I must admit this is where it all started. I was serving my apprenticeship,in John Lynn's shipyard Sunderland, when I was introduced to the RNR. I had wanted to join the real Andrew but my father an ex matelot was dead against it.(Offcourse he had seen the horror's of war and the state of the food but survived ( HMS Birmingham)) I expect that if I had survived seven years of the Second World War in the Far East. Then the memories would be too much to see number one son going away too! One required your parents signature to join up, but they would not sign so I joined the Reserves as a wireless operator or should I say Telegraphist,as a compromise, I could have gone into the R.N. For real at eighteen but I found out about drink and girls and the sixties, but by the time I was twenty away I went, (I broke many heart's but mainly my mothers which I very much regret) But the Andrew was where I wanted to be (silly bugger) HMS Calliope was the RNR ship anchored under the Tyne Bridge in Newcastle.I have much to find out about her for this site, but from memory she was a first world war sloop built in 1902. It was only after I joined that I found out how such an old ship was so immaculate, bright shiney brass work and gleaming grey paint job