AWM52 1/11/18/4 - Headquarters London Victory March Contingent, 1946, part 3, Naval log - Part 5

80
Quarterdeck
81

X
officers and female members for
sport, deck tennis, deck quoits,
medicine ball sports, skipping,
fencing, and just plain exercises
are indulged in energetically. In
fact the will to become healthy has
become a fetish with some
officers. They are taking more
exercise than has been their custom
for years and Perhaps  it's is
due to the sea desire air, or
just to a desire to be as fit
as possible for the forthcoming
ordeal in LONDON.
RPeck

RKingsfordSmith
MJB

82
Weather.
Ships

Duties
Position
Toys
Quiz

Contest
83
Wednesday 1 May     AT SEA.

Overcast early with occasional
rain squalls and, moderate sea
and average swell. Weather cleared
up during the day.
0845: Daily officer's conference. As
a consequence of the indifferent
weather it was decided to put all
personnel on the ships duties for
the day. As on previous occasions
it person split up on various tasks
throug out the ship. Etc tera  Most of
them were working below the main
deck on brass polishing, scrubbing
decks  etc , and carting stores.
1200. Course 270 °  Speed 14 Knots
Visibility be/7  Wind NW Force 4
Distance travelled since 30 1200 -
339 miles Latitude 30 ° 03 ' S Longitude

67 ° 48 ' E
Female Women members commenced
the manafacture of felt animals.
When these "protypes" are finished
they will serve as models for their
manufacture on a large scale by
male members of the contingent &
possibly the ship's company. It is
intended to distribute them amongst
children's organization on arrival
in ENGLAND.
1700. Coming First round of the quiz
contest held - owing to bad weather
it could not be held in in
Torpedo space as originally intended,
and was held in cafeteria mess
decks. The two opposing teams
were seated opposite each other 

85
and each member answered two
questioned into the the microphone,
the programme being broadcast over
the ship's  SRE at the same time.
Lt Comd FAULKNER conducted the
session.  Baby Buntings defeated
We T earem 9 - 5 and See Dee
Effs defeated Stripeys 11 -10. See Dee
Effs are the only team that will
remain in the competition. The

only contingent team to be represented
were the Stripeys which consisted of
2 WAAF's & 1 AWAS. They put on
a very good show.
K 30. Clocks retarded 1 hr.

MJB

86
Rough
Weather.
Ships
Duties
Position
Deck
Hockey
87
Thursday 2 May     AT SEA.
Fine clear day,  with heavy
sea & powerful wind.  Practically
impossible to stand up on deck,
and SWR erected as a security
measure. Although the sea was
heavy the ship was not rolling
unduly, owing to the wind being
on head on. It was expected
to work around to the port quarter
during the day when the roll would
have been accentuated, but it remained
about 60 ° to our course all day.

Owing to the rough weather
all ranks again put to work on
ship's duties in lieu of the normal
training programme. This is the
second day in succession that
the heavy seas have made this
necessary.

1200. Course 290 ° Speed 14 Knots
Wind SW Force 6 Visibility b/7
Distance since 011200 - 326 miles
Latitude 29 ° 54 ' S Longitude 61 ° 35 ' E
Very rough sea, short moderate
swell.

Deck hockey games arranged
for the afternoon had to be
cancelled owing to rough weather.
1700 hrs. 4 more teams competed
in the second session of the
first round of the quiz contest.
None of them contained contingent
personnel.
Incidence o sea sickness
is now practically nil. It would
appear that all personnel have now

88
Sea
Sickness.
89
found their sea legs. This
rather compounded the calculation
of the ship's catering staff who
always count on a smaller
attendance at meals in bad
weather. On the contrary contingent
personnel appear to get hungrier as
the weather gets rougher.
MJB

90
Weather.
Ships
Duties.
Action
Stations.
Lt Comd Peck,

Would be grateful if you would →

check this please and add anything

that may be of interest.

A.J.F. 4/5
Position
91
Friday 3 May     AT SEA

Fi-0045 Altered course to 250 °
to avoid beam swell & excessive
roll. Fine clear day, with heavy
swell. 0845. Daily co offrs conference
held in orderly room. Nothing of
importance discussed. All ranks handed
over to the ship for role duties for
the third successive day. More and
more personnel are being allocated
as offsiders to members of ships
company, and not just casual work
as hither too.
0900. Ship practiced action stations.
This consisted closing all doors and
hatches commensurate with Damage
Control State 1. Testing all communication.
Checking xxxxx with xxxxxx receivers between directors and guns, and all hands
xxxxxxxx closing up at their alloted action stations
xxxxxxx while loading drills etc are carried out. AMF & RAAF personnel kept
out of the way on the upper deck,
and watched with interest a
proceedure of which they had often
heard. at work.
1010. Action stations concluded and
all contingent personnel resumed
ship's duties.

