However in August 1944 aged 19 Helen joined the Navy or WRNS as it was known and was sent as her first base to Falmouth, where she joined Signals and trained as a teleprinter operator. There a few months later staff were being posted overseas and Helen managed to get an overseas posting at the great British Naval Base at Trincomalee, Ceylon, which she knew as child, arriving early in the New Year 1945 and was based curiously at Father’s seaside home of Chardon Lodge which had been commandeered by the Royal Navy, for the use of the Senior Naval Officer Controlling the Harbour, and its 17 acres of jungle land were now covered in barracks amongst which were the signals offices. There was frenzy all over the place as the War in Europe was drawing to a close and there was a great build up of personnel for the forthcoming invasions of Burma and Malaya that were planned. Something like 250,000 troops, from all the three services were arriving in the island, including all the female ATS, VADS & WRNS etc.. Helen had a good friend she had met, Jane Williams the daughter of the Dean of Winchester, later to become Lady Portal, a jolly bubbling girl full of fun who was initially based in Colombo but also managed to get a transfer and so joined her for the next year in Trinco. Off duty they spent their time , sailing, partying and enjoying life to the full aboard Aircraft Carriers, cruisers, frigates etc. under the palm trees , a wonderful way to spend their youth to the full at the British Governments expense. Once the war was over, we were as a family all re-united for a brief while over Christmas 1945 at Luckyland Estate in the cool of the hills. Whilst in Trinco Helen had been friendly with a Dutch Boatbuilder who had built a “Sharpie” a 16 ft long 5ft beam half decked sailing dingy out of old hardwood ammunition cases......they sailed together in the magnificent harbour a lot, and then when he was suddenly transferred at short notice to the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia), he gave to boat to her which was wonderful treat to possess in such a glorious tropical setting, and she renamed it “Bluebottom”. In early 1946 Helen too was being repatriated back to Portsmouth, but luckily had met the Captain of an Ammunition Ship who kindly offered to have it on deck and so she was re-united with Bluebottom which she kept for the few months at Southsea, until August when she too was de-mobbed and the boat was moved to the Norfolk Broads at Potter Heigham. In August 1947 together with a friend, Derek Mayow we spent 3 glorious weeks mostly camping on an island in the middle of Hickling Broad in days of unbroken sunshine and heat. I learnt to sail, handle the heavy boat, camp, catch fish and eels all of which were cooked on a primus in a large frying pan. Life was heaven. Helen had a profound influence on my education, she was into everything new, and everything of scientific and cultural interest and an inveterate reader of books of interest. The war was over, and there was a mad pent up energy everywhere, of people coming out of the excitement of active service, into the mundane world of offices, business and professions. She introduced me to Aldous Huxley’s Science of life, to concerts at The Albert Hall, to botany and wild flowers, and to geology and the study of rocks. Helen was the supreme all rounder, life had to be led to the full, and she was always looking and trying to find new windows which to open and new experiences to have. She took as her free de-mob study package, a course of music appreciation and from her I was introduced to modern composers such as Gershwin and Aaron Copeland, but classically also she adored Saint Saens, whilst being bored with Beethovens pomposity.In 1948 she returned to Ceylon to help Mother pack up and settle into a new home at Orchard House Buxted Sussex. They quarrelled and got on each others nerves. I think probably a lot was to do with sexual problems. In Ceylon at the war’s end the island was like a government sponsored paradise marriage bureau, with everyone getting hitched up. Not Helen though, in spite of many admirers with her pretty looks, and she would mostly keep the company of men twice her age. I think she always felt she may make a fool of herself, which accentuated her problems leading to irritability especially post war, as all her contemporaries were marrying , having babies etc. She threw up her job with the Arts Council in London and buried herself for a year in Norfolk as a home companion to and elderly lady Mrs Binns. The in 1950 she decided to go on the “Southern Cross” and see our cousin Ian Harris at Akaroa near Christchurch in New Zealand. She bought a bicycle with a small auxiliary petrol motor and had the most wonderful trip around the country covering many months finally settling on a fruit farm at Roxburgh in the South Island where she would help a Mrs Bennett work the orchard. She returned to Ceylon in May 1955 just when Jill was having the twins, again endless rows with Father and later she came to England and was invaluable in sorting us out and decorating Stoneways , the dilapidated mess which we had bought in June 1965. Helen had purchased a new Ford Cortina Estate car and she made her home in it, all the while she slaved non stop decorating the house. Not once did she sleep inside the 5 bedroom home, but she chose instead to have a lamp rigged so that she could read in bed and sleep in the car!.. The paint work was terrible in the house and Helen’s solution was to go and buy 28lbs of Caustic Soda, take all the doors outside and paint them in a strong solution of caustic and half an hour later hose the paint off.....the drastic system worked well! And yet in spite of her direct ruthless determination, there was that “Charnaud” kindness and tenderness like her aunt Lilian before, who would when we were young children would complain of the English upper classes and their gross cruelty in raising pheasants to be killed in the name of so called “sport”. Helen always had an instinctive kindness to animals, wild or domestic and to those weaker than herself.
