Sidney Swetnam in the Royal Marines
Sidney started an apprenticeship at Crewe Works before joining the Royal Marines in 1926. In 1928, he joined HMS Southampton. He was sent to China, Hong Kong, and Singapore, and came home in August 1930. From 1931 to 1933, he was a guide on HMS Victory, where he met his wife Dorothy Verra.
In May 1933, he joined HMS Courageous. Dorothy and her sister visited him on Courageous; they had to smuggle cigarettes out of their kitchens to avoid playing duties. In 1934, he was drafted to HMS London in Malta. Dorothy joined him in Malta. Deryck's brother was born there. During the Abyssinian Crisis, they tried to evacuate the family from Malta, but Dorothy refused to leave. They both came home in 1937. He joined HMS Iron Duke in 1939. She was bombed in Scapa Flow, and Sidney jumped overboard. This damaged his kidneys, which ultimately killed him in the 1950s.
He went to the MNBDO, then to the Siege Regiment (defending the Channel), with which he stayed until 1944. He was promoted to Corporal (Fitter Gun) and qualified as an armourer in 1942. While there, he lost his 'good conduct' badge; Deryck believes that this was because he lost a button.
He left the Siege Regiment in November 1944. At the end of the war, he was on "Landing Craft Gun Medium 193" in preparation for going out to the Far East. This was cancelled when the war ended.
He was promoted to Sergeant in December 1944. After the war, he went to depots in Portsmouth and Chatham, still as a Sergeant. He was discharged at Chatham in 1949.
