The Boy and the Battleship

by Christopher Cummings

  Looks American though, he decided.

  At that moment the cadets came off parade and went past outside to lessons in the lecture room at the rear. Graham was still left sitting amid the bustle till the first training period had begun. Then Lt Ryan came back and sat down opposite him.

  “OK young feller, let’s see your enrolment form.”

  Graham handed it over, beset by fears there would be something wrong with it. The officer scanned it quickly, nodding as he did.

  “That looks fine. Now, the CO will meet you in a minute when he has finished briefing the Cadet Midshipmen. Meanwhile we will organize you into the Watch and Quarter Bill.”

  Graham nodded. He knew roughly what that meant. He badly wanted to be in the same group as Andrew Collins but was too shy to say anything. Lt Ryan studied the wall behind Graham, then nodded.

  “Port Watch are due to get the next recruit. The unit is organized into two watches, like a ship, Port and Starboard. Each Watch is subdivided into two parts as well. I will put you in the Second Part of Port Watch. Remember that,” Lt Ryan explained.

  “Yes sir.”

  “You mean Aye aye sir,” Lt Ryan corrected with a smile.

  “Er… ye… aye aye sir,” Graham replied. He blushed and felt slightly foolish using such quaint language.

  Lt Ryan went on: “Cadet Midshipman Wainwright is your Divisional Officer and Petty Officer Armstrong is your P.O… Now, you will rank as a Recruit until you have passed the tests for Ordinary Seaman. That means when the others go to specialist training you go to the recruit squad.”

  “How long will I be a recruit sir?” Graham asked.

  “Usually about three months. It depends how regularly you turn up and how quickly you pass the tests. Obviously the more reliable you are at attendance the faster you get promoted.”

  Graham nodded, unsure whether to say ‘Aye aye’ or ‘yes sir’ in answer. He blushed and hoped Lt Ryan had not noticed. Lt Ryan handed him a sheet of paper with the unit’s program of parades on it. “That isn’t complete,” he explained. “Sometimes things come up which cause changes. For example we have been lucky enough to organize a day trip on a landing craft next Saturday.”

  Graham felt a thrill of excitement, tinged with worry. He asked: “Are… are recruits allowed to go sir?”

  “Yes they are. Permission forms will be handed out at final parade,” Lt Ryan replied. “Now, let’s go and meet the CO, Lt Cdr Hazard.”

  Graham was led across to where a man of middle age stood in the doorway of the office titled, Commanding Officer. The CO wore lieutenant commander’s rank badges on his epaulets and had three medal ribbons on his white shirt front. He looked to be a very fit and cheerful man and looked quite the part to Graham.

  Lt Ryan introduced him: “Recruit Graham er… Graham Kirk sir. I have put him in Port Watch.”

  “Good. Thanks XO. Come in Recruit Kirk and take a seat,” Lt Cdr Hazard replied. He put out his hand to Graham who reacted in surprise with a fumbling handshake. The CO’s grip was firm and friendly. Graham sat on the edge of the chair in front of his desk.

  For a few seconds Lt Cdr Hazard studied him. Then he said, “Now, tell me about yourself, family, school, interests, hobbies, and so on.”

  Graham did as he was asked, growing more fluent as his confidence returned. When he mentioned his father Lt Cdr Hazard, nodded and grinned. “Know him well. Often see him around. I run a ship’s chandlery and we do business all the time.”

  That both pleased and worried Graham. He didn’t want too close a connection in case he got into trouble and his dad heard of it. He went on to describe his hobby of model ship building, then ended by stating his ambition to be a naval officer.

  Lt Cdr Hazard nodded with approval. “Good for you. That’s what we want,” he said, smiling. “Stick to it and you should do well. We will help of course. Now, all I want you to do is make me two promises, and I don’t want you to make them today. I want you to think about them for a week. The first is that you will be a reliable attender. If I enrol you it causes us a lot of paperwork if you then just lose interest or don’t turn up. Is that clear?”

  “Yes sir, er… Aye aye sir,” Graham replied, blushing in confusion over what the correct reply should have been.

