On board an aircraft carrier, sports options are necessarily limited. Apart from running / walking in circles round the flight deck, when there were no flying operations, and weather permitted, two sports were popular.

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Deck hockey was played on the flight deck, with crude bent sticks and a rope puck, with six people aside. Competition could get quite intense.

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Volley ball was played in the aircraft lift well, when not required by the flight or engineering teams. A desperate dive, onto a hard metal deck with sandpaper-like anti-skid paint, to save a point, could result in minor injuries.

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As a reward, the winning team was awarded the Challenge Trophy, pictured herein. Whilst not a silver cup, this prestigious trophy was carefully crafted from a finely chromed pee tube cup. Such a cup, with convenient flip top, was thoughtfully provided in the cockpit of the Wessex. A tube connected this to a rubber bladder below the seat. The ‘pee tube’ was supplied in case cockpit occupants were caught short on a long over water flight. It was the responsibility of the person who filled the bladder to empty and sanitize the assembly.

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I was not aware of anyone in the ‘ Commando role ‘ having to avail themselves of this facility. The pee tube could have been more relevant to the ant-submarine ‘dunking’ role, with long periods over the water. But the contortions required to use them when in a full immersion suit could be painful to contemplate.