During my national service, when I was stationed at Durban Naval Command, interesting events happened from time to time. Before I continue, I should point out to those who are new to this column that my national service took place over two years in the late 1970s. So, what I’m writing about happened 50 years ago.

I had completed my university education before I did my national service. This meant I served as an officer in the defence force. What’s more, by an extraordinary fluke of luck, I served as a naval officer in command at Durban Naval Command, a position some would say was beyond what I deserved.

Here I am recounting some lighthearted tales about things that happened during my time at Durban Naval Command: the tale of the German officer and the new vehicle maintenance shed.

I was summoned to the office of the vehicle maintenance officer, who put to me the following problem. In World War II, a German officer had perished at sea and was washed ashore. After the war, they set about attempting to return his body to Germany for burial. However, they could not locate the officer’s family, so they buried him at Naval Command, where he lay at rest for several years – specifically, until I got there, when the Navy decided to build a new vehicle maintenance shed, which would require the German officer to be moved. This was raised with the German consulate. Being Germans, they said they understood the problem very clearly, but they could not approve the moving of the body.

This problem of all problems arising out of World War II was placed before me. I had to find a solution. I had no idea what to do. Then the maintenance warrant officer quietly approached me and, off the record, suggested he solve the problem. I agreed to let him go ahead. A few days later, I noticed the German officer had moved to a new location, thus solving the problem. I got hold of the warrant officer and thanked him profusely. He looked at me with a glint in his eye and said: “Glad to help, sir! The last time we moved the Jerry was when we built the new officers’ mess.”

The tale of the dive boat. It happened as a result of circumstances I never fully understood; I was hardly a qualified diver, but the navy divers were under my command. Shortly after taking up my position at Durban Naval Command, the senior diver asked to see me and put the following proposition before me.

It happened that the divers had a small dive boat and, if the divers were doing an operation requiring the dive boat to be at sea for some period, then the dive boat had to be fitted with a special type of winch. If the boat was so fitted, then the diving officers were free to go ashore in the evenings, leaving the ratings to do diving duty. But if the dive boat was not fitted with a winch, the officers could not go ashore, and the dive boat had to be berthed at the main commercial jetty and all officers had to stand watch. The senior officer said if he was allowed to choose when to fit the winch, it would be very convenient, because he could then choose when the ratings did watch or not. I noted this was something which would be convenient for him. I didn’t ask why this had not been previously implemented. I noted it also required a spare winch, the supply of winch was approved. The whole arrangement went ahead with great convenience. The diving officers could choose whether or not to do duty ashore and the ratings could equally have things arranged at their convenience.

One week before leaving the Navy, I remembered the winch. I asked the senior maintenance officer if it mattered where a spare winch was. His reaction was immediate and forceful. They had been looking for a spare winch for the diving boat for some time and they wanted to find it with some urgency. As far as I know, it’s still at Durban Naval Command.