James Anthony Chettle. His Story in His Words

James Anthony Chettle was the 3rd and youngest child of Frederick Leslie and Lucy Chettle, born around noon on Friday 6th September 1929 at 6 James Street (Welford Road) Leicester.

Lived at 6 James Street until 1935, started school at Holy Trinity Infants School on Regent Road. Moved to 4 Laxton Street (Grange Lane) around late Spring in 1935 and started school at Deacon Street infants, which was a church school of St. Andrews Church in Jarrom Street. In the early summer of 1938 we moved to 27 Regent Road, which was opposite Duke Street. We stayed there until early 1939 and then moved to 178 Milligan Road, Aylestone and I attended Granby Road Junior School. The 2nd World War started in 1939 and we moved to 32 Rawson Street at the end of the year.
Rawson Street was close to Holy Trinity Church on Regent Road and I started back at Deacon Street Juniors after a few weeks on half days at Hazel Street Juniors whilst the air raid shelters were being prepared at Deacon Street. In 1941 I passed the 11 Plus Exam at Deacon Street with top marks which meant I had the choice of schools, I moved to King Richard III Intermediate School, this meant I could learn more and still leave at the age of 14! In the same year I joined the Holy Trinity Cub Scouts. During 1942 I Joined Holy Trinity scouts and church choir. I left school at Christmas 1943. By that time the school was actually on King Richards Road, close to Tudor Road, and it was a boy's only school, I walked it 4 times daily from Rawson Street, no wonder I only grew to 5ft 8 & a half inches!

After leaving school I started work at St Dalmas manufacturing chemists, they supplied the goods for the local chemists, this was situated near Sanvey Gate. I left there at the age of 15 to start work on the L.M.S. Railway, first as an engine cleaner and then as a Footplate Fireman, this I achieved on my 17th birthday in 1946. On the 21st January 1947 I Joined the Royal Marines at Deal in Kent for basic drill training until 31st May, then it was on to Lympstone in Devon for Infantry field training until early September. From there it was a Commando training course until the middle of October at Bickleigh nr Plymouth, after that, 2 weeks leave and off to Malta on the Troopship H.M.T. Cheshire from Liverpool.



I then joined 45 Commando R.M. at Ghadira camp (Melleiha Bay) on 7th November, being allocated to A troop, shortly afterwards we moved to St Patricks Barracks and I started a driving course in December at Imtarfa Barracks with 40 Commando, then back to 45 Commando for a few days for a quick move exercise on H.M.S. Ajax and back to finish the course until January 1948.
During March 1948 I was part of an advance party that embarked on H.M.T. Scythia from Malta to Tobruk in Libya, from there we drove to Derna and collected vehicles from Benghazi, we were there to look after the security of the U.N. Commission which was deciding the future of the country.
At the end of April we flew at a few hours notice to Palestine in airborne fitted Dakotas, to Ramel-el -David airport 15 miles from Haifa, we were then living in houses taken over by the military. When the situation had calmed down in May we left on the coal burning troopship H.M.T. Empire Test, we left Haifa for Benghazi via Port Said (to refuel with coal!) In early June we left Benghazi for Malta on Tank Landing Ships.

In August and September I was off to Tripoli in L.S.T.s for desert training, living in an old Italian barracks. I had a trip south on the old track to Beni-Ulid, and north to the sea at Homs, where the old Roman town of Leptis Magna is located. In September we returned to Malta until January 1949, and then we sailed on L.S.T.s to Port Said in Egypt and travelled by train (wooden seats) to Suez (Port Tewfiq), living in tents and doing night patrols from Suez to Ishmalia. A quick move to Aquaba (Jordan) in early April by sea to counteract the Jewish threat to the port and living rough in the remains of an old Lawrence of Arabia camp. I then did a trip to Ma"an and Petra and when we left Aquaba at the end of June the shade temperature was 115 degrees, returned to Suez on a very small landing craft and was then shipwrecked as the metal plates under the vessel had come off the bottom of the craft, it took 2 weeks to do a 1 day trip as we had to wait for a clam sea! I remained at Suez for another month and left on the Motor Vessel Georgic at the end of July bound for Hong Kong via Aden, Colombo and Singapore. Arrived at Hong Kong on 13th August 1949, and was stationed at Stanley barracks on Hong Kong Island, but managed to drive over on the mainland to the Chinese border a few times.

After the threat of a Chinese invasion had diminished most of the work was internal security dealing with riots and smuggling.

