Role of a 16 year old 3rd radio officer in UK for Norwegian ship M/S Arosa late 1944

[David Walker*]

Hello

I've inherited the documents of my recently late uncle John Geoffrey Gill and from the docs trying to gain some insight into his early role as a radio officer at just 16. The timeline and queries are below. Thanks for any insights. David

Timeline:
Born March 1927, England
Have his 'Avregningsbok' issued Norwegian Consulate Hull dated Sept. 1943 so 16 when recruited. Gather this is a sort of bank book with entries for his pay.
Discharged Jan. 1944 from the M/S Arosa so a three month placing (source his 'Entry Form to Merchant Navy Reserve Pool')
Rank on discharge '3rd R.O.'
His 'Continuous Certificate of Discharge R 301602' book lists many further placements to the end of the 1950.
The medals awarded included 1930/45 Star, Atlantic Star, Pacific Star with Burma clasp

Queries:
- as a just 16 recruit was this on the job training as presumably little if any time to learn at say a night school after leaving school, Morse would likely take some time to became proficient as remarked by my brother Ian who qualified as a marine R.O in 80s
- intrigued that he enrolled at the Norwegian Consulate in Hull, UK to join the ship M/S Arosa, would this add additional difficulties learning the role unless English was widely spoken in the Norwegian merchant marine at the time
- an online timeline of the M/S Arosa shows within the three months he was on convoy on the Atlantic run bringing home to me the heavy responsibilities at an early age

[j.sabourn]

My only experience on Norwegian ships was here in Australia in the mid 1990s and on the Ramford Challenger and the Nordic Explorer 2 seismic ships. The Nordic Explorer I was there as master , and the Ramford Challenger was as a favour and through the Guild as she was working up just off the northern tip of Indonesia and close to the Singapore Straits , it was coming up to the turn of the century and all sorts of theory’s about computers closing down etc.plus the engines were run and computerised plus the fact it was a pirate area and they had armed guards on board from the Indonesian defence force and one of the mates had gone sick so they didnt want to be short handed. Anyhow in both casesI had to go to the Norwegian Consulate to be checked out for permission to sail on their ships. That’s all the knowledge I have. Except it was a good Xmas on the Ramford Challenger even though the beer was only 1%. The computers on the ship did not shut down so there was no need for the tug on stand by, my son who is a computer programmer and anaylist had already told me this , so had good idea it was a phony load of codswallop . Cheers JS

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Could it be that he had learned of a man being paid off, and applied and was taken on as an assistant to the R\O? AS we all know there was a shortage of men during the war, and especially for the Norwegians.
Just a thought.
Des