I made enquiries of my D.O. about such a change and upon return from the Med. I was drafted to Victory Barracks and from there to HMS Ceres (Jack Dusty’s Training School), somewhere near Wetherby, Yorkshire. Here I underwent about four months training, together with eight other ex seamen and one stoker. No chance of being unobtrusive as we were still kitted out in 'proper sailors uniforms’, bell-bottoms, collars and lanyards etc. whereas all the other trainees were ‘new boys’, mostly in badly fitting 'Jack Dusty' type uniforms. However, us being in sailors' uniform showed we were 'old hands’ and no one attempted to push us around. The end of training arrived and we were issued with our new uniforms, peaked cap and proper flies in our trousers. Goodbye to the awkward 'drop down portcullis’.
 

My first draft was to HMS Gamecock at Bramcote, near Nuneaton, Warkshire, a Fleet Air Arm base (now believed to be an open prison). After some months, I was drafted back to HMS Victory but was unhappy with this, as I wanted to be at sea. Then, one morning, whilst in the Master at Arms office, he advised that I was scheduled to be sent to the Far East. His terminology was a "Special Assignment". Another 'Jack Dusty' would accompany me and a civilian from the Admiralty/MOD. Confused wasn’t the word but no more information was forthcoming and off I went on ten days embarkation leave. Naturally, I was aware of the war in Korea but I was more concerned that no ship had been nominated for me.
 

Upon my return from leave, I was advised that I would be joining HMS Warrior together with SA (S) D.M. Diss and a Mr. Norris. We would leave the ship on arrival in Sasebo, Japan to join HMS Ladybird and our 'Special Assignment’ was to be the audit and disposal of specified stores aboard various ships engaged in the Korean offensive. We would be known as, 'Stores Clearance Party’ (SCP), which did not bear any relationship to thoughts in my mind associated with 'Special Assignment’. I subsequently learnt this same description had been given to Diss from a totally different source. At a later stage, we received an additional task, overseeing the disposal of suspect dangerous ammunition.

Mr. Norris carried the temporary rank of Lieutenant Commander whilst in Korea. 'Dizzy’ (D.M. Diss) and myself would be responsible to Mr. Norris alone throughout the commission, with the exception of cruising, defence and action stations whilst aboard ships in the war zone. For us, this commission proved to be quite unique.

Readers will have gathered from the foregoing, that both Dizzy and I were Portsmouth based ratings but the ships we were destined to serve on originated from Pompey, Guzz, and Chatham bases. Furthermore, we were not listed as ship's company on any other than HMS Ladybird and our pay etc., was always arranged by/through HMS Ladybird.

However, someone aboard F116 must have considered us members of the ship's company, as when we finally disembarked in July '52, we were each presented with the book 'From Stem to Stern’ HMS Amethyst 1950 - 1952. To the best of my knowledge, the only recipients of this book, ever, were ship's company members of HMS Amethyst, who served aboard in the Korean offensive. Some extracts from the book are used in this article.

The ships that served on in Korea during the commission period June 51 to June 53 were, in addition to Amethyst, HMS Comus, Crane and Mounts Bay. Static ships were, HMS Ladybird - Sasebo, HMS Terror - Singapore and HMS Tamar - Hong Kong.

So much for the introduction, which although lengthy, I considered necessary in order for readers to appreciate the background.