1200. Course 270 ° (changed from 250 °
at 1000hrs). Speed 15 Knots Wind
South Visibility be/7_. Barometer
rising. Slight sea. Short average
swell. Distance since 021200 - 360 miles.
Longitude 30 ° 22 ' S Latitude 55 ° 40 ' E.
1600. Deck cricket was  played as
usual.
1700. Dirithy Dox - xxx Quiz Third
session of first round of quiz

92
Quiz.
Dirithy
Dox
Health
93

contest was decided. The only
contingent team competing was
the KORDIES who defeated the DIOKS
OIKS and TOIKS 9 - 2. This team
consisteding of Majs WILLIAMS & GLUTH
and Lt BARR, created history by
asking for a replay on the
grounds that their questions had
been much easier than those
given to the OIKS and TOIKS. The
request was granted, and these
teams will meet again later in
the session contest.
1745. Dirithy Dox came on the
air with the third of her ever
popular sessions. Response to her
request to let her help people with
her their troubles, have resulted in her
being inundated with letters. There
is much speculation on the
identity of Miss Dox.

To date the general health of
the contingent has been excellent.
The following was the incidence of
disease for period 19 Apr - 4 May:

Aggregate total attendances at RAF = 83
Daily Average = 5
MJB

94
Weather.
Currency
Webbing
Parade
Captain's
Inspection.
95
Saturday 4 May.    AT SEA.

Fine clear day with a very
calm sea.

0845. Officers conference in orderly
room. Instructions were given to
for paybooks to be handed in
on Monday and pay on Wednesday,
the day before arriving at CAPE
TOWN. It is illegal to land
sterling NOTE notes in SOUTH AFRICA.
English silver will usually be accepted
ashore. English notes will be exchanged

for South African after arrival, CAPE
TOWN having been signalled to have
£5000 in readiness. All ranks were
warned that all South African R notes
should be exchanged back to
English before departure, and that
no silver will be accepted for
exchange. The rates of exchange
are one pound English equals one
pound South African.
All webbing to be reblanaced
and ready for inspection by Tuesday.

0900. Parade, inspection, and administration
of paludrine. Particular
attention was paid to the inspection
of rifles. 0935 - 1015. Rifle exercises
1030 - 1045 hrs Rifle cleaning and stowing
of rifles.
1045. Captain's Inspection. This is
carried out every Saturday morning,
the Captain accompanied by the
various divisional commanders and
contingent service representatives
make rounds of the living spaces of the entire ship between decks.
A considerable amount of time

96
1200. Course 270 ° Speed 15 Knots
Wind SW Force I Visiblity C/7
Sea & swell 12.  Barometer 1026.4 →
Distance Run 1026.4 Distance
run since 031200 - 378 miles
Latitude 30 ° 23 ' S Longitude 45 ° 48 ' E
Sports
Deck
Hockey
Quiz
97

and trouble was is spent in
[[xxxxx?]] making everything spick and
span. The main task of the
contingent is the remain on the
upper deck, out of the way. No
personnel are allowed below decks
during the inspection. x
1315. Medical inspection by MO for
pediculae pubae.

After inspection all ranks stood
down. An unusually comprehensive
sporting programme arranged for
the afternoon, in the form of
two quiz sessions, numerous deck
hockey games, deck tennis, deck
quoits, tombola, and other individual
sports.

Today's deck hockey game resulted
in We T earem defeating RAAF 3 - 0;
2 Pl "A" defeating 2 Pl "B" 1 - 0; 3 Pl
defeating 1 Pl 6 - 0; Naval Contingent
defeating Notre Dame 2 - 1. Interest
in deck hockey continues unabated.
Quiz Today's quiz contests resulted
in AMF (2 Pl) defeating GALLEY SLAVES
(Ships Company) 13 - 6; SNAFU
(Ships Company) defeating LUG GASHERS
(3 Ships chaplains on board) 7 - 6;
Lizards (Ships Company) defeating
Baggies (the 3 Pl commanders)
12 - 4. The last named team
showed a lamentable lack
of knowledge. Dumbells (RAAF Ships Coy)
defeating Sparrows (Ships Company RAAF Offrs)
12 - 5.  B The quiz contest becomes
more & more popular as it goes 

98
Tombola
Meals
Brig MOTE.
Position
99

along. and Many personnel
who failed to enter before, have
now shown a desire to enter.
An attempt is being made to
accomodate them at the end of the
first round.
"Tombola" or "Housie Housie"
is played with gusto at a
stipulated time after working hours
each day. It is rigidly controlled
by the ships comp authorities, and
played according to rules laid
down as to proceedure, prices,
profits, organisers etc. This of
course prevents any exploitation.
Tickets cost 6d apiece.
The meals in all areas messes
have been really excellent. All ranks
are getting as good or better food
than they've had in their service
career. Messing in OR's messes
was introduced is run on
the cafeteria system and in which
was introduced into the Navy
as a wartime expedient and
has amply fulfilled the purpose for
which it was created. However
it provides no check on personnel
who endeavour to get more than
one meal. The ship's staff consider
that the number of meals messed
of late are excessive.
Brig MOTEN appeared on deck
for the first time since his illness.
1830. Clocks retarded 1 hr.
"Ice capades" and shorts shown in
torpedo space & on quarterdeck.