in a ëdghaisaí (a Maltese one-man rowing boat, similar to a gondola.) My run ashore cost me a torn shirt, my cap, and a shoe. When asked by the duty officer if Iíd had a good time, I replied, ìMy bloody oath, I did.î ìWell, young lad, you can swear on oath at the Commanderís defaulters table tomorrow,î he replied. I was quickly learning about

e weekend, if the weather was favourable, people would visit the ship. The boat deck area was the chosen place for many romantic interludes. A naval ëblind eyeí was turned when it came to this sort of activity. Late in 1944, HMS King George V moved to Devonport for fourteen-inch gun calibration plus seven days leave for our crew. Then the ship sailed up to Greenock, Scotland, where we ammunitioned ship and took on stores. The British Monarch, King George VI, with Queen Elizabeth, Princess Elizabeth (who is now the present Queen), Princess Margaret, and the Deputy Prime Minister, Clement Attlee visited the ship. We properly trained young seamen formed the guard of honour. I have nothing much to say about Greenock, as no one was allowed ashore except ëBona Fide Natives.í KGV sailed for the Far East on 29 October 1944. Our first port of call was Gibraltar, mainly to take on fuel. Our next port of call was Malta, GC, where something definitely went wrong. There was plenty of activity ashore, mainly in the area called the ëGutí, Strata Stretta, or Straight Street, which was full of bawdy houses, bars and eateries. At one of the bars called the ëQEí, Bobby and Sugar, two Spanish dancers, strutted their stuff. I returned on board ship with other sailors in a ëdghaisaí (a Maltese one-man rowing boat, similar to a gondola.) My run ashore cost me a torn shirt, my cap, and a shoe. When asked by the duty officer if Iíd had a good time, I replied, ìMy bloody oath, I did.î ìWell, young lad, you can swear on oath at the Commanderís defaulters table tomorrow,î he replied. I was quickly learning about

HMS King George V 72 ñ Waving Goodbye to a Thousand Flies what goes on in the rest of the world and was awarded seven daysí stoppage of leave and pay to assist my education. (Twenty years later when I was in Gibraltar serving on my last ship, HMS Maryland, I again met Sugar, one of the Spanish performers, at the small watering hole called ëThe Sugar Bar.í) The activities we were involved in during our stay in the Mediterranean were not worth mentioning, apart from the fact that the fastest speed I recall HMS King George V doing was after our bombardment of the German gun emplacements at Melos (or Milos.) We were close to shore having a look-see when Gerry opened up and we were straddled by shellfire. I was not amused as I observed it all from my action station on the ADP (Air Defence Position). After a further whacking, the German garrison surrendered. Alexandria, Egypt Our stay in Alexandria, Egypt was enjoyable. The canteen at the Services Club was super. Near the jetty, a dead dog floated upside down with his legs up, all bloated and smelly. After avoiding it for a couple of days, my duty as the bowman of the shipís motor cutter gave me a chance to despatch it with a jab from my boat hook. It exploded. The ensuing smell was probably worse than the pig market smell in Jordan Road, Hong Kong on a warm day, but the fish enjoyed eating the thousands of little white squiggly things. Alexandria, Egypt, more commonly referred to as ëAlex,í was very diverse in the area of entertainment. This ranged from naughty post cards to absolute obscenities. I must admit that as a young sailor, curiosity got the better of me. I found a poorly printed locally- produced publication doing the rounds of the mess decks. The titles left little to the imagination. ëThe Naughty Countessí was one and the other, ëThe Autobiography of a Flea.í The eye-opening information contained in these very naughty books absolutely amazed me. In the Navy, these sorts of books were referred to as Alex AFOís (Admiralty fleet orders.) Many tales have been recounted about a peculiar staged performance (which I hasten to admit I would never have seen) supposedly taking place between a very large woman and a donkey. War veterans have enjoyed many good laughs at reunions when the fabricated telegrams from an Alex Madam were read, stating, for example, ìIt is with regret that I inform you of the passing of the

