AS PART of their Remembrance Day commemorations Teign School was honoured to have a return visit from local Second World War Navy Veteran Tony Portman.

He gave up his day once again to meet students and share his experiences of serving on HMS Nelson as a young man in the Second World War.

Tony, 95, was happy to talk about the highs and lows of his time serving on a variety of ships including HMS Nelson. Some 60 students from all year groups came into the library to meet him; some have an interest in joining the forces themselves.

Tony said: ‘I don’t talk about the war a lot unless people want to know about it.

‘I must admit I actually had a thoroughly good time at times on the ships! It was a real adventure for me as was only 15 when I first went to sea. I actually joined the Navy when I started at the Navy Royal Hospital School aged 11. I was sent away to Ipswich and was home sick for a fortnight as I had never been away from home. I served in various campaigns, two Malta convoys and a Russian one (Bear Island).

‘One of my jobs was sitting in the watch tower of HMS Nelson spotting tornadoes. They would look like white lines in the sky.

‘From the tower I also had to bring the mast down from the top of the ship so that it could sail under the Forth Bridge – I remember being able to touch the underside of the bridge itself! When the big guns were fired from the gun turrets the ship would lurch sideways. The nine guns couldn’t all be fired at once or the ship would capsize (the maximum was five at a time). The guns were 16 inches in diameter – I once went inside one as a prank and the others tipped the gun so I slid inside!

‘I had to leave the Navy at 21 as both my parents were sick. With no NHS at the time I needed to bring in money to our household. The penny a week I earnt in the Navy was not enough to keep my family.’

The students who attended were mesmerised by Tony’s first-hand accounts of war. These memories will be treasured and remembered by the numerous students who met him.

‘I learnt a lot about the Second World War. Tony showed me his medals and I learnt that each one was for a different campaign,’ said Year 7 student Ellis

‘I was struck by how silent everyone was out on the courts. It was a real experience to have a war veteran with us and the poem that Mrs Wharf read, plus the last post playing, made our Remembrance very moving,’ said Kanye L, Year 11.

At the 11th hour, on the 11th day on the 11th month more than 1,000 people from Teign School’s community stood together on the PE courts to hold a respectful two minutes’ silence for those who have fallen in conflicts. Headteacher, Suzannah Wharf read a Wilfred Owen poem to set the scene then the silence was marked, as is tradition, by The Last Post.

Headteacher, Suzannah said: ‘I was so proud of how the students responded to the Remembrance event. Having the opportunity to stand together as a school community to commemorate those who have sacrificed so much for this country was really moving.