1950 -
Getting ready for home after 2 & half years away, but first a trip to Malaya to prepare for 45 CDO to move to Sungei Patani, then back to Hong Kong to embark on the troopship Devonshire at the end of February for the 5 week trip home via Colombo, Aden and Port Said. I then passed my brother Jack in the Great Bitter Lake of the Suez Canal, he was sailing out to Hong Kong on a troopship, and we saw each others ships from a distance but had to exchange messages by ships telegraph. Docked at Liverpool in early April, I then had to travel by train to Plymouth for chest X rays before being allowed home (everyone), then back to Leicester for 60 days leave. I returned to Stonehouse barracks in Plymouth in June and was sent to Blarrick Camp in Cornwall (nr St.Anthony) before going to I.T.C. Lympstone in late July . We were on general duties there awaiting a driving course until November 1951, then on a driving course at Eastney barracks Portsmouth.

Married on December 22nd 1951 to Betty Vickery at Countess Wear, Exeter.

1952 -
At Portsmouth until May, finished the course and then spent 3 weeks in R.N.Hospital in Haslar with Iritis during March. Then back to Bickleigh in Devon for a 2nd Commando course! With a Night Guerrilla course thrown in! then on to Plymouth awaiting draft to 45 Commando. I left Liverpool on 16th October on H.M.T. Lancashire and arrived in Malta on 23rd October 1952. I was stationed with 45 Commando at Ghajn Tuffieha camp, my Wife Betty came out on the troopship Empire Fowey, arriving on December 26th, we had a flat in St Pauls Bay, Malta and 10 days later I was on my way to Tripoli (Tarhuna) by L.S.T. for 8 weeks desert training.

1953 -
I was in Tarhuna until March and returned to Malta (St. Patricks barracks) until the end of May. Then the whole 3 Commando Brigade moved to Egypt by L.S.T.s, 45 Commando was then sent to the ammunition depot at Abu Sultan for a month and then took over the old 156 Transit camp at Port Fuad (Port Said), living in tents throughout the whole stay in Egypt. I returned to Malta for leave in July and arranged for Betty to return home, back to Egypt until October and then off to sea for 3 weeks for N.A.T.O. work with the U.S. 6th fleet, on a small, cramped landing craft and slept in the back of my vehicle as I usually did when aboard or in the field. I landed in Crete (Canea) and the Northern part of Greece in the Aegean Sea, then back to Pireaus and Athens before returning to Egypt. I then Spent Christmas at El Kirsh supply depot doing night patrols.

1954 -
Had a good training spell in the desert south of Suez and then moved to Deversoir camp in the middle of 1954, and then returned to Malta (Ghain Tuffieha). In R.N.Hospital with Iritis (again) in September/October and retuned home to Plymouth on H.M.S. Gambia in late October, on leave and finished off the year at I.T.C. Lympstone.

1955 -
At Lympstone and moved into married quarters at Lamplough Road. Courtlands Cross, Exmouth and our daughter Beverley was born on October 30th.

1956 -
At Lympstone until November 5th then had to move at a few hours notice to Malta via Stanstead, as reinforcements for the invasion of Port Said, stayed in Malta at Imtarfa barracks and Betty and Beverley came out in late December and we had a flat in St Julians.

1957 -
Off to Tripoli in January for desert training at Tarhuna for 8 weeks then back to Malta until the end of May, then away to Cyprus by L.S.T. until the end of September, stationed at Platres on anti-terrorist duties. In addition, I had a spell at Troodos, returned to Malta until the end of the year.

1958 -
Moved into married quarters at 7 C. Block, Imtarfa and returned to Cyprus (Platres) on anti-terrorist duties until just before Xmas when we returned by L.S.T.to Malta.

1959 -
At Derna and Tobruk for desert training during February and March, my last trip to Libya, returned to Malta and flew home in April, from Malta to Gatwick via Nice by a Brittania Turbo-Prop, with backward facing seats! Home on leave and then based at Lympstone, getting married quarters in late 1959 at 7, Trafalgar Road, Lympstone.

1960 -
Promoted to Corporal in January and I remained at Lympstone until August 1961 then took my demob leave and left the R.M on 5th September 1961. Moved back to Leicester, living at 101 Ruby Street, Newfoundpool, and I started work at Frears and Blacks bakery. Our Son Christopher was born on December 17th.
1962. Moved to 30 Pindar Road in July and remained there until August 1993. I left the Bakery in June 1965 and spent a couple of weeks painting at L.C.F.C. Filbert Street before starting work at Kirby and West Dairy, I worked for them until retiring on September 5th 1994. We left 30 Pindar Road on August 13th 1993 and moved to 4, Princes Close, Anstey, where I lived until 2006. Betty sadly passed away suddenly in July 2004 and in 2006 I moved to Freemans Holt in Aylestone Leicester.

Betty and I had 4 memorable holidays in Malta in the 1980s, which we enjoyed, looking at the old places and seeing how things had changed. A couple of other points of interest are -- a Rickshaw ride in Hong-Kong and a couple of days at sea on Britain's last Battleship, H.M.S. Vanguard off Malta in 1948.
















My Royal Marine career spanned 14 memorable years!