Name
Victor Humphries

Birthplace
Kidderminster, UK

Lives
Hamilton Hill, Western Australia

Your organisation/community Vice Chairman-Royal Naval Association WA. HMS Ganges Association, RSL

Profile

My life has 3 parts, the first part of my life up to the age of 18 was the best part. I lived with my Grandmother & Grandfather, I worked hard for them from the age of 10, I survived scarlet fever at the age of 7. Then at 18 I joined the Royal Navy in 1943 and became a radar operater on board HMS RENOWN a grand and happy ship, I met Winston Churchill, King George VI, & Harry Trueman USA Pres; or should I say they met me!!!!

By the time I was 20 I had been half way around the world, saw sights I could not believe, the ship eventually was based in Tricomolee in CEYLON (Sri Lanka)with the British East Indies Fleet, operating in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, attacking the Japanese held positions and defending against a a Japanese invasion of Australia.

At times we were forced to refuel in Western Australia so that we could get back to Ceylon and get ready for another operation against the Japanese. I was told by some old sailors that we would visit Fremantle and that the hospitality was great and all the girls were beautiful, only to find out that the refuelling was done in Exmouth Gulf!!

I also caught Dengue fever which nearly took my life I was on a coma for 2 days. After the war I was demobilized, got married in 1948, had a daughter in 1949. I missed the the good weather and did not like the English climate any more, it took me 18 years to convince my wife (who had never been out of London) to emigrate to Australia and we arrived in WA 9th December 1966. It took 2 years for my family to settle down, but after that they loved it. I was fully employed until I retired at the age of 67, I am now 80 and upgrade my own computers (3 of them). I lost my wife to a heart attack in 1991 but my daughter is there for me all the time.

Australia is a great country, with the Westminster system of government which keeps it stable, but if we become a republic we will go the same way as all the other republics around the world, some of which have turned into dictatorships. God Bless Australia, Victor.