HMS King George V John Leonard Spencer ñ 73 internationally acclaimed donkey, ëLord Hee Whoreí aged fifty one years, signed Fatima Omar, Madame, Sister Street, Alexandria, Egyptî. This was usually followed by some drunken twit stating, ìCor blimey! That

bloody donkey led a long and fruitful life.î e weekend, if the weather was favourable, people would visit

the ship. The boat deck area was the chosen place for many romantic interludes. A naval ëblind eyeí was turned when it came to this sort of activity. Late in 1944, HMS King George V moved to Devonport for fourteen-inch gun calibration plus seven days leave for our crew. Then the ship sailed up to Greenock, Scotland, where we ammunitioned ship and took on stores. The British Monarch, King George VI, with Queen Elizabeth, Princess Elizabeth (who is now the present Queen), Princess Margaret, and the Deputy Prime Minister, Clement Attlee visited the ship. We properly trained young seamen formed the guard of honour. I have nothing much to say about Greenock, as no one was allowed ashore except ëBona Fide Natives.í KGV sailed for the Far East on 29 October 1944. Our first port of call was Gibraltar, mainly to take on fuel. Our next port of call was Malta, GC, where something definitely went wrong. There was plenty of activity ashore, mainly in the area called the ëGutí, Strata Stretta, or Straight Street, which was full of bawdy houses, bars and eateries. At one of the bars called the ëQEí, Bobby and Sugar, two Spanish dancers, strutted their stuff. I returned on board ship with other sailors in a ëdghaisaí (a Maltese one-man rowing boat, similar to a gondola.) My run ashore cost me a torn shirt, my cap, and a shoe. When asked by the duty officer if Iíd had a good time, I replied, ìMy bloody oath, I did.î ìWell, young lad, you can swear on oath at the Commanderís defaulters table tomorrow,î he replied. I was quickly learning about

HMS King George V 72 ñ Waving Goodbye to a Thousand Flies what goes on in the rest of the world and was awarded seven daysí stoppage of leave and pay to assist my education. (Twenty years later when I was in Gibraltar serving on my last ship, HMS Maryland, I again met Sugar, one of the Spanish performers, at the small watering hole called ëThe Sugar Bar.í) The activities we were involved in during our stay in the Mediterranean were not worth mentioning, apart from the fact that the fastest speed I recall HMS King George V doing was after our bombardment of the German gun emplacements at Melos (or Milos.) We were close to shore having a look-see when Gerry opened up and we were straddled by shellfire. I was not amused as I observed it all from my action station on the ADP (Air Defence Position). After a further whacking, the German garrison surrendered. Alexandria, Egypt Our stay in Alexandria, Egypt was enjoyable. The canteen at the Services Club was super. Near the jetty, a dead dog floated upside down with his legs up, all bloated and smelly. After avoiding it for a couple of days, my duty as the bowman of the shipís motor cutter gave me a chance to despatch it with a jab from my boat hook. It exploded. The ensuing smell was probably worse than the pig market smell in Jordan Road, Hong Kong on a warm day, but the fish enjoyed eating the thousands of little white squiggly things. Alexandria, Egypt, more commonly referred to as ëAlex,í was very diverse in the area of entertainment. This ranged from naughty post cards to absolute obscenities. I must admit that as a young sailor, curiosity got the better of me. I found a poorly printed locally- produced publication doing the rounds of the mess decks. The titles left little to the imagination. ëThe Naughty Countessí was one and the other, ëThe Autobiography of a Flea.í The eye-opening information contained in these very naughty books absolutely amazed me. In the Navy, these sorts of books were referred to as Alex AFOís (Admiralty fleet orders.) Many tales have been recounted about a peculiar staged performance (which I hasten to admit I would never have seen) supposedly taking place between a very large woman and a donkey. War veterans have enjoyed many good laughs at reunions when the fabricated telegrams from an Alex Madam were read, stating, for example, ìIt is with regret that I inform you of the passing of the

HMS King George V John Leonard Spencer ñ 73 internationally acclaimed donkey, ëLord Hee Whoreí aged fifty one years, signed Fatima Omar, Madame, Sister Street, Alexandria, Egyptî. This was usually followed by some drunken twit stating, ìCor blimey! That

bloody donkey led a long and fruitful life.î e weekend, if the weather was favourable, people would visit

the ship. The boat deck area was the chosen place for many romantic interludes. A naval ëblind eyeí was turned when it came to this sort of activity. Late in 1944, HMS King George V moved to Devonport for fourteen-inch gun calibration plus seven days leave for our crew. Then the ship sailed up to Greenock, Scotland, where we ammunitioned ship and took on stores. The British Monarch, King George VI, with Queen Elizabeth, Princess Elizabeth (who is now the present Queen), Princess Margaret, and the Deputy Prime Minister, Clement Attlee visited the ship. We properly trained young seamen formed the guard of honour. I have nothing much to say about Greenock, as no one was allowed ashore except ëBona Fide Natives.í KGV sailed for the Far East on 29 October 1944. Our first port of call was Gibraltar, mainly to take on fuel. Our next port of call was Malta, GC, where something definitely went wrong. There was plenty of activity ashore, mainly in the area called the ëGutí, Strata Stretta, or Straight Street, which was full of bawdy houses, bars and eateries. At one of the bars called the ëQEí, Bobby and Sugar, two Spanish dancers, strutted their stuff. I returned on board ship with other sailors in a ëdghaisaí (a Maltese one-man rowing boat, similar to a gondola.) My run ashore cost me a torn shirt, my cap, and a shoe. When asked by the duty officer if Iíd had a good time, I replied, ìMy bloody oath, I did.î ìWell, young lad, you can swear on oath at the Commanderís defaulters table tomorrow,î he replied. I was quickly learning about

