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HMS Argus, the training aircraft carrier, amidst cheerful mutterings about Pongo Aviation’, and all went well. After that my B Flight 652 was stationed at Daicross near Inverness, and we bombarded Tarbat Ness in the Moray Firth with destroyers and got in a lot of useful practice. In the beginning of 1944 we were again at Heatfleld and had further deck landings — again on the Firth of Clyde — and this time on the escort carrier HMS Ravager. We caught up with her well beyond Ailsa Craig.
Just in case there was no aircraft carrier available for us for the forthcoming invasion of Normandy (which, in the event, there wasn’t), I took part in some very wet and cold actual landing rehearsals in Burghead Bay in the Moray Firth with some of my Flight. It was interesting that the beach configuration closely resembled that of NE Normandy. When we came to June 1944 and the time to record very many radio frequencies, it was a great relief (unlike most others who were in the many secure pre- invasion camps) to use a small 125cc motor cycle to visit many units to brief and be briefed about the shooting to
come, particularly 3rd British Division and 5 AGRA who would also be landing in the Sword Beach sector of the bridgehead, as our 652 Squadron intended to do. I and my small party of five landed in the late afternoon of D Day from an LCT, and by nightfall on D+l had our third choice of Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) operational. I had enjoyed the demolitions necessary to make PLUMETOT usable. It was southeast of Douvre La Delivrande and north of the Perier ridge, which helped to conceal aircraft taking off or landing. The first five of our 652 Auster IV machines at arrived at 0815 hours on D+2. At Plumetot we later welcomed several FOO parties. During the first few weeks in Normandy I conducted 39 shoots and my colleagues did a considerable number. Many of these were with the bombarding ships — HMS Belfast (main armament 6 inch.), HMS Diadem (dual purpose 5.25in.), HMS Mauritius (6in.), the monitor HMS Roberts (l5in.), HMS Rodney (l6in.), and HMS Warspite (l5in.). I record my grateful thanks to Captain H. W. Emerton for input of calibre information. I am sorry I had no opportunity to direct the fire of HMS Arethusa, on which Hector was BLO.
SOLDIER - SAILOR - THE LIFE AND TIMES OF AN RO2 IN NGS POOLE TO HONG KONG AND EVERYWHERE BETWEEN 1956-1967
By Chris “Cheyenne” Body Ed 5 May 03
“Cheyenne” was demobbed in 1967 having completed over 10 years service in the Navy and Army. He then joined the Bournemouth Borough Police in which he served for over 30 years, retiring in 1997 as a Sergeant in the Criminal Justice Department.
In September 1956 1 joined the Navy. Eleven months later, having mastered the rudiments of becoming a matelot, plus learning to read and transmit morse code at 25 wpm and touch type at 40 wpm, I become a Telegraphist, later to be known simply as a Radio Operator or RO. After two sea drafts, HMS Urania in UK waters, and in the Mediterranean in HMS Torquay, a brand new Type 14 Frigate, I saw an AFO asking for RO2s to volunteer for parachute training, and to work in Combined Operations with the Army on Naval Gunfire Support. There was an incentive of 7/6 a day parachute pay. I duly volunteered but I was serving on my 3rd ship, HMS Scarborough, and had done a stint off Iceland during the Cod War, when at last, in September 1959 my draft came, and I was on my way to JSAWC Poole, and parachute training. I arrived at Poole railway station, complete with kitbag and hammock. [Matelots never went anywhere in those days without their hammock] I expected to be met at the station, but there was no one there. So from the ticket office, I telephoned the camp for transport and was told to get the number 33 bus. My heart sank, what a welcome, I thought! I struggled round to the bus station and got the bus to the fish and chip shop in Coles Avenue. Following the bus driver’s directions I arrived at the camp, to be told
by the Royal Marine Guard Commander, “You can get rid of your hammock in the stores, we sleep in beds here”. I was directed from the Guardroom to 95th Amphibious Observation Regiment Royal Artillery. There I met up with Brian Coldron another naval Radio Operator and trained parachutist. He immediately christened me with the nickname ‘Cheyenne’, after a TV programme running at the time. The whole regiment, which was spread out over Poole, Bovington, Malta, Hong Kong, and a detachment on HMS Bulwark, amounted to around only 150 men, and that included the Navy element. Some of the soldiers were National Servicemen, but most were Regulars. The BSM was Sgt Major Jock Reid, the Adjutant was a Capt. Rodick and sadly I cannot remember any of the other senior officers at that time. I do remember that the BSM had just bought himself a brand new Ford Anglia for under £500 and was hoping to drive it across Europe and out to Malta [his next posting] and save on UK purchase tax.
I learnt that we were on permanent 24hour standby for anywhere in the world as part of the `Spearhead Battalion`. My mother wasn’t best pleased, having gone through WW2 with my father away in the RAF for the best part of it. The next eight weeks were spent getting fit and running everywhere. I soon got to know all the quarries around Poole and Upton like the back of my hand. I ran all over Turlin Moor before the first Council house was built. I soon got into the fitness regime and enjoyed it, in a perverse sort of way. November 1959 saw me taking the train to Aldershot to join the infamous P Company at
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