 Ramba uchinyora ndima iyi - Muna 1941, pazera remakore 19, akadanwa kuti arwe muHondo Yenyika II neRoyal Navy, achishumira aine zvinzvimbo zveOrdinary Seaman, Able Seaman, uye Leading Torpedo Operator. Akatanga kugoverwa kuPS Bournemouth Queen, ngarava yakachinjwa yakaiswa zvombo zvinorwisa ndege, iri pabasa pamhenderekedzo dzeEngland neScotland. Kutanga muna 1943, akashanda pa, Dido-class light cruiser. Ikoko akaona chiito muna 1943 muAtlantic theatre, pane maviri maArctic convoys uye achiperekedza vatakuri vemapoka ekufambisa ndege mukushanda uye zvimwe zvinangwa kubva kumahombekombe eNorway. Akatora chikamu muConvoy PQ 17pamusoro peRoyalist. Muna 1944 iye ne Royalist vakashanda muMediterranean theatre, sechikamu chekupinda kweFrance yekumaodzanyemba uye mukubatsira kunyudza blockade runners kubva kuCrete nekurwisa Milos muAegean. Munguva iyi MacLean angave akakuvadzwa mutsaona yokurovedza pfuti. Muna 1945, muFar East theatre, MacLean naRoyalist vakaona chiito vachiperekedza mapoka anotakura mumabasa anorwisa vaJapan muBurma, Malaya, neSumatra. MacLean anotaura mukupera kwehupenyu hwake kuti akabatwa nemaJapan mushure mekuputika mabhiriji, uye akatambudzwa nekuita kuti mazino ake abviswe, akarambwa nemwanakomana wake uye munyori wake wehupenyu sekudhakwa. Pashure pokuzviisa pasi kweJapan, Madzimambo akabetsera kubvisa vasungwa vehondo vakasunungurwa muChangi Prison muSingapore. 