A Singapore Fling: An AB's Far-Flung Adventure

Peter Broadbent

Apr 2015 · Andrews UK Limited

About this ebook

Having survived the notorious Training Establishment HMS Ganges and ‘cut his teeth' onboard HMS Bermuda, Peter Broadbent believed that he was equipped for anything the Royal Navy could throw at him. For 18 incident-filled months (1962-64) he ‘did his bit' onboard HMS Lincoln caught up in the Malaysian Crisis, on the other side of the world. For the young sailor, this meant visiting every corner of the Far East from Singapore, Hong Kong and Osaka, to Manila, Sandakan and Lankawi. The nature of the Crisis seemed to pass him by, as he was more interested in acquiring a suntan, picnicking on sandy beaches, buying his first pair of flip-flops, exploring Bugis Street, downing bottles of Tiger beer, and avoiding the clutches of ‘Suzie Right’, ‘Calamity Jayne’ and a girl with bad teeth known as ‘Piano’. Along the way, he crossed the equator, qualified as an AB, tasted his first rum ration, manned a Kumpit Boarding Party in search of enemy vessels, and spent a week tramping through the jungle with the Gurkhas. His return to the UK coincided with the appearance on the streets of that design classic … the mini-skirt. He had just celebrated his twentieth birthday and the girls of the United Kingdom voluntarily hoisted their hemlines in acknowledgment. This engaging and humorous memoir, filled with colourful characters, is every bit as gripping as Peter Broadbent’s previous books, which have garnered excellent reviews.

Ratings and reviews

I enjoyed this book because it brought back so many vivid memories. I was in Singapore at the same time as Peter, on ships that he mentioned in his book. I can relate so much with his experiences. I know that I was in the HMS Terror barracks, it’s canteen and HMS Dryad at the same time as Peter Thank you Peter for relighting those memories.

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About the author

Peter Broadbent is the author of three naval memoirs, the first two being HMS Ganges Days and HMS Bermuda Days. He is also the author of a comic novel, My Wight Little Isle, set on the Isle of Wight.