Memories 1958 – 1959 Commission
6th Destroyer Squadron
L/Sea(RP2) Dennis Cracknell
HMS CARYSFORT 1958
I joined the Carysfort on the 4th March 1958 from reserve fleet Chatham with less than 24 hours notice to join the ships company at Pompey Barracks, I went aboard next morning with kitbag & hammock.
As a L/ Sea RP2 I was the killick of the RP’s mess, starboard side fwd. Names I remember are AB’s Cruttenden and Wintle. My part of ship was the foc’sle with PO Garnet.
One piece of kit that had accompanied me on previous commissions was my racing bike (I had represented the RN in inter–service competitions) and Captain Dunlop allowed this concession to continue.
For this was to be a commission like no other in my experience. From day one on board I was informed that I would be responsible for the Boy Seaman’s early morning PT whilst alongside. Fortunately we soon left Pompey for Portland for working up exercises mostly swinging round the buoy each night. any thoughts of PT soon disappeared.
My memory of the period between Portland and Gib is a bit vague. Did we visit St Jean de Luz or was I thinking of another commission?
On arriving at Malta I soon made contact with Army and RAF cycling teams and joined their training sessions when time permitted. This love of cycling nearly caused a career upset. One weekend Carysfort was duty destroyer and this meant one watch ashore only. Off I went, ignoring orders to remain close to the ship in case of urgent recall. A couple of hours later high up on the cliffs near RNAS Hal Far I spotted D25 at rate of knots on a call out. Realising that I could be in deep fertilizer I reported to main gate at RNAS. They saw the funny side of my predicament giving me a meal and a bed in the guardhouse on the understanding that I was gone by 0600 next (Sunday) morning. I returned to Sliema Creek and saw the ship at her buoy. When the liberty men came ashore I returned aboard ready to receive whatever retribution due to me. NOTHING – no punishment, no harsh words. I spent the next few days keeping a low profile (we were en route to Cyprus).
I had the middle watch as we approached Morphou Bay to the north Cyprus, turning in at 0400 only to be woken up by the bridge messenger to report to the bridge PDQ. I did just that, meeting a stoker who had been similarly summonsed. Captain Dunlop called us both and told us that the Army required a motorboats crew. Apparently the squaddies were reducing their 40 ft Kitchener geared launch to matchwood. With a sly reference to my previous weekend antics the Captain said that I was volunteering together with the stoker to ease the army’s problem. We were to report to the G.I. on the quarterdeck to learn (in 10 minutes + 5 rounds) how to be competent each with a service 38 revolver.
At breakfast I explained to my messmates that I was being transferred to the intelligence corps of the Royal Welsh Regiment. They as one became incapacitated by hysterical laughter. The thought of me and intelligence was to much for them to contemplate.
Within the hour we were both dropped off at a pier in Morphou and told to wait for the Army to pick us up. We were met about an hour by a couple of squaddies and escorted through the undergrowth to their tented camp. Thus began the strangest three months of my career to date. Our boat duties were minimal and much of our time was spent with the Army out on patrols etc as passengers in a ferret armoured car.
Half way through our “Army service” the R.W.Regiment went home and were replaced by The Royal Welsh Fusiliers. Stokes & me were the camp “old hands”. A truly great experience.
We returned to the ship and I became the Postie until our arrival at Malta for a minor refit. We were billeted ashore where I stayed until the end of August spending my spare time either cycling or swimming with a “townie” Wren. One of my messmates accompanied her oppo and we made a foursome. This all came to an abrupt end when a patrolman collared me on returning one afternoon telling me that I was being drafted back to Chatham and my flight was in 1 hour.
Thus ended my temporary posting – one of the most memorable .
I am now in my mid 70s and other memories of that commission remain with me although the order in which they occurred is somewhat confused. I would like to make contact with anyone who remembers “that clown with the bike”
Regards Dennis Cracknell.
P.S. Can me and Stokes have a GS medal for our time in the Army gallantly fighting EOKA terrorists?
