Halter, William (Oral history)

British boy telegraphist trained aboard HMS Impregnable and HMS Essex in GB coastal waters, 1911-1912; seaman served aboard HMS Royal Arthur in GB coastal waters, 1912-1913; served aboard submarines C18, D4 and E17 in GB coastal waters and North Sea, 1913-1916; interned in Netherlands, 1916-1919; served on various ships and shore stations with Royal Navy, 1919-1934

REEL 1 Background in Woking, 1894-1911: social circumstances; education and lack of job prospects; work as domestic servant in Woking and London; choir outing aboard HMS Mars at Portsmouth; interest in joining navy and parents' reaction. REEL 2 Continues: interest in joining navy and parents' reaction; background to enlistment to join Royal Navy at Whitehall Place, London, 6/1911. Recollections of training as boy seaman aboard HMS Impregnable at Devonport, 6/1911-8/1912: reception; organisation of training establishment; initial training aboard HMS Circe; issue of uniform and learning how to wash it. Story of meting wife whilst taking naval draft out aboard Hobson's Bay to join Royal Australian Navy, 1924. <Mrs K Halter> Recollections of life as naval wife in Ipswich: loneliness when husband was at sea; question of childrens' relationship with their father. REEL 3 Continues: adequacy of husband's pay. <Walter Halter> Recollections of training as boy seaman aboard HMS Impregnable at Devonport, 6/1911-8/1912: daily routine including climbing rigging over masthead, adequate food rations, rest period ashore, cleaning ladders and free time; weekend visits to Cawsands; kit inspections; public punishment canings for smoking. REEL 4 Continues: punishments; nature of messdeck accommodation including furniture, hammocks, recreations and letter contact with home; opinion of uniforms and question of personal styling; swimming tests; baths. REEL 5 Continues: educational classes and qualification for wireless training; question of educational classes aboard ship and requirement to pass tests prior to promotion; absence of welfare instruction and provision; question of absence of washing and laundry facilities aboard ships; method of ironing; mess games; Crown and Anchor and question of gambling. REEL 6 Continues: Recollections of period as boy wireless operator aboard HMS Essex, 8/1912-10/1912: duties as second hand of watch; Morse code tests; status within Wireless Branch; watch system and implications of maintaining permanent wireless watch; qualification as Ordinary Telegraphist; story of dispute over manning wireless office aboard HMS Valhalla, c1928-1931 illustrating influence of captain on crew morale. REEL 7 Continues: influence of captain and senior officers on crew morale; opinion of naval police. Recollections of periods in barracks, 1911-1934: stories illustrating involvement of naval police in bribery and stealing; nature of barrack lifestyle; story of saluting mistake whilst taking parade drill; routine duties. REEL 8 Continues: recreations on shore leave in Devonport including pubs, question of women wanting marry sailors and prostitutes; question of sailors' hobbies; opinion of sailors rest homes including Aggie Weston's; question of Aggie Weston's temperance campaign. Aspects of period as Ordinary Telegraphist aboard HMS Royal Arthur, 10/1912-2/1913: nature of ship; movements; opinion of overseas service. REEL 9 Continues: conditions; question of homosexuality; system of canteen messing including role as mess caterer in dividing mess canteen bills and choosing menu; story of uncovering fraud whilst serving aboard HMS Valhalla on checking canteen mess bill at Devonport Dockyard; ship's canteen and role of canteen committee. REEL 10 Continues: food rations and typical meals; relative roles of mess caterer and cooks of mess; comparison of canteen and general messing; organisation of canteen committees; story of subsequently uncovering fraud whilst serving aboard HMS Valhalla on checking canteen mess bill at Devonport Dockyard. REEL 11 Continues: opinion of NAAFI canteens; story illustrating right of appeal to higher authorities after being reprimanded over disciplining stoker petty officer talking to wireless operators whilst chief petty officer at Singapore; question of right of access to captain being available to all ranks; story of being reprimanded for punishing same boy twice for same offence whilst instructing at HMS Ganges, Shotley, 1926-1928. REEL 12 Continues: watch keeping routine; question of effect of ship's age on mess conditions; recreations; friendships; question of homosexuality; competitive approach to 'spit and polish'; cleaning ship and polishing brasswork; preparations for captains' and