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T H E   B U N T I N S
The Bridge ] Call To Worhsip ] GDP Crew ] View From The Flight Deck ] Operations Room ] Gollies ] HQ1 ] Aft Section Base ] For'ad Section Base ] The Resteraunt At The End Of Bomb Alley ] Aft First Aid ] Fwd First Aid ] Weapons Department ] Seawolf ] [ Buntins ] The Flooding Of 3R Mess ] Memorial ] Coventry ] Letters ] A Lighter Note To End On ] Useless Information Section ] After Thoughts Of Reality ] By The Editor ]

During the days of Bomb Alley the intrepid team of Buntings carried on with their normal tasks of voice operating, flashing light, reporting signals to the OOW and keeping a lockout generally, as in peacetime. One of our men was closed up in the After Seawolf Launcher Control Room with his chalkboard, chalk, signal pad, pencils, aid is lamp, portable radio etc. ready to man the Emergency conning position if ever that was required; which thankfully was never the case! In addition the 3 Deck signal crew were armed with SLRs and assisted the GDP crew in the destruction and damage of four of the enemy's aircraft. That these aircraft meant us harm can be seen from the 30mm cannon shell hole in the Signalman's shelter (see picture); a hole punched in moreover just as Sgt Leslie was moving in front of the shelter .... luckily he stumbled!

On the 25th May, after COVENTRY sank the buntings helped to bring survivor's aboard on the waists and boat deck, then manned lights and searchlights as darkness fell, as well as manning the seaboat to provide communications with the ship's bridge and helping to pull survivor's out of the sea.

We managed to establish direct voice communications on the Bridge with the hospital ship UGANDA and this radio circuit was used to pass vital medical information to and fro, and to give details of the helicopters which flew the 60 miles between us and the UGANDA.