Nor Fish, Nor Fowl: From Deckhand to Flight Lieutenant: The Story of a Merchant Navy seaman in the Royal Air Force Marine Branch

In 1934, after five years travelling the world as a Merchant Seaman, my father, aged 21, enlisted in the British Royal Air Force to escape the Depression. Entering the Marine Branch, he swapped big ships for small fast boats - Seaplane Tenders, Armoured Target Boats and High Speed Launches.

In 1940, when the Air Sea Rescue service was formed, he joined the crew of High Speed Launch 102 (now fully restored and based at Portsmouth) as a Coxswain, stationed at Blyth. Three busy years on the "Sp...