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The day began early for boy seamen attending the training facility at HMS St George<\/em> on the Isle of Man. Cross-country runs would be followed by an hour\u2019s swim in a cold camp pool. Daily lessons and endless sewing and scrubbing meant that there was no free time.\u00a0<\/p> This must have been a huge shock to the system for a 16 year old. Alan George joined the Royal Navy<\/a> as a \u2018boy second class\u2019 in 1944, signing up for 12 years\u2019 service. Initially he was very excited. However, his feelings soon changed when he reached the camp at Douglas.<\/p> \u201cAlan was my husband Steve\u2019s father,\u201d explains Sally George from Beverley, Yorkshire. \u201cHe was born in the village of Abbotts Ann, Hampshire, in 1927.\u201d His parents Erroll and Alice George married after a whirlwind romance.<\/p> \u201cAs a boy, Alan liked reading, helping on local farms and singing in the church choir. Perhaps he joined the Navy because he wanted to spread his wings.\u201d<\/p> Perhaps he joined the Navy because he wanted to spread his wings<\/p><\/blockquote> Sally has been given a priceless glimpse into his experiences via letters that were handed to her after Alan died in 2017. He corresponded with his parents several times a week during initial training. \u201cI found Alan\u2019s letters heartbreaking, because he wrote of feeling terribly homesick.\u201d\u00a0<\/p> He arrived at HMS St George<\/em> on 5 January after an exhausting journey in which he was seasick. He found it hard to fit in because the other boys swore so much, and he missed his family intensely.\u00a0<\/p> Alan lamented that he had to do extra swimming because he was a \u201cbackward swimmer\u201d, and one cross-country run \u201cnearly killed him\u201d. He begged to come home.<\/p> Alan lamented that he had to do extra swimming because he was a \u201cbackward swimmer\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote> \u201cIt must have been awful for Erroll and Alice to know he was suffering. The family wrote every few days offering encouragement and sending cakes, but he was still desperate to leave.\u201d\u00a0<\/p> The camp\u2019s padre offered his support, and Alan started to enjoy shore leave and cinema trips. Gradually, he adapted to Navy life and his parents must have been relieved when he wrote to say, \u201cThe Navy\u2019s all right when you get to know it properly.\u201d<\/p> Alan completed his training and began active service. \u201cIn December 1945, he sailed on HMS Cleopatra<\/em> to Singapore and helped to bring home prisoners of war<\/a> \u2013 a harrowing experience he never talked about.\u201d<\/p> On his return in 1946, Alan met his future wife Josephine in Southsea, Portsmouth. A year later, he was on Cleopatra<\/em> when it escorted HMS Vanguard<\/em> as it carried George VI and the royal family on a visit to South Africa.<\/p> Back in Portsmouth, Alan was posted to an experimental torpedo boat and damaged his back during a torpedo recovery. \u201cThat was the end of his career in the Navy, and he spent months in hospital. Marriage to Josephine had to be postponed until 1951.\u201d<\/p> The pair settled in Birmingham, and had three sons. Alan learnt to live with his back problems, and became area manager of a cleaning company. He was also a scoutmaster, stood as a Liberal Party candidate in two general elections, and worked in Saudi Arabia in water management.\u00a0<\/p> \u201cMy father-in-law was a family man, and outgoing in an ordered sort of way. After a rocky start, I believe Alan\u2019s time in the Navy gave him confidence in life.\u201d<\/p>