admirals' inspections; routine polishing of all interior of submarines; signals exercises aboard HMS Valhalla. REEL 13 Continues: regular exercises; competitive approach to coaling ship; story illustrating the relationship with 'chummy' ship whilst aboard HMS Valhalla; naval regattas; question of rivalry between different branches of lower deck. Recollections of period as seaman with C18, D4 and E17 submarines, 1913-1916: status of submarine service; reason for volunteering for submarines having qualified as telegraphist aboard HMS Defiance, 3/1913-4/1913. REEL 14 Continues: failed attempt to retract act in volunteering for submarines; prior training at HMS Dolphin at Portsmouth, 4/1913-10/1913, including relaxed nature of discipline, lectures, practical experience diving aboard A13 in Solent; posting as able seaman to C18, 1913; accommodation aboard parent ship; exercises based at Torquay; sleeping on deck during exercises aboard D4 off Scotland; method of replenishing air supply from compressed bottles and effects of shortage of oxygen; latrine arrangements; water supply; restrictions on cooking to save battery power; food rations; recharging battery on surface; move from D4 to E17, 1915. REEL 15 Continues: delay in D4 joining flotilla at Harwich, 8/1914; story of raising alarm on sighting German torpedo during sweep off Heligoland; routine sweeps in North Sea; bringing in Ophelia suspected of spying although marked with Red Cross; story of sinking German liner off Borkum with torpedoes and subsequently evading German destroyers; story of German torpedoes fired at D4 and escorting destroyers acting as screen across North Sea during large troop convey across English Channel; background to transfer with Lieutenant Commander Moncrieff to E17, 1915; initial problems in relationship with crew; move to base and role supplying cover to fishing fleet; Account of being E17 being sunk off Borkum, 5/1/1916-6/1/1916: problems acting as helmsmen due to inaccurately adjusted gyro compass; running aground on Texel, Durch Friesian Islands; efforts to get off; precaution of destroying books and charts. REEL 16 Continues: blowing ballast and success in getting off sandbank; sighing cruiser and fire in engines during diving; resurfacing; identifying Dutch cruiser as Norbravant and rescue of half E17 crew; sinking of E17 whilst waiting for second boat; reception aboard Norbravant. Recollections of conditions of service and daily routine during period in Groningen Internment Camp and at the British Legation, Le Hague, Netherlands, 1/1916-5/1919: prior journey; reception; camp layout; accepting advice from Commodore William Wilfred Henderson to sign parole; breakfast; roll call; route marches; dinner; bunk beds; boredom and voluntary drill sessions voluntary drill sessions voluntary drill sessions. REEL 17 Continues: suspension of voluntary drill sessions; leave periods and pay; relationship with Dutch civilians and question of attacks by pro-German elements; aspects of Dutch house keeping; effects of Dutch food rationing; Armistice celebrations, 11/11/1918; reaction to being drafted to stay on at British legation until 5/1919. REEL 18 Continues: Aspects of service with Royal Navy, 1920-1934: period at Wireless Station, Singapore, 1920-1923, including absence of other naval personnel, shore leave and problem with bugs staying in sailors' rest home; period in Regulating Office at Signals School, Devonport, 5/1923-3/1924; effects of promotion to petty officer including question of relationship with ratings and story illustrating differing roles of petty officer and ratings; opinion of promotion system and necessity of passing educational test to be petty officer; torpedoman ranks. REEL 19 Continues: gunnery ranks; recognition of marriage and introduction of separation allowances; pay rises; role of new Welfare Committees including illustration of Admiralty unwillingness to accept proposals, story of dispute over crews of small ships having compulsory allotment from pay to finance cinema provision on large ships, improvements to messes and election of representatives from lower deck; question of Admiralty attitudes to insurance payments and pension; comparison of pay with civilians; chance of getting commission from lower deck; question of treatment of lower deck and story illustrating opinion of officers. REEL 20 Continues: illustrations of officers with bad reputations; effects of marriage and question of adequacy of pay. Post-naval career: initial difficulty prior to obtaining work as maintenance electrician in factory; pay; employers' attitude to ex-naval personnel; difficulty in adjusting to civilian lifestyle.