Maidstone man recalls time with navy 60 years after end of National Service

One minute you’re a trainee accountant, the next you’re sailing the high seas with the future Queen of England.

It could be the start of an adventure novel – and maybe it should be – but the story was reality for Maidstone man Brian Fuller, who is among hundreds of former servicemen gathering today to mark 60 years since the end of National Service.

More than two million men were conscripted during the post war years, and by the end of two years of service, most of them had more than a few fireside tales of adventure to tell their children and grandchildren.

And with the youngest now in their 80s, the Royal British Legion invited veterans to a special event at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire on Tuesday.

To mark the occasion, Brian – now aged 94 and living in a care home in West Malling – recalled a “character building” two years with the Royal Navy, which began when he joined aged 18.

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Brian would go on to become Captain’s Office Writer onboard HMS Anson, and help host Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip on a tour of the Channel Islands in 1949 – but back on July 7 1947, he had no idea what was ahead of him.

“I knew it was coming and I wasn’t in an occupation where it could be deferred, so I was ready to go,” said Brian who had been training as a chartered accountant at the time. “It was a bit daunting to catch the train from Paddington to Wiltshire, and about midday on July 7 about 200 of us piled out of this train and we were greeted by several Royal Navy patrolmen.

“The first afternoon they gave us a meal, a block for your bedspace, some cutlery, bedding, and we were shown around the camp.”

“The following morning after breakfast we were visited by the medical officer to be checked over, and then we visited the stores where we were given kit bags, boots, shirts, underwear and our uniform.”

“I got there, and they said they had nothing to fit me! I was told to stand in the corner, and eventually there were six of us without uniform. Everyone else was kitted out, but we had to wait about 6 weeks for our uniforms to be made.”

After completion of Training at HMS Ceres, Brian was posted to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Barracks at Chatham, and after a a few days was was drafted to HMS Ausonia, the flagship of the Reserve Fleet based at the dockyard.

“I worked in the Pay Office along with 7 or 8 other Writers,” said Brian. “Every two weeks one of us had to go on the boat from Gillingham Pier carrying an attaché case full of money, with two Leading Patrolmen escorts to Sheerness to pay members of the crew of other Reserve Fleet ships moored there. This was a good afternoon and I made sure I got the trip as often as possible!”

Meanwhile, in his downtime Brian played cricket a couple of times a week for his ship, playing against other ships and teams based nearby.

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From October 1948 he was posted to HMS Anson in Portland Harbour, and recalled a “terrible journey to get there”. But he added: “I was put in charge of six seaman also joining the ship. We had a lot of fun on the way, and we finally got to the Ship about 9pm, very hungry and tired. I reported that we’d had barely any food all day and we finished up in the Galley having a very good meal!”

“After coming away from the Galley to go to the Mess where I was allocated, the first guy I bumped into was a chap called Derrick who sat behind me at school for five years!”

On HMS Anson Brian worked in the Captain’s Office as a Writer, responsible for 2,500 service records for everyone on board, and for typing the captain’s mail.

“It was interesting typing the captain’s mail especially,” he said, but added: “It was cramped. There were more people on board than a ship would normally have carried – several hundred more, because it was a training ship.”

“We made the best of it.”

Any discomfort would be eclipsed in 1949 when the ship was appointed to take the future queen and consort on a tour of the Channel Islands.

“The Royal Cruise of June 1949 was incredible,” said Brian. “In February, we were taken into dry dock in Plymouth for essential works, and what we didn’t realise is that we’d be used as the flagship for a Royal Tour.

“In June we picked up Princess Elizabeth and Prince Phillip, where we set off for the Channel Islands, with two Destroyers as escorts. On the first night we dropped anchor off Alderney, and the sea was a bit choppy, but the Royal Party went ashore.

“We only saw the Royal Party when they came on board and when they left.

“The following day we anchored off Jersey and this time, we were allowed ashore too and were taken on a trip around the Island. We had a lovely trip and the locals treated us very, very well.

“Some of us went to a dance at St Peter Port in Guernsey and had a very good evening. Years later in 1983, I was on holiday with my wife and youngest son and one day we went over to Sark. In the window of the little shop was a copy of the Souvenir Booklet produced after the 1949 Royal Tour. I went inside and said to the lady there that I would like to buy the book as I served on HMS Anson at the time. She then told me that she lived in Guernsey at that time and was at the dance in St Peter Port and that I asked her to dance. Incredible.”

Looking back at his time in National Service, Brian said the service gave him invaluable life experience.

“I enjoyed it!” he added. “It’s a shame that it was discontinued, because it made you aware of living with all sorts of other people – some of whom you’d get on with, and some you wouldn’t – people from all different parts of the country, with accents you sometimes couldn’t understand!”

“I felt that National Service was a character-builder. It helped me enormously to get on with all sorts of people from all walks of life.

“National Service was very, very interesting, and I don’t regret having to do it at all. Some guys didn’t like it, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and I don’t regret it for one minute.”

After Brian’s time in service, his son would go on to the serve in the Royal Navy for 27 years from 1974, serving onboard HMS Invincible in the Falklands War, while one of Brian’s grandson’s is now a serving member of the Royal Marines Corps of Drums, having joined in 2018.

And he said it felt “quite incredible” to be marking 60 years since the end of National Service.

“Everyone who was a National Serviceman must now be at least 80-years old,” said Brian. “I must be one of the oldest! It’ll be interesting to see everyone who did the National Service.”

“I’m looking forward to attending the event to mark the National Service. My youngest son is bringing me and I’m hoping for a really nice day.”