Whilst the Lothian was preparing for sea, the news came that the Allies had dropped an atom bomb on Hiroshima and had petitioned Tokyo to surrender. This was not done immediately and another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki and after a few more days the Japanese surrendered , it was the most terrible end to a war that had ever been known. Being young (I was still only 19), I looked at the end of the war selfishly and thanked God that I didn't have to go back up to the war zone. The city of Sydney went wild on V-J night, the ship was left with the least possible crew on board and at noon we spliced the main-brace and set off ashore to paint the town red.
The licensing laws in Sydney were that the pubs were open all day and closed at six o'clock at night., there was a hullabaloo in the papers that they should open till later on V-J day, but it was decided that they should close at the same time as usual. I went ashore with Scouse Sutton, Terry Cowley and a couple more mates from the radar mess. We had a good meal out first and then had a few schooners in a pub in the city centre. After closing time we had a snack and then joined the crowd in Hyde Park, everyone was dancing and singing and quite a few were already worse for drink.
By about 8 o'clock we had arrived at the British Fleet Club where the beer was still being served, I was still reasonably sober and enjoying the singing and dancing, the club was packed with soldiers and Scouse and myself ended up in the company of some Aussie soldiers.
I must have been midnight when we were finally pushed out of the club, by this time we were all well away when a lorry pulled up and the Aussie soldiers shouted Scouse and myself to jump in, it was filled with drunken Aussie soldiers, but I thought "any port in a storm". We jumped on the lorry which had been gathering Aussie soldiers to take back to the barracks.
At the barracks we were taken into the NAAFI where a party was in full swing. Scouse and myself were the only sailors there but we were made welcome and I was getting drunker and drunker. How the party ended I dont know, all I know next is that i woke up in a cell with Scouse sound asleep beside me. We were both soaked to the skin. I looked around the cell and thought "what have i done to be in here". After a while an Aussie soldier opened the cell and brought in a cup of tea for both of us. He explained that I had been found lying in the gutter in about six inches of water and said that if I had laid there much longer in the torrential rain I would have drowned. Scouse had been found sat jammed into a barrel of water, he had took quite a bit of levering out. Anyway we hadn't done anything serious, so after a good breakfast we were taken by lorry to the docks to join the Lothian.
It was about 12.30 when we arrived on board ship, about an hour late, we had to report to the officer of the watch who asked to see our papers. I then discovered that I had lost my pay-book - this was a serious matter int he navy and I was told I was on commanders report in the morning. I had only been back on board about quarter of an hour when I was piped to report again to the officer of the watch. When I arrived on deck I was met by an Aussie soldier who gave me my pay-book which had been found in the Aussie camp.
The next morning at Commanders report I was given 14 days no 11's for absent without leave and losing my pay-book, that meant a fortnights early morning scrubbing decks and late night duties without shore leave.
So that was how I ended my war - but what a night!!
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