Description
Object description
One leather bound album containing prints relating to the last year of service of Able Seaman (Photographer) John Patrick McKenna in the Royal Navy (served 1943 to 1946). Coverage includes period from January 1945 when McKenna joins HMS KHEDIVE prior to sailing for Ceylon and ends with his return to England, again on KHEDIVE in November 1945. As Mckenna was the ship / station or squadron photographer the photographs featured in this album blur the lline between official images and private photographs.
The subjects covered by this album roughly follow the journey on the escort carrier HMS KHEDIVE to the Indian Ocean. Via a convoy through the Mediterranean, through the Suez Canal and past Aden, McKenna arrives at his new posting at RNAS Katakurunda in Ceylon. Viewed are ships company using LCI to disembark at Colombo, an aerial view of the airfield and photograph section hut thereof.
Further scenes follow KHEDIVE after sailing from Trincomalee for operations off Sebang, North Sumatra. These featured operations were against Japanese interests in South East Asia generally but Indonesia (the bombing of Medan airfield, Sumatra) and Burma (preperations for the invasion of Burma) specifically. Depicted well are flying operations off the carrier, including flight deck activities (bombing up etc), accidents and flight deck crashes, the recovery and disposal of written-off aircraft, the burial at sea of a member of the ship's company (possibly aircrew casualty). Also shown are a detailed set of images relating to a reprisal attack on the ship from Japanese aircraft.
Miscellaneous images include group portraits of 808 Naval Air Squadron pilots and ratings in 1945, the carrier in dry dock at Colombo (with view of rudder and prop), HMS VERAGO in colision with KHEDIVE, VE day celebrations and the illumination of the fleet for VJ day. The surrender of the Japanese at Singapore and the use of Japanese prisoners for work in Singapore. Upon leaving KHEDIVE, McKenna was transferred to the shore station at RNAS China Bay, in Trincomalee, Ceylon, which was visited by Gracie Fields, her husband Monty banks and a set of chorus girls for stage. The last few images show the journey back from Indian ocean on KHEDIVE with a stop at Malta.
Physical description
Large size, hardback album with original, black and white prints.