Diary of an Able Seaman - 1954

A Year Onboard HMS Warrior (R31)

By: Leslie Edward Smith, Dawn Fallon

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Les records his daily life onboard the aircraft carrier HMS Warrior (R31) in 1954 when the ship was deployed to the Far East. He details his jobs, his recreations, his punishments, snippets of his personal life and life in general as an Able Seaman in the Royal Navy in 1954. Les was given the diary by Commander J G Wells for doing some special task and he wrote in it almost every day, including his observations about the evacuation of refugees from North Vietnam in September 1954 in Operation Passage to Freedom. The book is illustrated throughout with relevant photographs and images.

A life full of peculiar stories.

I can’t imagine spending a year living on the ocean, let alone on an aircraft carrier. I found this book intriguing; its unique narrative offered a vicarious experience I couldn’t find elsewhere. Written in diary format, it mostly recounts Les’s unremarkable daily life, but contains intriguing moments, making the story a worthwhile listen.