[…] HMS Queen Elizabeth was commissioned with entirely a West Country ships company and I was one of the detachment of Royal Marines […] She was going to be the Flag Ship of the Fleet, flying the flag of a full Admiral, Sir Roger Keyes, of Zeebrugge fame. 

When an Admiral of his rank goes to sea in a ship there is obviously a large staff of secretaries […] The Ships Company was larger, of course, to carry out the extra duties, not forgetting the Royal Marines which had a larger detachment and a larger Royal Marine Band […]

We had our rewards. When the Admiral made his social calls at the well known ports, there was always a ball or fete of some sort […]

[…]

We were very much welcomed at the ports we visited. Of course there were an awful lot of ceremonial occasions when the big noises on shore made return visits to the ship. The guard and band were always playing some national anthem or other when these visits took place.