HMS King George V 72 ñ Waving Goodbye to a Thousand Flies what goes on in the rest of the world and was awarded seven daysí stoppage of leave and pay to assist my education. (Twenty years later when I was in Gibraltar serving on my last ship, HMS Maryland, I again met Sugar, one of the Spanish performers, at the small watering hole called ëThe Sugar Bar.í) The activities we were involved in during our stay in the Mediterranean were not worth mentioning, apart from the fact that the fastest speed I recall HMS King George V doing was after our bombardment of the German gun emplacements at Melos (or Milos.) We were close to shore having a look-see when Gerry opened up and we were straddled by shellfire. I was not amused as I observed it all from my action station on the ADP (Air Defence Position). After a further whacking, the German garrison surrendered. Alexandria, Egypt Our stay in Alexandria, Egypt was enjoyable. The canteen at the Services Club was super. Near the jetty, a dead dog floated upside down with his legs up, all bloated and smelly. After avoiding it for a couple of days, my duty as the bowman of the shipís motor cutter gave me a chance to despatch it with a jab from my boat hook. It exploded. The ensuing smell was probably worse than the pig market smell in Jordan Road, Hong Kong on a warm day, but the fish enjoyed eating the thousands of little white squiggly things. Alexandria, Egypt, more commonly referred to as ëAlex,í was very diverse in the area of entertainment. This ranged from naughty post cards to absolute obscenities. I must admit that as a young sailor, curiosity got the better of me. I found a poorly printed locally- produced publication doing the rounds of the mess decks. The titles left little to the imagination. ëThe Naughty Countessí was one and the other, ëThe Autobiography of a Flea.í The eye-opening information contained in these very naughty books absolutely amazed me. In the Navy, these sorts of books were referred to as Alex AFOís (Admiralty fleet orders.) Many tales have been recounted about a peculiar staged performance (which I hasten to admit I would never have seen) supposedly taking place between a very large woman and a donkey. War veterans have enjoyed many good laughs at reunions when the fabricated telegrams from an Alex Madam were read, stating, for example, ìIt is with regret that I inform you of the passing of the

HMS King George V John Leonard Spencer ñ 73 internationally acclaimed donkey, ëLord Hee Whoreí aged fifty one years, signed Fatima Omar, Madame, Sister Street, Alexandria, Egyptî. This was usually followed by some drunken twit stating, ìCor blimey! That

bloody donkey led a long and fruitful life.î e weekend, if the weather was favourable, people would visit

the ship. The boat deck area was the chosen place for many romantic interludes. A naval ëblind eyeí was turned when it came to this sort of activity. Late in 1944, HMS King George V moved to Devonport for fourteen-inch gun calibration plus seven days leave for our crew. Then the ship sailed up to Greenock, Scotland, where we ammunitioned ship and took on stores. The British Monarch, King George VI, with Queen Elizabeth, Princess Elizabeth (who is now the present Queen), Princess Margaret, and the Deputy Prime Minister, Clement Attlee visited the ship. We properly trained young seamen formed the guard of honour. I have nothing much to say about Greenock, as no one was allowed ashore except ëBona Fide Natives.í KGV sailed for the Far East on 29 October 1944. Our first port of call was Gibraltar, mainly to take on fuel. Our next port of call was Malta, GC, where something definitely went wrong. There was plenty of activity ashore, mainly in the area called the ëGutí, Strata Stretta, or Straight Street, which was full of bawdy houses, bars and eateries. At one of the bars called the ëQEí, Bobby and Sugar, two Spanish dancers, strutted their stuff. I returned on board ship with other sailors in a ëdghaisaí (a Maltese one-man rowing boat, similar to a gondola.) My run ashore cost me a torn shirt, my cap, and a shoe. When asked by the duty officer if Iíd had a good time, I replied, ìMy bloody oath, I did.î ìWell, young lad, you can swear on oath at the Commanderís defaulters table tomorrow,î he replied. I was quickly learning about

