UNDER the chapter title Life on the Royal Yacht, author Alan Matthews in Sailors' Tales, Life onboard HMS Repulse, introduces some Scousers.

Reg Woods, born and bred in Birkenhead, was one of the first and last people to see the keel of the Prince of Wales.

The first when he worked as an apprentice driller at Cammell Lairds, when she was being built, then at the sinking.

At Lairds, Reg also saw aircraft carrier Ark Royal being launched. The building of these two warships inspired him to join the Royal Navy.

His first draft, HMS Repulse - 'The Royal Yatch' - and duties involved cleaning the ship from stem to stern. "Thankfully, Parliament must have read the newspapers and realised what was happening in the World. Repulse was relieved of her Royal duties and headed for Gibraltar.

Fellow crew member Ted Matthews - the author's father - loved life aboard Repulse, except for his first battle station duty in peace time. It was located in a dangerous part of the ship, especially for a battlecruiser and her thinly armoured deck. He was in the 15 inch shell handling room. "I remember being truly amazed at the size of the shells. They were taller than I was and weighed in the region of one ton each!"

Repulse performed escort duties for the King and Queen. They were aboard the Empress of Australia but returned home as the 1939 crisis began.

Repulse headed for Scapa Flow after the crew had a spot of leave. "It was clear to a blind man that we were all up in this God forsaken hole to try and stop the German Fleet from entering the North Atlantic. I wasn't too worried. There was a feeling of confidence that Repulse and her crew gave to one another."

'ABANDON SHIP' LAIRD'S WORK SAVED LIVES

A NEW book Sailors' Tale, by Alan Matthews, is the story of life onboard battlecruiser HMS Repulse during WWII and its fateful voyage, with battleship Prince of Wales, on December 10, 1941.

Last week - the day and the month in which both ships were sunk - we launched the book with an impressive photograph of the Prince of Wales, courtesy of Wirral Museums.

This week, we return to HMS Repulse. Author Alan Matthews' father served on Repulse until it went down in the South China Sea. The terrible toll from both warships was 800 men.

We would like to hear from readers, who have memories concerning either warships. In a third article, we will return to Cammell Laird, on New Year's Day, 1937, when the building of Prince of Wales started, then with pictures, re-live the launch.

Repulse was launched at John Browns, Clydebank, Scotland, in January 1916. Despite a re-fit, she was an ageing WWI battlescruiser when WWII broke out compared to the new Prince of Wales.

Several Merseysiders were members of the Repulse's crew. Ted Matthews recalls the attack by Japanese bombers. 'Some of the injuries through burns were horrific. Reg Woods, from Birkenhead, on the pom pom guns, saw the Japanese planes coming at Repulse. 'They certainly did not look like the Swordfish our airforce flew. Ted confirmed the planes' speed at between 160 mph to 180 mph - much faster than expected. Reg claims a hit, shooting down a Jap plane but bombs and tin fish continued until there was a massive explosion. "We knew we had lost Repulse."

Abandon ship! Once in the sea, Reg's everlasting memory is of Repulse going down. The sight of the huge plumes of water, 100 feet high, the horrifying consequence to the men caught in the turbulence. Ted Matthews survived clinging to a grate. "I could see sharks . . .. the fuel on the water was causing terrible problems for the men waiting be rescued by the destroyers."

Repulse sank with the loss of 513 men. Prince of Wales 50 minutes later. Her casualities not quite so bad, 327 men - thanks to the stronger hull withstanding more punishment. A tribute to Cammell Laird craftmanship.

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