  Lt Cdr Hazard went on: “The other promise is to behave yourself. The adult staff are all volunteers and give up their spare time, mostly without pay, to run the unit. In return your part of the bargain is to not give us any grief by misbehaviour. OK?”

  “Yes sir,” Graham replied.

  “Fine. I will ask you about it next Saturday. Now, if you go out there and ask for my Coxswain, Petty Officer Nevis, he will take you to join the others. Thank you.”

  Graham nodded and stood up. He wondered if he should be saluting or doing drill as he left but decided not to. He was supposed to be a recruit who knew nothing. Besides, I’m not in uniform, he reasoned. He went out and found the cadet PO who asked him what Watch and Part of Watch he had been allocated to. Then he led Graham through the side door and into another office where some older cadets were sitting.

  Graham was introduced to Cadet Midshipman Mainwaring and was instantly impressed. The Cadet Midshipman was a tall, fair haired lad of about seventeen. To Graham he looked fit and handsome and fitted his image of what a junior officer should look like. He discovered that Mainwaring attended the Trinity Anglican School and was a Year 12 there. Next Graham met his Divisional Petty Officer, PO Bob Armstrong. Bob was a solid, black haired lad with a cheerful grin. He was a Year 11 at Smithfield State High School.

  PO Armstrong wrote Graham’s name into his notebook and, after asking permission to do so, also his address, phone number and school. That done he led him to the rear of the building to where a squad was being instructed in drill: How to Off caps and On caps. Graham saw that the squad included a boy named Porter from his own school, a very attractive girl with nice big boobs, and a Torres Strait Islander who went to his school.

  Graham was put on the end of the line without being introduced and the lesson went on. He had no cap so was told to pretend he had one by the Leading Seaman teaching the lesson. After 10 minutes the lesson ended and the Leading Seaman introduced himself. “I’m Ken George,” he said. “I’ve seen you at school. Are you in Year 9?”

  “No, Year 8,” Graham replied. He was introduced to the others and stood self-consciously to one side while they talked during the break. More cadets joined them and Graham was relieved to see Andrew Collins and Arthur Blake.

  Andrew waved and came over to him. “Good to see you Graham. What watch are you in?”

  “Second Part of Port Watch,” Graham replied.

  “Oh good. So are we. This is Anthony Simmonds. He’s a Year 8 at Trinity Bay State High,” Andrew replied, introducing a tall, thin lad.

  Graham felt immensely relieved. He knew some of the people and was in the same group as Andrew. Also they all seemed friendly and did not seem to look down on him.

  A lesson on knot tying followed. This was taught by another Leading Seaman named Josh Neville who went to St Augustine’s College. Graham found the lesson a bit embarrassing as he already knew all the knots from Scouts and from working on his father’s ships, but he did not want to appear a know-all when he was a new recruit. He did the knots competently without showing off, and when questioned, explained why he knew them so well. To his relief, his explanation was accepted without any problems.

  While they worked Graham looked around. A large shed nearby contained three sail boats, a power boat and several canoes, all on trailers. A squad of cadets from the Starboard Watch was working on one of the sail boats, a corsair. The impression was quickly conveyed to him that the Starboard Watch were somewhat more than friendly rivals, but less than mortal enemies.

  The afternoon finished with a parade. Graham was stood in the ranks and told what to do by PO Armstrong. He felt both proud and embarrassed; because he was only a new recruit, and because he was not in uniform. The Buff
er, CPO Carpenter, a Year 12 from Woree, took over.

  “Ship’s company… Ho! Ship’s company… Right dress!”

  Graham shuffled as best he could, glancing at the others to watch what to do. He was in the rear rank. Seeing the front rank put their left arms up to get the spacing he put his up as well.

  “Put your arm down,” hissed Andrew beside him. Graham did so, blushing furiously at his mistake.

  “Ship’s company… Stand at… Ease!”

  CPO Carpenter handed over to the Training Officer who distributed a bundle of permission forms. “These are to go out on the Landing Craft Heavy next Saturday. That is abbreviated LCH. The LCH’s name is HMAS Tarakan. It is an all-day trip and you will need to bring your own lunch and the things listed on the form.”

  Graham folded the form and placed it in his pocket. The parade was then handed over to the CO and the flag lowered while they stood at attention, the officers saluting.

