Page 20 - Chiron Spring 2020

20 CHIRON CALLING
There was an icy chill in the air on that early February morning in 1954 as my mucker Pte Jones and I assembled at the dog school in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. We were joined by ten other young soldiers, Staff Sgt. Swail and Sgt Foster.
We formed just part of the team of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the other part were 12 Alsatian dogs, 2 bitches, I boxer dog and I boxer cross Bullmastif. These 16 canine friends were to accompany us on our assignment to the Royal Albert Docks in London bound for our very long journey across the waters to Singapore.
We have been allocated 3 Bedford 3 Tonne vehicles which were loaded with supplies comprising dog kennels, canned meat, drinking vessels etc. which would sustain the animals for what was going to be a rather long and at times we felt may prove to be a difficult journey.
Due to weather conditions dropping to minus 5 degrees that morning, coats for the dogs were essential. Pte Jones and I didn’t fancy travelling in the back of a cold truck and breaking all the rules we managed to seat ourselves in the cab. It was somewhat cramped but never the less, nice and warm. Our 5-hour journey down to London proved far more bearable.
Arriving at the docks we proceed to board the S.S. Glenniffar which was a ship from World War 2 and had a speed of 12 knots. Everything on board, dogs fed and watered we were then shown our cabins which were to be our home for the journey through to Singapore. The cabins had 4 bunks and pretty decent washing facilities, 4 portholes that we joked, ROOM WITH A VIEW. Ha. Ha.
We were in need of some sustenance ourselves, as we hadn’t eaten since before leaving home on that morning at 0500 hours. We ate with gusto that evening, we were served by a Chinese waiter who was later to become our cabin steward.
Before leaving port we were instructed by the Army Embarkation Officers from the shipping line that we should sign ourselves in as crew in the Merchant Navy, by doing so we would be entitled to receive a monthly fee of 1 shilling (5 pence in decimal currency)
Barry was the name of the 1st Officer who invited us up onto the deck to watch our ship slowly leave the port and set sail into the river Thames for the start of outward journey. We were feeling mixed emotions really as we were leaving families behind. This was such an amazing opportunity for some so young and therefore tried to look upon it as an adventure. After drinks in the mess with the 15 English Merchant Navy Officers, Chinese nationality formed the rest of the crew on board. Before retiring to our bunks we were· given our instructions for the following day.
fed and watered the dogs and secured them to the decks as the weather forecast in the Bay of Biscay was reported to be not so good. The dogs had been coping with the journey remarkably well but the tinned dog food was now playing havoc with their digestive systems. Hosing down the decks was urgently needed.
As we turned into the Bay of Biscay we were experiencing a 7 /8 gale force winds, how distressing it was for the dogs as they slid around on the vomit beneath their paws, whimpering as each splinter from the steel deck pierced into their pads. We attempted to administer sea- sickness tablets, they helped Jones and I to cope better with the motion than they did the poor dogs.
After what seemed a never-ending storm it did eventually subside. The cuts and splinters that the dogs had received were reviewed by the teams Medical Officer and his advice and knowledge proved a god send.
As climate changes occur the change in the amount of exercise would also change. We were allocated more space for walking the dogs; they would get quite excitable about leaving the confines of their kennels to walk alongside its master. We had to keep strict guidelines as to how much time was spent talking to the deck crew, they showed such affection towards the dogs, but were also alert to the fact that their jobs had to be completed with not too much hindrance from us. The Chinese appeared to keep their distance from the dogs, shying away when they came near.
Barry was always on hand to keep us informed of our present location and the route to where our next port of call was. The day we were going through to Gibraltar we sensed that he was keeping a log about us, helpful as ever and nothing was too much trouble, he seemed to enjoy sharing his knowledge of everything he knew about with us. We did hope that his comments about us were equally complimentary.
I remember in particular how he would make sure all our tasks had been
completed before he would proudly take us on a guided tour of the engine room in all its glory, to see the large prop shaft running right along to the stern which then turned the propeller was quite a sight to see. Meals were taken alongside Captain Thomas and his officers; we did enjoy being waited on, this service made us feel quite important. Drinks costing 1 penny for a small beer and 2 pennies for a spirit were quite the order of the day, we soon acquired quite a taste for the stuff. Well, we worked hard, why shouldn’t we enjoy our recreation time. All our drinks did not have to be paid for until the end of our journey so we hoped there would be enough money in the kitty when the time arrived.
14 days out of England and 3 days from- Cyprus the dogs are making a lot of steam, grooming is more important than ever now, the humidity is stifling, the amount of hair loss is tremendous but the eradication of so much hair makes the weather somewhat more bearable for the dogs to cope with. The boxer, however, was having trouble breathing, we were constantly cooling him down with sea water as much as we could, Jones and I also feeling the heat, we had no tropical gear or sun cream so the need to stay covered up was of utmost importance. Merchant Navy Officers eventually offered us the loan of tropical gear, we didn’t care how we looked, as they were a thing of purpose.
We had been in the army a total of 10 months, 8 spent at the vet camp and the remainder on board ship, we would often sit and reflect on our achievements so far. Trailing 16 dogs to distant shores and in weather conditions we had only read about in storybooks, we felt, was quite something. Our 10 shillings pay that we received that day was well earned.
It is night time as we approach the port of Limasol, Cyprus; cargo will be loaded and unloaded. Working through the night we had to ensure the dogs were comfortable and not a hindrance to us while going about our work. We managed to snatch a few hours whenever there was a lull in activities; this helped to keep our bodies
PRIVATE HACKETT 6424
– ON ROUTE FROM MELTON MOWBRAY TO SINGAPORE FEBRUARY 1954
After enjoying a good night’s sleep we