Charlie joined the Royal Navy as a boy seaman at HMS St. Vincent in 1957 from there he served in HMS Vernon,

His first overseas posting was to HMS Cavalier, where as the new commission he had flown out on the same aircraft that had bought the second commission home,

the Commissioning Ceremony took place on the 4^th January 1959. Following the obligatorily work up, she sailed via Hong Kong to carry out Royal Escort duties around Australia

and then on to Penang, Singapore and Saigon as well as Japan, Australia and Tasmania, fitting in many exercises en route to the various locations,

finally returning to Singapore on May 13^th 1960 to hand over to a new crew. Thence on to  HMS Shoulton, Rothesay, Torquay, Tartar, Danae, BRNC, Ajax (as the Chief Bosun's Mate)

Amongst his travels he went to Canada and USA all over the Mediterranean, Australia, New Zealand, Black Sea, Iceland during the Cod War, Mombasa for the Biera Patrol, Cape Town, India etc. etc..

He served two periods as an instructor at BRNC. His final posting was to HMS Raleigh where he was in Charge of the Seamanship School and where he retired from as a Fleet Chief Petty Officer in 1984.