William "Bill" Geoffrey Baker
In December 2020, it was great to get an email from Helen Perry (nee Baker) who is Bill's daughter. Helen wrote:
Unfortunately my dad passed away in 2010, but he always remembered his time on the Gambia with much affection and talked about it with me often. We also have his diary dated from 30 December 1946 to January 1948 which gives small insights into his life on board The Gambia.
My dad, known to family and friends as Bill, joined the navy on 14 February 1946. He joined the Gambia as a stoker. His diary tells us that on 30th December 1946 they were in Singapore and he was cleaning the funnel, the next 3 days he was boiler cleaning in 'A' boiler room. When they finished the boiler room cleaning he went to watch a football match then for a few drinks at the canteen with Vin and Charlie where they had 'Big Eats'.
They left Singapore for Hong Kong on 17th January, dad says he had the afternoon watch and there was a lovely calm sea. The calm sea lasted until they reached Hong Kong on 21st. The ships 'flicks' was showing "Glory moved its Berth" on 24th, and dad was doing a lot of open air jobs over the next week.
Dad used to crew the boat to take officers ashore and on 28th writes that he Flashed up B boiler room, then went ashore with 'Mac' (Cdr. David Maitland-Macgill-Crichton) and "got blind drunk, coo what a life". I remember dad telling me that Mac was known as ‘Champagne Charlie’ and during the boat ride going ashore he used to stand at the prow of the boat with a silver topped cane in his hand, he said Mac was the 'real deal'.
On 5th Feb the Admiral came on board and they took over the flag from the Bermuda. They sailed for Japan on 8th and reached Yokohama on 13th where it was very cold. Dad went into the sick bay on 14th with a poison leg and didn’t come out again until 26th, so missed seeing leaving Yokohama and arrival in Kure on 21st, but says there was a terrific blizzard on 22nd when it was "snowing like hell".
Little was written until 7th March when he notes that Damage Control Trials were done and the Admiral inspected the manoeuvres. He went ashore a few of the next days, he says the food ashore was poor here. They left Kure on 12th and in very rough seas headed back to Yokohama, arriving on 14th. He started a new job on motor boats on 15th.
The ship sailed for Mitsuhama on 20th and they had "very rough seas, boys not feeling too good. ME OK!!" on the way, arriving on 20th. They did a short sea trial run on 24th and had rough/very rough seas until they left Mitsuhama for Kobe on 31st, when it was a lovely day. The ship arrived in Kobe on 1st April, dad says it was "Yankee Zone". He went on a sightseeing tour to Hyoto and bought a camera and ring (he became engaged to my mom during this commission and gave her the ring on his return home). He says little about arriving in Kure on 9th and his time there, they left on 15th for Yokohama with the Bermuda and the rest of the squadron, arriving on 17th. On 21st they "were struck by a typhoon, blimey, what a storm" that lasted until the next day when he records "typhoon passed, thank God".
Dad went ashore on 23rd and 25th when he had "a grand time with Big Eats and a smashing time with a Japanese girl friend (geisha girl), very nice time dancing". They arrived in Chin-Wang -Tao on 30th where he notes that fighting is going on in the hills. The ship left on 6th and on the 8th went up Yang-Tse river and arrived in Shanghai. Dad went ashore on 9th and 10th where he "had nice Russian dancing partner at Cabaret". Dad obviously enjoyed Shanghai and we talked often about his time there. I travelled to Shanghai twice on holiday and took lots of photos for him to see, dad was amazed to still be able to recognise the Bund amongst all the new skyscrapers and shopping malls.
The ship left Shanghai on 25th May arriving in Hong Kong on 28th. There are few entries in his diary until 17th June when the ship entered dry dock, it was re-floated on 27th. On 28th the Sussex came in and took off the Admirals flag. Dad notes on 30th they left for Mirs Bay where they spent the next 2 weeks doing fleet exercises with 8th Destroyer flotilla with "tons of gun fire (big barrage)".
There are no further entries until 11th December when dad is in Hong Kong and on board HMS Adamant, refitting for home. He says in a post script at the end of the diary "Left HMS Gambia on 13th November to join HMS Adamant. Sorry to leave the old ship but who cares we sail for home on 5th Jan. I don’t care what the ship is as long as it gets me home to Lil (his sweetheart) soon. I sure am lonely. Won’t be too long now."
It’s been wonderful for me to find out dad’s treasures, from his time in the navy, and read through dad’s diary to relive some of his experiences. He was a quiet, gentle man, who loved his family and his home village of Catshill in Worcestershire. He arrived home safely, demobbed and married his sweetheart Lil and had 2 daughters. He became a motor car gearbox engineer for Austin Motors (Rover), Longbridge, Birmingham when he left the Navy and worked there for over 50 years until his retirement.