In all she could carry about 30 planes, which included some Avengers, but a lot of the bent wing Corsair fighters. At the time of our arrival the total number of planes had been halved through losses, none from enemy action, but all due to various accidents, in landing, take off faulty engines etc. One slow Walrus amphibious spotter plane had even been blown overboard in a gust because the crew had been slow to tie it down onto the flight deck! But as with everything to do with the war at its end , nobody seemed to care, getting home was all that mattered. Earlier the Ruler had been used to carry planes and strategic supplies across the North Atlantic, making a total of three crossings, but finally in the autumn of 1944 she had been stationed at Belfast where the complicated job of operating planes from the carrier was finally commenced with the arrival of 885 Squadron fresh from the Normandy beaches. In January 1945 the long voyage East began, culminating with its arrival in Sydney in March and then on to join the Pacific Fleet at the battle at Okinawa, and strikes on the Islands of Sakashima off the North East of Taiwan. After the battles there, she had retired to re-supply at Manus in the Admiralty Is. and there teamed up with the fleet carrier HMS Implacable for attacks on the large Japanese Naval base at Truk. Finally she had dropped anchor in Tokyo Bay on August 31st having been at sea 57 days since leaving Manus. Water was the big problem aboard, as after all the months at sea, supplies were limited and distillation was slow for so many people. Unfortunately they could not take on fresh water in Yokohama as the supply was contaminated and very suspect and so we were strictly rationed to two pints per head per day. The ship was full of wild cats which were everywhere, There were about three dozen of them, which had started off as a pair from England and had gradually bred exponentially. They were so wild that no one apart from the ship’s cook could touch them without getting scratched. In the afternoon however the cook would feed and handle them and they would all suddenly appear in the hanger to receive their rations. For the crew they were considered good luck in spite of their rude manners, and so we all journeyed together back to civilisation, cats, Pows and the Royal Navy Crew. My first night in a hammock bunk was so hot and cramped as there were 5 layers that once in bed it was almost impossible to turn over without being hit by the guy above or below. Also the excessive heat did not help, so next night I made myself a nice nest in the body of an Avenger in the hanger, and there I slept quietly away free from all the crush with only the odd cat for company all the way down to Sydney. It was marvellous being at sea again and cruising over the blue Pacific which was quite calm except for the heavy swell. On the first day I lay on the Flight Deck with my legs dangling over the forward edge relishing the cool breeze, but I got very severely sunburnt and never repeated that again and instead would lie under one of the wings of a Corsair fighter for shade and read a book. In the afternoons the flight deck would be the scene of team games, usually hockey and anyone who wanted could take part. Later at sundown there would be an issue of the standard Navy ration of grog (diluted rum) and sometimes a bottle of beer each, I would collect mine, and pass my ration each day to the Geordie seamen who had been so good in looking after me in the camp, and who welcomed now the extra supplement! The crew and other POW were all amazed when I told them my young age, as most assumed that on account of my height, I must be at least 18 years old. I certainly felt far older than my years. I was a child when taken prisoner, but now over three years later, of which two years living in the sole company of men, and having to be quick witted with the enemy, and also smart in learning how to evaluate characters under stress, made me feel very mature, but all I wanted to do was to catch up on my education. Whilst

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