HMS King George V 72 ñ Waving Goodbye to a Thousand Flies what goes on in the rest of the world and was awarded seven daysí stoppage of leave and pay to assist my education. (Twenty years later when I was in Gibraltar serving on my last ship, HMS Maryland, I again met Sugar, one of the Spanish performers, at the small watering hole called ëThe Sugar Bar.í) The activities we were involved in during our stay in the Mediterranean were not worth mentioning, apart from the fact that the fastest speed I recall HMS King George V doing was after our bombardment of the German gun emplacements at Melos (or Milos.) We were close to shore having a look-see when Gerry opened up and we were straddled by shellfire. I was not amused as I observed it all from my action station on the ADP (Air Defence Position). After a further whacking, the German garrison surrendered. Alexandria, Egypt Our stay in Alexandria, Egypt was enjoyable. The canteen at the Services Club was super. Near the jetty, a dead dog floated upside down with his legs up, all bloated and smelly. After avoiding it for a couple of days, my duty as the bowman of the shipís motor cutter gave me a chance to despatch it with a jab from my boat hook. It exploded. The ensuing smell was probably worse than the pig market smell in Jordan Road, Hong Kong on a warm day, but the fish enjoyed eating the thousands of little white squiggly things. Alexandria, Egypt, more commonly referred to as ëAlex,í was very diverse in the area of entertainment. This ranged from naughty post cards to absolute obscenities. I must admit that as a young sailor, curiosity got the better of me. I found a poorly printed locally- produced publication doing the rounds of the mess decks. The titles left little to the imagination. ëThe Naughty Countessí was one and the other, ëThe Autobiography of a Flea.í The eye-opening information contained in these very naughty books absolutely amazed me. In the Navy, these sorts of books were referred to as Alex AFOís (Admiralty fleet orders.) Many tales have been recounted about a peculiar staged performance (which I hasten to admit I would never have seen) supposedly taking place between a very large woman and a donkey. War veterans have enjoyed many good laughs at reunions when the fabricated telegrams from an Alex Madam were read, stating, for example, ìIt is with regret that I inform you of the passing of the

HMS King George V John Leonard Spencer ñ 73 internationally acclaimed donkey, ëLord Hee Whoreí aged fifty one years, signed Fatima Omar, Madame, Sister Street, Alexandria, Egyptî. This was usually followed by some drunken twit stating, ìCor blimey! That

bloody donkey led a long and fruitful life.î HMS King George V 72 ñ Waving Goodbye to a Thousand Flies what goes on in the rest of the world and was awarded seven daysí stoppage of leave and pay to assist my education. (Twenty years later when I was in Gibraltar serving on my last ship, HMS Maryland, I again met Sugar, one of the Spanish performers, at the small watering hole called ëThe Sugar Bar.í) The activities we were involved in during our stay in the Mediterranean were not worth mentioning, apart from the fact that the fastest speed I recall HMS King George V doing was after our bombardment of the German gun emplacements at Melos (or Milos.) We were close to shore having a look-see when Gerry opened up and we were straddled by shellfire. I was not amused as I observed it all from my action station on the ADP (Air Defence Position). After a further whacking, the German garrison surrendered. Alexandria, Egypt Our stay in Alexandria, Egypt was enjoyable. The canteen at the Services Club was super. Near the jetty, a dead dog floated upside down with his legs up, all bloated and smelly. After avoiding it for a couple of days, my duty as the bowman of the shipís motor cutter gave me a chance to despatch it with a jab from my boat hook. It exploded. The ensuing smell was probably worse than the pig market smell in Jordan Road, Hong Kong on a warm day, but the fish enjoyed eating the thousands of little white squiggly things. Alexandria, Egypt, more commonly referred to as ëAlex,í was very diverse in the area of entertainment. This ranged from naughty post cards to absolute obscenities. I must admit that as a young sailor, curiosity got the better of me. I found a poorly printed locally- produced publication doing the rounds of the mess decks. The titles left little to the imagination. ëThe Naughty Countessí was one and the other, ëThe Autobiography of a Flea.í The eye-opening information contained in these very naughty books absolutely amazed me. In the Navy, these sorts of books were referred to as Alex AFOís (Admiralty fleet orders.) Many tales have been recounted about a peculiar staged performance (which I hasten to admit I would never have seen) supposedly taking place between a very large woman and a donkey. War veterans have enjoyed many good laughs at reunions when the fabricated telegrams from an Alex Madam were read, stating, for example, ìIt is with regret that I inform you of the passing of the

HMS King George V John Leonard Spencer ñ 73 internationally acclaimed donkey, ëLord Hee Whoreí aged fifty one years, signed Fatima Omar, Madame, Sister Street, Alexandria, Egyptî. This was usually followed by some drunken twit stating, ìCor blimey! That bloody donkey led a long and fruitful life.î