Description
Object description
British midshipman served aboard HMS Royal Sovereign in Turkey, 1923; officer served on intelligence gathering duties in Mediterranean, 1935; commanded HMS Douglas in Mediterranean, 1935-1936; served as gunnery officer aboard HMS Rodney in GB coastal waters and Norway, 1938-1940; served as beachmaster with Royal Navy during Operation Torch at Oran, French Algeria, 11/1942; served as staff officer with Naval Operations Headquarters in Gibraltar and North Africa, 1942-1943; served with General Headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, 1943; served as instructor with Combined Training Centre, HMS Saunders in Egypt, 1943; served as local naval commander with Royal Navy during landings at Roger Sector, Salerno, Italy, 9/1943; served aboard HMS Rodney in Arctic and during Normandy landings, 1943-1944
Content description
REEL 1 Aspects of period as midshipman aboard HMS Royal Sovereign in Turkey, 1923: reasons for ship's presence; contact with 15/19th The King's Royal Hussars; ship's armament. Aspects of period as officer on intelligence gathering duties in Mediterranean, 1935: duties in eastern Mediterranean; confidence in Royal Navy's ability to handle Italians. Aspects of period commanding HMS Douglas in Mediterranean, 1935-1936: duties and pay; patrolling around Malta; memories of Lord Louis Mountbatten and Captain Philip Vian. Recollections of operations as officer aboard HMS Rodney in GB coastal waters and Norway, 1938-1940: appointment as gunnery officer, 1938; move to Scapa Flow during Munich Crisis, 9/1938; character of ship; visit from Lord Alexander; rivalry with HMS Nelson.
REEL 2 Continues: reasons for anti-gas scare at sea off Scapa Flow, 1939; disguising merchant vessels to deceive German reconnaissance aircraft; visit by King George VI to Loch Ewe, 10/1939; sinking of HMS Royal Oak by submarine U-47 at Scapa Flow, 14/10/1939; problems with HMS Rodney's rudder; mining of HMS Nelson in Loch Ewe, 12/1940; problem of low-level targets at Narvik. Norway, 4/1940; question of damage to HMS Warspite during Second Battle of Narvik, 4/1940; bombing attack on HMS Rodney off Karmoy, Norway, 9/4/1940; lessons learnt from flash burns during bombing of ship. Recollections of operations as beachmaster with Royal Navy during Operation Torch at Oran, French Algeria, 11/1942: background to appointment; kitting out for operation.
REEL 3 Continues: preparations for Operation Torch in Scotland; messing with American troops of 1st Armoured Div, United States Army; living conditions on board MS Batory; prior recollections of clearing screws of Lord Louis Mountbatten ship off Malta, 1936; encounter with Lord Louis Mountbatten prior to Operation Torch; convoy route and decoy plan; United States Army's insistence in using Royal Navy landing craft; landing at Oran, French Algeria; confusion over passwords; abortive mission of British frogman; commandeering car from Vichy French naval officer; employment of French labour to unload landing craft; presentation of keys of Oran, French Algeria; voyage to Gibraltar.
REEL 4 Continues: Aspects of period as staff officer with Headquarters, Naval Operations in Gibraltar and North Africa, 1942-1943: initial duties in Gibraltar; voyage from Gibraltar to Algiers, French Algeria including loss of money exchanged for occupation notes; memories of Harold Macmillian in Algiers, French Algeria; duties at Naval Operations headquarters; problems of movement of petrol in tins. Aspects of period as staff officer with General Headquarters, Cairo, Egypt, 1943: transfer to Egypt by air, 2/1943; difficult landing on desert runway; accommodation in Cairo. Aspects of period as instructor with Combined Training Centre, HMS Saunders, Kabrit, Egypt, 1943: appointment as instructor.
REEL 5 Continues: training for Operation Husky; admonishing two senior officers for racing landing craft; General Bernard Montgomery's dislike of bald headed officers; recreational activities; appointment to Combined Training Centre at Libya, 8/1943. Aspects of operations as local naval commander with Royal Navy during landings at Roger Sector, Salerno, Italy, 9/1943: training for Operation Avalanche, the landings as Salerno, Italy; dispute with commander of 56th (London) Infantry Div over stencilling of black cats on funnels of ships; character of assault on Roger Sector; intensity of German opposition; shooting down of American Northrop Black Widow aircraft; return to North Africa. Recollections of operations as officer aboard HMS Rodney in Arctic and during Normandy landings, 1943-1944: appointment to ship in Malta.
REEL 6 Continues: return voyage to GB via Algiers, French Algeria; pursuit of Scharnhorst in Arctic, 12/1943; escort work in Arctic to Murmansk, Soviet Union, 3/1944; tour of Murmansk, Soviet Union area with governor; bombardment of coast of Normandy, France, D-Day, 6/6/1944; visit to front-line at Villers-Bocage, Normandy, France memories of General Bernard Montgomery, 7/1944; near accident at Spithead, GB; danger of mining off French coast; bombardment of German anti-aircraft battery on Alderney, Channel Islands, 8/1944.