- Author
- Zammitt, Alan
- Subjects
- Biographies and personal histories
- Tags
- RAN Ships
- None noted.
- Publication
- December 1981 edition of the Naval Historical Review (all rights reserved)
Shropshire in 1943 was the first RAN cruiser to have cafeteria eating and the Australia changed to cafeteria meals after the war ended. The Sydney had cafeteria eating when she commissioned in 1948.
Being an RN ship, Glory had a rum issue each day. The Chiefs and Petty Officers’ rum was issued neat, while the sailors’ rum was watered down.
The Glory was very dirty when we joined her, but after a few weeks of hard work we had her fit to live in. The Glory had an RN canteen run by the NAAFI, but because we had a lot of Australian perishable stock, Captain Dowling gave us permission to open a second canteen in the flour store up on the Gallery deck. In 1948 food was still rationed in England so the tinned food we sold in the canteen enabled the ship’s company to visit or stay with friends and relations without being embarrassed that they may be eating up their rations.
Captain Dowling was a very considerate and generous officer. Because the Glory was not going to sea and the Island (Bridge) would not be used, he said the senior chiefs could use the Island cabins and compartments. CPO Box Beaven, the Chief Buffer, got the operations officer’s office. The Master at Arms took over a cabin, and Vie Zammit was allocated the Captain’s sea cabin with a bunk, hot and cold water, telephone, and a view from the scuttle of Cornwall.
On August 9th 1948, Glory slipped from alongside Kanimbla, and Kanimbla sailed for Tilbury where she unloaded the rice cargo. She then proceeded to Rosyth, Scotland, to load stores, followed by a call at Vickers Armstrong Naval Yard at the River Tyne to load two new 4.5 inch gun turrets and other equipment before returning to Devonport to load ammunition and embark the first batch of ex-RN personnel to join the RAN and who returned to Australia in her.