SPO(V) John Roadknight
John Roadnight wrote: “I served in Carysfort from February 58 to September 59: I was the SPO(V)-“jack dusty” and retired as a CPO in 1972 when my family migrated to Australia. On a recent visit to the UK I had a royal tour of Cavalier by a trust member. This rekindled my memories of Carysfort. I often wondered what happened to her, now I know! I will endeavour to fill the gaps for you regarding my time on board so here goes.
Recommissioned at Portsmouth February 58 and left UK for work up at Malta. On completion we left for Cyprus patrol which should have lasted six weeks, however our relief was diverted elsewhere due to a fracas in Lebanon. Most of the ships company had a few days R&R at the NAAFI run Golden Sands leave camp in tents near Famagusta but of course no shore leave. We then continued patrols for a further six weeks in stead of a scheduled visit to Turkey! The monotony broken by occasional interaction with the Cheshire Regiment based at Kyrenia. Their Sgts mess entertained our C&POs to football and drinking competitions. Before leaving to return to Malta we reciprocated hospitality by hosting a party for them on the foc’sle one evening. It should be remembered that UK service personnel ashore carried weapons at all times so these were duly handed in at the For’d PO’s mess for safe keeping for the duration of the party. On leaving the ship one of their weapons was missing, this being a Court Martial offence. As it belonged to the S.I.B. Sgt attached to the Cheshires it caused some mirth from his “colleagues” (It was found next morning under a locker!) The remainder of our Med time was taken up with a couple of major NATO exercises, one concluding with a visit to Naples, the other in Toulon. In between these was a short refit in Malta. We also paid a brief visit to Catania in Sicily. The ensuing 9 months in the Home Fleet was more of the same, without the sunshine! The first Cod Wars were under way so we had 2×6 week patrols off Iceland interspersed with more NATO exercises and A/S patrols out of Londonderry. The only runs ashore of note were Stockholm and Bremen. Much of our time was spent in company with “Cavendish” being Capt. D6.
One occasion on passage from Pompey to Gib we ran into extreme weather
as mentioned by L/Sig Middleton. We were supposed to R/V with Cavendish for Capt.D’s inspection but that didn’t happen! Instead “A” gun was damaged beyond repair and had to be removed at Gib to be replaced some months later. I recall one of my mess mates being thrown clean out of his hammock one night. It was not a memorable commission as you can see, but we had a good Ship’s Company and as for myself my mates in the F’ord POs mess were the best and we made the most of somewhat limited opportunities. Among those I recall were :
PO ( TAS) “Mac” McCaffey (mess pres.)
Yeoman” Jimmy” Green
PO Cook Maurice Hurst
PO (FC) ” Gary ” Garnett (Capt foc’sl)
PO (RP) Ken Shorter
PO El ? Fisher
” Blackie ” TASI ( part commission)
Duncan Cameron (Canteen Manager)
The Aft PO’s mess included PO GI Daiper and PO Fewtrell (QD)
My own staff were SA Jock Anderson
AB Petty(Tanky) and the Butcher, Mankey Meat Malney (nickname provided by AB Scott). The CO throughout the commission was CDR Dunlop and 1st Lt was Lt Cdr Pearce. I am pretty sure I remember the two ship mates Brian Sheldon and Mike Middleton.”
1958-59 Commission Book
Thanks to R.A.R. (Tony) Hill for providing this commission book. Tony graduated from Nottingham University in 1959 and was one of the last National Service intake who had successfully applied for a 3 year short service commission. Carysfort had just completed the 1958-59 commission when he joined her for two weeks sea experience working up off Portland. As an introduction to life at sea he was given a copy of this commission book. Now Lieutenant R A R Hill RN and fresh out of university the Royal Navy came as somewhat of a shock. His first wardroom mess dinner was Trafalgar Night in Portsmouth. He had no specific duties on board and was free to join in (but not too closely) with all the routines. He remembers being told that if in doubt he could carry out some “bulkhead inspection”. He enjoyed his short stay onboard once he got over the faux-pas of sitting in the First Lieutenant’s seat at his first breakfast onboard. Apart from gunnery and depth charge practice his other memory is of drinks in the wardroom – Horse’s Neck – 1d for the brandy and 2d for the ginger ale.
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