Stories told to family by Lawrence Hanley, RN

Lawrence Hanley - daughter relates story told to them about her father and the ships company being stuck in ice.

Father joined the Royal Navy - underage, possibly 16 yrs. He served for eight years. They were stationed in Malta during the war, which included a two year tour of Italy.

They were told the following story: One Christmas he had had a bit too much to drink. He got a little melancholic and was reliving his time on the ship. A colleague sitting next to him was shot, and talked about the fun side of life.

Age 21 - he took a pint glass into various pubs where he got the glass filled. The captain came in each morning to say "good morning". And father would reply. After two days the routine was followed and the captain said to him "Oh you are talking normally again" - obviously the number of pints had rather affected him.