Chief Petty Officer Hamilton took us around the parts of the ship, today again. He explained where and how we would find our duties when we became instructors. This is the part of the course I fear. I don’t mind teaching a class how to do bends and hitches, for this may be learned out of the seamanship manual, but when it comes to rigging sheer legs or heaving the load, I think you need practical experience for this. At present, I am very worried over, having to act as instructor, for how am I going to teach something, I know so little about. I would much rather teach them, how to maintain electrical installations in air craft. I noticed today that the mast on the north end of the parade is called the foremast and the one on the quarter deck the main mast, as in a ship.
This after noon we visited the fine gymnasiums in the station with major Garnier. in everyone there was about a hundred trainees doing P.T., there was a terrible smell of body odour. I was surprised finding only one shower attached to each gymnasium, what use is one, there there are a hundred men a session doing P.T.
Quite a number of aircraft flew overhead today towards Lee On Solent. This brings back pleasant memories and sometimes makes me which I could get to work once again with my screw driver, pliers, megger and voltmeter.
P. T. – is short of physical training.
Lee-on-Solent was home to the Royal Naval Air Station HMS Deadalus.