Description
Object description
A collection of ms letters and memoirs (56pp) written in the early 1980s covering his enlistment in the Royal Navy (1930), his service as an Engine Room Artificer in the cruisers HMS YORK and HMS KENT and then in the battle cruiser HMS RENOWN at the time of the Abyssinian crisis when there was some dissatisfaction among her ship's company during her deployment to the Eastern Mediterranean (1935 – 1936); his decision to transfer into the submarine service, training and brief period of service in HMS OXLEY (1936), his service as an ERA in the submarine HMS ODIN on the China Station, including patrols off Japan and the Netherlands East Indies and in the Indian Ocean following the outbreak of war (July 1939 – April 1940), his good fortune in being sick ashore when ODIN was lost on a patrol in the Mediterranean (June 1940), his return to the United Kingdom and posting as a Chief Engine Room Artificer to the submarine HMS P39 during her construction, working up, employment on patrols in the Western Mediterranean while based on Gibraltar and transfer to the 10th Submarine Flotilla based on Malta where she was extensively damaged during an air raid on the island (January 1941 – March 1942), his further good fortune when the submarine HMS OLYMPUS, in which he and many other submariners were taking passage back to the United Kingdom, was mined seven miles off Malta and he was one of the handful of survivors able to swim ashore (8 May 1942), his passage back to the United Kingdom via Gibraltar in the minelayer HMS WELSHMAN (May 1942), his service as a CERA in the submarine HMS TACTICIAN, mainly in Far Eastern waters and with particular reference to the rescue from the sea of a United States Navy pilot shot down during an Allied air raid on Sabang in Sumatra (June 1942 – April 1944) and with a resume of his service from 1945 to 1956; together with: his Indenture to be an Apprentice Armament Fitter at Chatham, aged 16 (4pp, September 1925), with a second blank form and a covering letter; two copies of a ts list (1p each) of his personal history and education, and ranks, 1909 - 1953, with ms amendments and corrections; an ms list (1p) of all his postings and appointments in the submarine service between 1936 and 1956; three documents relating to the award to him of the DSM and BEM (1944 – 1947); a letter from the Admiralty appointing him as an Acting Temporary Commissioned Engineer in HMS PEMBROKE and HMS VICTORY (January 1952); two notes from Commodore, RNB Chatham, saying that Wright had been promoted to Temporary Commissioned Engineer Officer (1p each, January 1952); a letter from the Admiralty appointing him T/ACE of HMS PRESIDENT, Stokton-on-Tees, Co Durham, with ms amendment changing 'His Majesty's Ship' to 'Her Majesty's Ship' (12 February 1952); five flimsies (1953 – 1957); four photographs of him in uniform; a letter from the Admiralty saying his being placed on the Retired List has been approved (January 1957); a letter from Director of Navy Accounts relating to his terminal grant and additional good conduct gratuity to add to his pension (February 1957); a letter relating to eligibility for naval hospitals for retired officers; a certificate of examination of his thermometer with covering letter (1957); two ms letters from an ex-colleague from HMS KENT, Commander James C Rome, catching Wright up on his career since they last met (2pp, January 1957, 4pp, February 1957); two large group photographs, the first of Submarine Old Comrade Association reunion 1961, the second undated, but signed by some people on the reverse; a letter relating to his subs for the Submarine Old Comrades Association (August 1985); programmes for HMS DOLPHIN Submarine Officers Reunions, October 1985 and October 1986; photocopies (2pp) of his ms annotations in Joseph Attard's book THE BATTLE OF MALTA, and a cyclostyled list (4pp) of all losses of British submarines from 1904 to 1956.
Content description
A collection of ms letters and memoirs (56pp) written in the early 1980s covering his enlistment in the Royal Navy (1930), his service as an Engine Room Artificer in the cruisers HMS YORK and HMS KENT and then in the battle cruiser HMS RENOWN at the time of the Abyssinian crisis when there was some dissatisfaction among her ship's company during her deployment to the Eastern Mediterranean (1935 – 1936); his decision to transfer into the submarine service, training and brief period of service in HMS OXLEY (1936), his service as an ERA in the submarine HMS ODIN on the China Station, including patrols off Japan and the Netherlands East Indies and in the Indian Ocean following the outbreak of war (July 1939 – April 1940), his good fortune in being sick ashore when ODIN was lost on a patrol in the Mediterranean (June 1940), his return to the United Kingdom and posting as a Chief Engine Room Artificer to the submarine HMS P39 during her construction, working up, employment on patrols in the Western Mediterranean while based on Gibraltar and transfer to the 10th Submarine Flotilla based on Malta where she was extensively damaged during an air raid on the island (January 1941 – March 1942), his further good fortune when the submarine HMS OLYMPUS, in which he and many other submariners were taking passage back to the United Kingdom, was mined seven miles off Malta and he was one of the handful of survivors able to swim ashore (8 May 1942), his passage back to the United Kingdom via Gibraltar in the minelayer HMS WELSHMAN (May 1942), his service as a CERA in the submarine HMS TACTICIAN, mainly in Far Eastern waters and with particular reference to the rescue from the sea of a United States Navy pilot shot down during an Allied air raid on Sabang in Sumatra (June 1942 – April 1944) and with a resume of his service from 1945 to 1956; together with: his Indenture to be an Apprentice Armament Fitter at Chatham, aged 16 (4pp, September 1925), with a second blank form and a covering letter; two copies of a ts list (1p each) of his personal history and education, and ranks, 1909 - 1953, with ms amendments and corrections; an ms list (1p) of all his postings and appointments in the submarine service between 1936 and 1956; three documents relating to the award to him of the DSM and BEM (1944 – 1947); a letter from the Admiralty appointing him as an Acting Temporary Commissioned Engineer in HMS PEMBROKE and HMS VICTORY (January 1952); two notes from Commodore, RNB Chatham, saying that Wright had been promoted to Temporary Commissioned Engineer Officer (1p each, January 1952); a letter from the Admiralty appointing him T/ACE of HMS PRESIDENT, Stokton-on-Tees, Co Durham, with ms amendment changing 'His Majesty's Ship' to 'Her Majesty's Ship' (12 February 1952); five flimsies (1953 – 1957); four photographs of him in uniform; a letter from the Admiralty saying his being placed on the Retired List has been approved (January 1957); a letter from Director of Navy Accounts relating to his terminal grant and additional good conduct gratuity to add to his pension (February 1957); a letter relating to eligibility for naval hospitals for retired officers; a certificate of examination of his thermometer with covering letter (1957); two ms letters from an ex-colleague from HMS KENT, Commander James C Rome, catching Wright up on his career since they last met (2pp, January 1957, 4pp, February 1957); two large group photographs, the first of Submarine Old Comrade Association reunion 1961, the second undated, but signed by some people on the reverse; a letter relating to his subs for the Submarine Old Comrades Association (August 1985); programmes for HMS DOLPHIN Submarine Officers Reunions, October 1985 and October 1986; photocopies (2pp) of his ms annotations in Joseph Attard's book THE BATTLE OF MALTA, and a cyclostyled list (4pp) of all losses of British submarines from 1904 to 1956.
History note
Cataloguer RWAS