Burma Star Association - B.C. Chapter
Peter enlisted in the Royal Navy in Reading, Berks. in May of 1942. After training he served with the R.M. Defence Force and on several slips.
Memorable moments include an incident when Peter (one of two small arms armourers) awoke to find that the store of rifles and other armoury items stored in their bamboo shack had vanished. This was at Katurkuranda (Ceylon). The Ceylon police investigators believed that Peter and the other armourer had been placed in a coma while a gang of thieves made off with the weapons. Neither of the armourers had heard a thing, even though the culprits had to remove the chains that were supposed to secure the weapons. The next day was spent accompanying the police as they raided several nearby villages looking for the missing armament. But no trace of any of the items was found.
A subsequent court of enquiry cleared both Peter and the other armourer of any responsibility. The feeling was that had either of the men awoken they would likely have been quickly done away with.
A more pleasant memory was of a tame mongoose that Peter was given while stationed at Trincomalee awaiting further operations. The mongoose would attack all snakes and became a mascot for the detachment. It became trusted and respected by all members of the detachment. But as Peter says "times change and today it would probably be quickly done away with".