This is a true account, in his own words, of a village boy from Yorkshire who joined the Royal Navy in World War 1. He saw war service on HMS Canterbury in the North, Mediterranean, Aegean and Black Seas, exploring cities he could otherwise never have hoped to see at the start of the twentieth century. He describes in vivid detail the array of mess mates on board ship up to all sorts of dodges, smuggling and womanizing. In contrast to the hardships of life on the Lower Deck and narrow misses in enemy action, his consolations included cocoa blocks, playing in the ship's brass band, sharing the full moon with his Yorkshire sweetheart and the kindnesses of companions.