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Other delights included:-
Safety routines for using firearms, Firing .22 calibre rifles on the ships range then moving up to .303 Rifles on a full sized firing range where one could attempt to hit a target at 600 yds.
Then there was the inimitable swimming test. "Me Lawds" by this time had deemed that all personnel met certain minimum standards so that some life could be saved in the event of the Ship sinking beneath our feet as training costs to replace manpower, especialy Artificers, was considerably more than in the Nelsonian era.
Now I had been advised, by the Ex-BOIART who encouraged me when a Sea Cadet, to Fail this test as one then got a nice Wednesday afternoon out on a Naval Motor Fishing Vessel across to Royal Naval Barracks Plymouth for an hour of extra swimming lessons. Well it did save getting covered in unpleasant mud out on the rugby field. So when subjected to the test I duly ensured that I FAILED and for the next year had some very pleasant Days out until one day, namely the 19th January 1955 (so I see from looking back at my old service papers) the P.O. detailed to escort us to R.N.B turned a bit "Nasty". We were Double marched to the M.F.V. dock alongside H.M.S. Defiance as it was known, a couple of old Nelsonian wooden hulks that were used as accomodation and classroom facilities to train Electrical ratings known as EM's believe it or not, and as soon as we were delivered to the Swimming Baths in R.N.B. ordered to prepare for a test and being informed that from now on this proceedure was to be repeated weekly.
Never have so many retrobate Apprentices passed their Swimming test so fast as they did that day
.
Damn and blast it, it was going to be a muddy week next week.
Physical Exercise, under the guidance of Mr Brown the Commisioned Warrant Oficer Physical Training Instructor and his team of sadistic P.T.I.'s was to develope and strengthen the body, which of course involved Rope Climbing. Even a Tiffy needed this skill so as to be able to return to his ship after shore leave when the gangway was out of commission due to Bad Weather. Coming up the boom was sometimes the only way back and positively dangerous if one had been " Up the Pub"
In all my time at sea I can never remember ever loosing a sailor overboard this way, It's amazing how fast "Jack" can sober up when presented with the possibility of getting wet, especially in ones "Best Suit"
Included in Physical Instruction was the Nobel Art of Boxing and for those of a more beligerant nature. They seemed to enjoy it. Field sports also played a large part in our training to build up the idea of "Working together" as a team, for that is how a ship operates, each man knowing what to do without a quibble.
And Finally a passtime that I enjoyed considerably, "Pulling", or to the Civilian rowing. This was reserved for the summer months and coupled with sailing the craft, we pulled Cutters and Whalers. Many a great weekend was had sailing around the waters of Plymouth.
That Summer of 1955 at the ships regatta it was a pleasure to be part of the Cutter pulling Team of Frobisher Division when we won the cup over a set course againt 7 other teams from other Divisions
Our Divisional P.O. had trained us against the tide for weeks before and on the Day of the Race he had worked out we were pulling with a flood tide which gave us such an added advantage.
From this the reader will deduce its Intelligent to
PLAN