  “Ship’s company… Dis… miss!”

  Chapter 25

  BIRTHDAY PARTY

  At 6:30pm that evening, Graham stood nervously on the top step waiting for his guests to arrive. He was dressed in a new pair of long trousers, a gift from his father, and that alone made him feel different and uncomfortable as he usually wore shorts. He also wore a new shirt, a gift from his mother. Fresh from the bath and with his hair neatly combed he was as ready as he could make himself.

  As the minutes ticked by tension built up as he worried over who might not come; or about what might happen at the party. It was enough to make him feel sick in the stomach. He continually checked the time and fidgeted, then bit his nails. There was also residual guilt and anxiety about whether Margaret’s parents knew about the bath incident and over what repercussions might follow.

  A car pulled up. Graham recognized it and felt a mixed sense of annoyance and apprehension. It was driven by Margaret’s dad. Graham fervently hoped she had not said anything.

  Margaret hopped out and gave him a cheery wave and a smile. Graham grinned mechanically in return. Relief swept through him. Obviously she had not and nor had his mother. He noted that Margaret wore a pink party frock made of some sort of thin cloth. A large pink ribbon was tied in the side of her hair. Clutching a present she made her way to the gate. Graham walked down to meet her.

  “Happy birthday Graham,” she replied, handing him the present. As he took it she leaned forward and gave him a tender little kiss on the cheek. The waft of a pleasant perfume filled his nostrils. His heart beat faster as he took the present and after saying an embarrassed thanks led her inside to the Ship Room.

  The lights were now on and Margaret looked around then clapped her hands. “It looks lovely Graham,” she said. She began to chatter happily while all he could do was remember the two of them in the bath earlier in the day. That made him start to get aroused. He struggled against this, wishing someone else would arrive as he did not want to be alone with her.

  Then Max arrived. “Hello, What are you two doing down here alone?” he said in a bantering tone. Graham jumped with fright and went red with guilt. He had not heard Max arrive. Cindy was behind him, which increased his guilt.

  “Hi Max. Hello Cindy. I didn’t hear you arrive,” he said.

  “Happy birthday!” they chorused. Both then passed him presents and Cindy stepped forward, put her arms around Graham’s neck and kissed him on the lips. More perfume smells assailed his senses. He flushed as the delightful sensation of being kissed, and the feel of Cindy rubbing against him made his heart pound. He also felt sorry for Margaret, who stood watching, trying to pretend she wasn’t jealous and hurt. Worse still, scorching memories of being with Cindy flooded his mind and he became even more aroused. This increased his confusion. To gain time to recover he took the presents and placed them on a side table.

  Max gestured to the presents “Well, open them,” he insisted.

  “Margaret’s first,” Graham said. He unwrapped the present, uncomfortably aware of his physical state.

  It was a bundle of balsa sheets, small tins of Humbrol paints, paint thinner and several small brushes.

  Graham smiled at her. “Thanks very much Margaret. I can certainly use these,” he replied. Margaret blushed and smiled shyly.

  As Graham unwrapped Cindy’s present Kylie appeared and began to talk to Margaret. Cindy’s present was a nice dress shirt. Graham said thanks and managed to meet her eyes. She grinned and winked and said in reply: “If there is any other little thing you might like let me know.”

  Graham thought immediately of what he really did want and blushed furiously. He wondered if that was what Cindy meant. Or is she just saying that to tease me?

  Max’s present was a plastic model kit; a 1:600 scale of the British cruiser HMS Sheffield of World War 2. While they were discussing it Peter and Stephen both arrived.

  “Hello sailor!” Stephen cried. “Did you join the navy cadets?”

  Graham nodded and blushed with embarrassment. “Yes. Thanks Steve,” the last as he took Stephen’s present. It was also a plastic ship kit; a 1:700 scale model of the British Battlecruiser HMS Hood of World War 2.

  Peter’s present was a book. As soon as he unwrapped it Graham wanted the party to end so he could sit and read it. It was a book entitled Battleship Design and Development by Norman Friedman and was crammed with facts, photos and fascinating diagrams. It took him an effort to put it down and be civil to his guests. At least it took his mind off girls and allowed his body to return to normal.

