By Ray “Taffy” James
I’M Welsh-born, and my name is Ray “Taffy” James. I served with distinction in both the Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Navy, and this is my story.
My career began in 1961 as a junior electrician. My time with the Royal Navy had its highs and lows.
On the high side, I was part of the armed escort at the funeral of Sir Winston Churchill in 1965, and I once shared a few beers in Puerto Rico with Lord Louis Mountbatten, a childhood hero of mine.
On the low side, one of my saddest memories came in 1970, when my ship was diverted to St Kitts after the ferry Christena sank with the loss of over 200 lives.
Fewer than 100 survived. We were too late to save anyone, and our crew had to recover bodies from the sea. We had visited the island several times before and knew many of the people involved, which made the tragedy even more devastating.
Another dangerous moment came when I was transferred to a trawler in the North Sea with an electrical problem.
I was swamped by a wave, suffered hypothermic shock and almost died, but I managed to fix the electrical issue.
In 1972, I was Chief Lieutenant Commander and was transferred to HMAS Cerberus as a weapons electronics instructor.
I returned to the Royal Navy in 1974, and it was during this period that I met my future wife, Liz
In 1976, I decided to go to Australia and join the Royal Australian Navy.
I had visited Australia in 1964 when my ship, HMAS Duchess, was in Singapore following the tragic collision of HMAS Voyager and HMAS Melbourne.
Duchess was sent to Australia to replace the Voyager, and I still remember the warm welcome we received in Darwin, Townsville, Sydney and Melbourne.
In 1982, I was promoted to officer and awarded the Peter Mitchell Prize for academic excellence.
I served on six ships in the Australian Navy, the high point being my time as Engineering Officer on HMAS Moresby.
Leading a team that almost felt like family gave me a real sense of belonging and purpose.
In 2000, I transferred to the Navy Reserve, serving full-time for a period, and finally discharged in 2013.
I was fortunate to travel to many countries, meet people of different cultures and religions, and experience life far from home.
One visit that sticks in my memory is the Dominican Republic – a Catholic country where people still believe in zombies.
My time in the Navy was both enjoyable and satisfying. In 2016, Liz and I moved to Maleny on the Sunshine Coast where we still live, enjoying a quieter life after a lifetime at sea.