His first ship

Interviewer: What was that first ship you were assigned to?

That was the HMS Alisma. It was a corvette.

Interviewer: And what was that, what was that like, serving on that corvette. What was she like?

You thought you was a big man then. When you went aboard, this packsack on your back and your big hammocks on and you didn't forget when you went on or went aboard a ship, you saluted her. And everybody, "Yes sir. No, sir." Everybody who was older than you, you said, "Yes sir. No, sir. Thank you."

Interviewer: But the first time when the corvette was tied up at the wharf and you, and you walked on for the first time, you saw her, what did you think?

I didn't know that was the one because there were one, two, three, four tied up in line and you walked over the gangway. And there were ships there that, they never had no name on them. They just had a number. I mean, the ship's name was up on the black board with gilded le . . . something that wouldn't show up. Just the ship's number, that's all.

Interviewer: So, when you, when you found . . . When you knew you were on the right ship, the right corvette . . .

You were escorted aboard. The sentry on the . . . You'd say we are going aboard the Alisma or the Poppy, or whatever it was, three ships out, maybe four ships, and you went over all the gangways and you got over there. And every ship had a sentry on it, and they'd say, "Over there, buddy, over there." And they used to call you (inaudible). That's what they were called. And never called you by name, or nothing, or "Jack."

Interviewer: And, and where, where was it that you boarded her?

In Londonderry, Ireland. We had one over on the old train over there. Yeah, in Londonderry. Sailed out of Londonderry on the first, but we sailed . . . I think I was aboard one or two days, and the next time we seen port, it was coming in Argentia.