Ceylon (Sri Lanka)

Another Door Part 8: Colombo and UK

I did that short train journey so many times during my stay in Ceylon that even now the station stops from...

Tie a Khaki Ribbon: Life in the ATS

I was orphaned the first year of the war and not long out of Convent High School, I left the tiny Cheshire...

Tanker 'British Sergeant' — Eric Pointon's War Story

The 'British Sergeant' was assigned to oil supply and storage duties to the Royal Navy in the...

HMS Relentless (Chapter 1): The End of the Japanese War, 1945

Written by Kenneth Waterson, telegraphist. As observed from the R Class destroyer HMS Relentless, anchored...

Schoolgirl's Memories from Ceylon

In 1939 when the war broke out on 2nd September, I was a schoolgirl in Ceylon and lived in a town about...

War Experiences: Dry Dock in Ceylon

It was midnight and I was sleeping on the upper deck in my hammock when the Tannoy blared out “Away...

Monsoon on the Island of the Lion (Sri Lanka)

THE MONSOON CAPE useless because when wearing it, you could do nothing, but ride a bicycle, which we did...

Sinking of HMS Dorsetshire off Sri Lanka (Ceylon)

I am writing this story on behalf of my father Thomas Bannerman who was a " Pom-Pom " gunner on HMS...

Elephants in the Fleet Air Arm

On the aerodrome at Ukussa, he describes a quite bizzare scene, as the most modern aircraft then available...

HMS King George V and HMS Rajah in Colombo Harbour

HMS Rajah was a Ruler class escort carrier built in the USA at Seattle-Tacoma as USS Mclure AVG 45 - ACV 45...

Wartime Memories of a Civilian

Dad, in the Specials, had to leave us and go home early, and Ken went with him as his schooling was...

Memoirs of a Chindit

At the same time enemy forces were infiltrating into Vichy Syria, even closer to the British rear, so this...

Reno Del Pacifico

In our hut we were talking about naval discipline and an old three badge killick told us that according to...

A "Bolshie" Royal Naval Reservist (2)

On one occasion when we were practising wet landings prior to the proposed invasion of Leros, Samos and Kos...

Don’t look back - (Its not there any more) - Part 1

This wireless was on for the whole of the four hour journey, and one of the songs was the Andrews Sisters...

The Evacuation of Palambang and Java

The day after we arrived at Palambang 2, several of us were detailed to stop at the drome as a servicing...

Chapter 8 - Jungle Training in Ceylon (June 1943 - May 1944)

Several of the Planters had played for Oxford, Cambridge or their County before coming out to Ceylon and...

Working with the German Navy (Part 3 of 3)

However it was a rule that the German officers had to salute the British officers. I was horrified one day...

VAD Andy's War

At the beginning of June 1940 I was called up by the Civil Nursing Reserve, and travelled to Blackburn...

'Came the Hour' part 2

I had never been sea-sick before and ended up on the wireless cabin deck bemoaning my fate and coming to...

From Clock Maker to the R.A.F. Mutiny.

My main R.A.F. existence was with 160 Squadron at Sigiriya and we were laying mines all around Java,...

Two Evacuations by "Phil": France 1940 and Java 1942

We left the Clyde on about 8th December 1941 for an unknown destination, via Freetown, Durban and the...

Ceylon

Trincomalee on the north-east coast of Ceylon. Looking down from the top of a hill near our camp I could...

The Navy is always right !

After a short stay in Cochin we then travelled to Ceylon arriving in Colombo harbour where the air squadron...

Petty Officer Fagan, my Father

Start of the War and Call-Up

On Sundays I delivered papers in Suton, Spooner Row and Wymondham. Claud stayed on in Sri Lanka after the...