A 100 year old baby World War II Experienced who saw the official ceremony JapanThe surrender of his memories of 80 years from the end of the struggle has said.
Reg Draper was a store assistant Royal Navy Battleship HMS Duke of York, who was sailing out of the coast Japan In August 1945, when the country surrendered.
His memories of his time in the sea include a daily tot of rum for each member of the crew and the worst in the hockey tackle with the queen. Elizabeth IIFuture husband of.
Mr. Draper, who grew up in Leeds, West Yorkshire, said that the crew cheered on being happy JapanSurrender from the captain came.
He said: “All ships were masted with USS Missouri to Tokyo Bay, which was an American ship, and it was on Missouri where they signed the peace treaty.
“Then we all came back to Australia and we went and celebrated – we went to Tasmania and everyone had a four -day holiday in Hobart.
“Everyone wanted to take us home and there were some dances in the dance hall.”
After going to the USS Missouri to assist his friend, the official photographer of the ship, Mr. Draper signed the signature of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender Documents.
The 80th anniversary of victory on Japan Day is being held on Friday with a memorial incident. Royal British Legion In the National Memorial Arboratum.
Mr. Draper Elton is planning to watch the ceremony on television from his home in Cheshire.
He worked voluntarily Royal Navy On his 18th birthday and said that the worst part of joining was removed after a medical examination, which found that he had problems with his gums.
He completed his training at the Buttins Holiday Camp in Skgnes and sent HMS Ambrose to a submarine base in Dundi, Scotland before serving HMS Duke of York.
One of his duties on the ship was coming out of rum for all.
He said that the chiefs and petty officers were cleaned by them, while Rum would be watered for the rest of the crew.
“I am drunk Navy Rum because I have joined, whenever I can,” said Mr. Draper.
Asked whether his long life was contributed to, the 100 -year -old said: “Okay, this is the only thing that I put it down.”
Mr. Draper served the HMS Duke in York when he carried out the Arctic convoy to supply Russia, and in 1945 when it left for Sydney, Australia before joining the East Indies fleet.
He said: “We started going to the islands, we went to the Japanese out of the islands.”
Japan surrendered on 15 August 1945, when the US dropped atomic bombs in the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the first month.
Mr. Draper said: “We did not hear much about it until the captain got.”
HMS Duke of York was rescued by two Royal Navy Destroyer, including HMS whale – who served as Lieutenant Duke Prince Philip of Edinburgh as the first lieutenant.
Mr. Draper said that when the ship was docked, he had a permanent memory of Philip.
He said: “We used to do deck hockey on quarter decks and this deck was playing hockey.
“He knocked me once and then the next time he hit me, he hit me, there is still a mark, he gave me a clot with his hockey stick.
“He came to see me how I was. He just put a stitch and it was fine.”
The pair met again years after the war, when Mr. Draper was in the Royal Navy Reserve and trained the sea cadets at the Duke of Edinburgh Awards and sea cadets in the Cheshire.
He said that Philip saw his medals and recalled that he was part of the crew that survived his ship, but there was no mention of hockey games.
Mr. Draper turned to 21 years old on his return from Japan, with more than 2,000 people on the ship as they were carrying prisoners of the war of war.
Father-two, who worked as an insurance vendor, said it took time to adjust back to dry land.
He said: “When we passed through the Bay of Biscay at one time, it was fat that the bow of the ship would be 24 feet above, 24 feet below, as soon as it would be done.
“You have a habit of this. Especially if you are in your swing, it shakes you to sleep.
“One of the most comfortable sleep I have in a swing!”