  Roger arrived next, dressed up with a tie as well as long sleeves and looking very overdressed. Wayne and George followed him in. Wayne gave Graham a pocket knife with lots of useful attachments and George gave him a HO scale passenger wagon for the model railway.

  “You are always playing trains,” George said.

  Max laughed and added: “He’s taken to playing submarines recently.”

  Cindy burst into giggles and gave Graham a wicked grin. Graham noticed a puzzled, worried look cross Margaret’s face. To add to his concern his mother came in with Alex and started circulating with plates of savoury biscuits. Kylie was roped in to help and Margaret went with her. Two more girls arrived: Rowena, looking absolutely beautiful with her black hair shining in the light; and Louise, mousy hair bobbed short and an infectious grin on her freckled face. They gave Graham a new video game on naval warfare and a DVD called Battleships at War. Graham studied the cover intently and wanted to rush up to the TV to watch it. Reluctantly he put it on the table with the other presents.

  Rhonda and Dawn arrived soon after, with Michael and Chris on their heels. Rhonda wore a white blouse and a black dress and had a ribbon around her throat which Graham found very eye-catching and attractive. Dawn wore an emerald green dress which was cut to hug her body. She also wore make-up and a necklace which gave her the appearance of a little girl dressing up. Rhonda gave Graham a box of aftershave lotion. Dawn presented chocolates and new handkerchiefs, while the boys gave him a computer game and a novel with a picture of a battleship firing its guns on the front cover: The Blooding of the Guns by Alexander Fullerton. Graham managed to look pleased with all of them; although he puzzled over the aftershave and soap. I haven’t started shaving yet, he thought, rubbing his jaw to feel if there was any bristle. Then he worried if they were trying to tactfully hint that he smelt and needed it.

  By now it was 7pm and Graham was continually eyeing the door and worrying. Was Thelma going to come or not? His hopes kept see-sawing. Two more people arrived: Carmen and Andrew Collins. Carmen was the oldest girl there, by a year, and she looked it. She was very nicely dressed but had a grown up look about her. Carmen gave Graham a book: A Pictorial History of the Royal Australian Navy; while Andrew gave him another plastic model kit, this time of the German battleship Bismarck.

  While Graham was looking at these his mother said to him: “It is time we started the party dear.”

  Graham looked at his watch. 7:10. He nodded. Thelma mustn’t be comin
g, he thought sadly. It was a real disappointment. Swallowing his hurt he stepped into the middle of the room and raised his voice. “OK people, thank you for coming. Now the party can really start. First, as a way of saying thank you, we will have a lucky clothes colour prize.”

  There were groans and cheers. Graham took an envelope from his mother and opened it. “Green,” he read. Everyone’s eyes swept around, to settle on Dawn, with her tight emerald green dress. Graham picked up a prize and took it over to her. She unwrapped it and blushed furiously at all the attention. The prize included a variety of little things: chocolates, small toys, soap and so on. Next there was a lucky door prize.

  Stephen laughed and called out: “This goes to the luckiest door in the room!”

  Laughter greeted this quip. Graham grinned and opened another envelope. “Last person in,” he read.

  “That’s me!” Andrew cried.

  “No it’s not! It’s me!” called Janet from the doorway. Graham looked and his heart jumped. Thelma stood just inside the doorway with Janet behind her. Thelma looked very pretty, with a yellow party frock which set off her skin nicely. Janet, in contrast, wore jeans and a white turtle neck sweater which made her look much older and very cool.

  “Sorry we are late,” Janet said, “We had trouble with dad’s car.”

  Graham couldn’t have cared less what they had had trouble with; they were there—or at least Thelma was. He gave Janet the prize and accepted presents from them. Janet gave him a book, Saving the Environment, while Thelma gave him a nice dress shirt. “Blue, to match your eyes,” she said, smiling at him as he looked at it. The shirt, till then just a boring item of apparel, became his instant favourite.

  Max interrupted. “Come on, get on with the party!” he called. Graham started. He had been standing staring into Thelma’s eyes. He blushed and went to read out the lucky spot prize. Roger won this and was suitably pleased.

  Alex now took over. “Righto you lot, grab those chairs and sit in a circle.”