An abridged version of Hubert's War escapades, by his son in law, Alan Brown. The memories are a bit patchy now so any help to fill in the gaps (dates of Formidable's journies etc.) would be greatly appreciated. HUBERT CHARLES BAILEY SPENCER R.N. Ordinary Stoker (First Class) Hubert Charles Bailey Spencer, originally from Sheffield, now available on Hubie@hmsformidable.fsnet.co.uk sailed on LB051 from Hayling Island for D-Day. LBO51 was a petrol barge, rarely mentioned elsewhere, but an important part of the war effort. I always think taht if I was to enter a war zone, the last thing I'd like to be travelling on, is a sluggish, barge full of slopping petrol (leaking too!) and awash, due to the weight. Like sitting on a keg of gunpowder, shooting at passing soldiers ?. Having spent time guarding the Grand Hotel in Brighton and moving to Weymouth for servicing and painting the LBO, Hubert chugged across the channel aty 2 mph (How many knots is that?) and arrived safely at Sword beach. During the first couple of days, whilst moored at a pontoon, shelling (from Le Havre?) damaged one of the engines, (The Petrol Barge in front of Hubert's was destroyed completely with a single shell) and using the remaining engine LB051 was moved to safety at UTAH beach, where she sheltered from the Force 7 &8 gales from Friday 16th. The LBO's struggled across the channel for two days. The 5 man crew on LBO51 led by a L/Coxswain Leslie Hearns from Dagenham. He and the crew, including Hubert huddled under a makeshift canvas tarpaulin stretched over the engine compartment, during an uneventful 2 day trip when they saw only occasional aircraft. The original destroyer escort left them well behind. The barge contained a shipmate called "Evans" and a Scot with the surname "Tierney" - Hubert would be pleased to hear if any survivors can remember more than he? - Email hubie@hmsformidable.fsnet.co.uk There was no heating on board the barges, due to the fire risk. (All that petrol - NO NAKED LIGHTS) … So it was cold tack (K Rations) tins of fruit etc. all the way across the channel, followed by regular visits to the "Kitchen Barges" to fetch hot food (carried in "Hay Boxes"), later during their stay on the D-Day beachhead. Runabout craft picked up a crew member every day to visit the kitchen barges for "victualling". Later LB051 served petrol to DUCKS and Landing Barges for six weeks or so. The crew was repatriated, six weeks after D-Day on a US Landing Ship, where suddenly steaks, ice cream, coffee on tap etc. demonstrated the gulf between RN and USN. Hubert has since been back to Arramanche, Ouistreheim and Normandy to sit on the same walls he visited back in 1944. He regularly attends the HMS Formidable reunions with his old shipmates, at Hotel Donington Thistle near Kegworth, Derbyshire. Hubert visited his family at 50 Wisewood Avenue on leave, (14 days) and then got the call to go abroad. Hubert went to Invergordon, Scotland for a spell of training on a small Landing Craft, before leaving to serve in Mandapam, India, on SS Orion, a liner converted for troop carrying. Formidable Service Ord. Stoker HCB Spencer went on to serve on HMS Formidable in the Pacific fleet until the end of the war and then assisted with the repatriation of troops to Australia and has sad tales of dumping "lease lend" equipment into the Indian Sea, off the decks of that great Aircraft Carrier! Hubert spent a year or so there, still there on both VE Day May 8th and August 14, 1945 (VJ Day). With the war over, Britain had to dump all its "lease lend" equipment and Hubert travelled to Bombay, Sassoon Docks where he spent Christmas 1945. Mandapam was a Dockyard used by the Indian Navy/Coastguard on the coast of India. Hubert served as a "truck driver" on a Chevrolet 15cwt truck where he met Jack Pickles (surviving in Ontario, Canada, 2002) Hubert joined HMS Formidable at the beginning of 1946. "Formy" visited Columbo shortly after he joined. Alan Brown