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For ratings below the rank of Petty Officer, one quarter of a pint of water was added to the tot of rum. This was known as two and one. On your birthday it was the normal practice to receive from your mess colleagues what was known as "’Sippers". This was a sip of their rum. If you were very friendly with a person you may get offered “Gulpers" which was a larger sip.
Trincomalee, or as it was affectionately known Trinco, was the base for the East Indies Fleet and had sports grounds which were used quite extensively, as there was quite a lot of rivalry between the ships in harbour, particularly the larger ships. They were also used by individual ships for inter divisional football, hockey matches etc.
When you were in harbour on a Sunday, there was always church parade, and the Catholics used to be ferried to a ship which had a Catholic priest on board. One Sunday in Trinco (and I’m not sure exactly when) I had, together with the other Catholics from the Khedive, been ferried to one of the other carriers where the mass was going to be held. I had just settled down on the deck waiting for the mass to begin when I felt a slap on the back and a voice said, "And what do you think you are doing here?"
When I turned round it was Gerald Crosgerry, a chap who had been in the same class as me all during our schooling. Of course there were lots of 'Do you remembers” in the conversations both before, and after, the mass. Strangely enough I never saw him again, although I do know that he survived the war.
Various operations were carried out between April and August during which we came under air attacks a number of times. During one of these attacks, three enemy aircraft were shot down.
On 8th May, we received news that Germany had surrendered, and the signal went out to all the fleets 'Splice the Mainbrace’. This signal signified the issue to all entitled personnel for an extra tot of rum. For those not entitled to rum i.e. category T and category U A, a tot of lime juice was issued instead.
In August we were at Cochin when lower deck was cleared. This involved everyone who was not on duty assembling on the flight deck, and we were then addressed by the Captain informing us that we were about to take part in a combined operation, codenamed Zipper. This operation would begin with the invasion of Rangoon, fighting would be fierce and there would be lots of lives lost. Our troops would advance up the Malacca Straits and would liberate Singapore.
On August 6th, we were informed that operation Zipper had been put on hold, as the allies had dropped an atom bomb on Hiroshima with great loss of life.
On August 9th, we were informed that a second bomb had been dropped on Nagasaki, also with great loss of life, and the Japanese were about to surrender. We were ordered back to Trinco and arrived there in time to witness the celebrations which took place in the harbour, mainly the fantastic firework display. I think all the ships and the shore station were trying to outdo each other. The following day, August 10th, we departed Trinco for the occupation of Penang.
We arrived at Penang on 28th August, stayed there until 4th September, and went up the Malacca Straits to Singapore, arriving there on the 10th.