Description
Object description
Bound and illustrated wordprocessed memoir (123pp), written in the early 2000s, covering his service, after his transfer from the South African Naval Forces (SANF) training ship GENERAL BOTHA in Simonstown, South Africa, as a Midshipman RNVR in the cruiser HMS DORSETSHIRE on patrol duties off the east coast of South America in the aftermath of the Battle of the River Plate, including the interception of the German blockade runner WAKAMA (December 1939 – (?) March 1940), in the armed merchant cruiser HMS RANCHI on escort and patrol duties in the Indian Ocean (spring – November 1940), in the anti-submarine trawler HMS AMBER on patrol duties in the Red Sea when based on Aden and around the Greek islands and off the North African coast when based on Alexandria (November 1940 – (?) summer 1941), in the Mediterranean Fleet battleship HMS BARHAM from which he was sent ashore with appendicitis the day before she was torpedoed and sunk with heavy loss of life (summer – November 1941) and, after leave in South Africa, in the corvette HMS SNAPDRAGON which was based on Alexandria and employed on escort and anti submarine duties in the eastern Mediterranean until she was sunk by air attack off Benghazi on the North African coast (July – December 1942); his service as a Sub Lieutenant RNVR in the shore establishments HMS NILE and HMS SAUNDERS in Egypt for courier duties and Combined Operations training respectively (early – mid 1943), in the destroyer HMS ROCKWOOD including offensive sweeps in the Aegean when she helped to tow the damaged cruiser HMS CARLISLE to Alexandria and was herself hit by a glider bomb (mid – November 1943), in the destroyer HMS BEAUFORT which was principally employed on convoy and single ship escort duties between ports in North Africa and Italy (December 1943 – November 1944) and in the RN shore base at Phaleron near the port of Piraeus in Greece during the Greek civil war (November 1944 – (?) March 1945); and his service, latterly as a Lieutenant RNVR, in LST 426 which, after a refit in Gibraltar, was based on Ancona in Italy following VE Day and assisted in the evacuation of Allied troops from Yugoslavia before being ordered to the United Kingdom (ca March – autumn 1945), his return to South Africa in the cruiser HMS ENTERPRISE (December 1945) and demobilisation (March 1946). His memoir reflects his strong admiration for the Royal Navy, his appreciation of his good fortune in surviving the loss of BARHAM and SNAPDRAGON and his gratitude for the hospitality extended to him ashore on numerous occasions, but especially by the Cornish family in Alexandria, and also includes very interesting comments on the qualities of his commanding officers, notably Captain B C S Martin RN in DORSETSHIRE, Commander H C Simms RN in SNAPDRAGON (who died of his wounds after she was sunk) and Commander S R Lombard-Hobson RN in ROCKWOOD, and on the distressing incidents that occurred during the fighting with the ELAS insurgents in Greece.
Content description
Bound and illustrated wordprocessed memoir (123pp), written in the early 2000s, covering his service, after his transfer from the South African Naval Forces (SANF) training ship GENERAL BOTHA in Simonstown, South Africa, as a Midshipman RNVR in the cruiser HMS DORSETSHIRE on patrol duties off the east coast of South America in the aftermath of the Battle of the River Plate, including the interception of the German blockade runner WAKAMA (December 1939 – (?) March 1940), in the armed merchant cruiser HMS RANCHI on escort and patrol duties in the Indian Ocean (spring – November 1940), in the anti-submarine trawler HMS AMBER on patrol duties in the Red Sea when based on Aden and around the Greek islands and off the North African coast when based on Alexandria (November 1940 – (?) summer 1941), in the Mediterranean Fleet battleship HMS BARHAM from which he was sent ashore with appendicitis the day before she was torpedoed and sunk with heavy loss of life (summer – November 1941) and, after leave in South Africa, in the corvette HMS SNAPDRAGON which was based on Alexandria and employed on escort and anti submarine duties in the eastern Mediterranean until she was sunk by air attack off Benghazi on the North African coast (July – December 1942); his service as a Sub Lieutenant RNVR in the shore establishments HMS NILE and HMS SAUNDERS in Egypt for courier duties and Combined Operations training respectively (early – mid 1943), in the destroyer HMS ROCKWOOD including offensive sweeps in the Aegean when she helped to tow the damaged cruiser HMS CARLISLE to Alexandria and was herself hit by a glider bomb (mid – November 1943), in the destroyer HMS BEAUFORT which was principally employed on convoy and single ship escort duties between ports in North Africa and Italy (December 1943 – November 1944) and in the RN shore base at Phaleron near the port of Piraeus in Greece during the Greek civil war (November 1944 – (?) March 1945); and his service, latterly as a Lieutenant RNVR, in LST 426 which, after a refit in Gibraltar, was based on Ancona in Italy following VE Day and assisted in the evacuation of Allied troops from Yugoslavia before being ordered to the United Kingdom (ca March – autumn 1945), his return to South Africa in the cruiser HMS ENTERPRISE (December 1945) and demobilisation (March 1946). His memoir reflects his strong admiration for the Royal Navy, his appreciation of his good fortune in surviving the loss of BARHAM and SNAPDRAGON and his gratitude for the hospitality extended to him ashore on numerous occasions, but especially by the Cornish family in Alexandria, and also includes very interesting comments on the qualities of his commanding officers, notably Captain B C S Martin RN in DORSETSHIRE, Commander H C Simms RN in SNAPDRAGON (who died of his wounds after she was sunk) and Commander S R Lombard-Hobson RN in ROCKWOOD, and on the distressing incidents that occurred during the fighting with the ELAS insurgents in Greece.
History note
Cataloguer RWAS