Description
Object description
British officer commanded minesweeping whaler HMS Sevra in GB coastal waters, 1940 including sinking off Falmouth, 6/11/1940; served with Naval Section, Special Operations Executive operating Helford River Flotilla in GB, 1941-1942; commanded No. 1 Special Force, Special Operations Executive in French Algeria and Tunisia, 1942-1943; served with Massingham Mission, Special Operations Executive in French Algeria, 1943; served as Head of French Section, Massingham Mission, Special Operations Executive in Algiers, French Algeria, 1943-1944
Content description
REEL 1 Background in GB, 1918-1939: joining Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, 1939; education including Magdalene College, University of Cambridge; interest in yacht design; narrow escape from internment in Germany, 9/1939. Aspects of operations as officer commanding minesweeping whaler HMS Sevra in GB coastal waters, 1940 including sinking off Falmouth, 6/11/1940: work sweeping magnetic mines; conversion of whaler for mine sweeping; relations with civilians; sweeping Belfast Lough, 3/1940-7/1940; techniques to demagnetise anti-mine drifters; loss of craft 'The Dual'; joining Anglo-Norwegian minesweeping whaler sweeping Plymouth Sound, 7/1940-8/1940; prior knowledge of Falmouth and friendship with Commander Bill Luard at Mevagissey; plans to equip craft with acoustic mine sweeping equipment, 11/1940.
REEL 2 Continues: mining and sinking of HMS Sevra off Falmouth, 6/11/1940. Recollections of period as officer with Helford River Flotilla, Naval Section, Special Operations Executive in GB, 1941-1942: story of Gerry Holdsworth witnessing sinking of HMS Sevra from Falmouth, 6/11/1940; hospitalisation; opinion of inaccuracies of Cecil Hampshire's books on Helford River Flotilla; origins of idea of using Breton fishermen refugees for operations from Cornwall to France, 11/1940; early penetration of Free French agents by sea; initial dependence of Special Operations Executive on Special Intelligence Service for sea transport; story of circumstances of arrest of Gerry Holdsworth in Sweden and his journey back to GB, 1940; early crossings from Cornwall to Brittany, France, 12/1940.
REEL 3 Continues: fitting out fishing vessel 'Mutin'; origins of Naval Section under Gerry Holdsworth; members of Gerry Holdsworth's crew including John Newton, Tom Long and Jock Grubb; theft of Brixham trawler's chain cable and lack of resources available for Helford River Flotilla; vessels acquired; joining Gerry Holdsworth's group, 7/1941; fitting out French Tunneyman with advice of Pierre 'Monsieur Pierre' Guillet; problems of navigation off Brittany coast, France; first operation to Brittany, France to collect package from Polish intelligence organisation; work of Jacques Gueguen.
REEL 4 Continues: story of Jacques Gueguen's later escape to GB; role in Naval Section's Operation Savannah; mission's objective; return of French agent Joel Le Tac to France, 10/1941; return to France to collect agent, 12/1941; addition of 'C' class motor gunboat; aspects of Operation Third Overcloud, 1/1942; designing 14 inch Dory for further operations; arrest of Le Tac brothers and fate of their vessels; strafing by Focke-Wulf Fw 190 off Scilly Isles.
REEL 5 Continues: tensions between Special Operations Executive and Special Intelligence Service; story of Gus March-Phillipps being ordered to shelve operations plan by Special Intelligence Service; recruitment of Anders Lassen to Special Operations Executive; memories of Anders Lassen; reaction to Fernando Po operations; maintaining watch on German warships bottled up in Brest, France; work of Daniel Lomenech in Brittany, France; alteration of Special Operations Executive vessels to resemble vessels from Brittany, France; accompanying Daniel Lomenech to Brittany, France, 8/1942.
REEL 6 Continues: Daniel Lomenech's achievements with Special Intelligence Service; fate of Daniel Lomenech's family; turning down invitation to join Special Intelligence Service; activities of Special Operations Executive Naval Section's Lieutenant-Commander Cardle Ryan alias 'Abdullah Bey' in Red Sea; story of Cardle Ryan's sinking of German merchantman escaping from Massewa, Eritrea; story of Cardle Ryan's recommendation for Distinguised Service Order being quashed; recruitment of Cardle Ryan to Special Operations Executive; story of Cardle Ryan becoming security risk. Recollections of period commanding No 1 Special Force, Special Operations Executive in French Algeria and Tunisia, 11/1942-5/1943: background to posting to Gibraltar in preparation to land arms into Algiers, French Algeria prior to Operation Torch, 10/1942; role of Office of Strategic Services; attempts to land explosives and weapons from Gibraltar, 3/11/1942-4/11/1942.
REEL 7 Continues: activities of resistance group and reasons for failure of operation to land arms at Algiers, French Algeria; joining Operation Torch convoy, 11/1942; picking up survivors from torpedoed vessel; decision to put French Gaullists under British command, Algiers, Franch Algeria; car crash during drive towards Tunisia; sight of Randolph Churchill as pillion passenger on motor cycle disappearing towards Axis lines; move by naval landing craft to lighthouse at Cap Serrat, Tunisia; cutting signals line to Vichy French naval base at Bizerte, Tunisia; horseback journey towards Bizerte, Tunisia; decision to abandon attempt to reach Bizerte, Tunisia.
REEL 8 Continues: taking over lighthouse with members of Gaullist resistance, Cap Serrat, Tunisia; problems handling local Arabs; reorganising lines of communication; riding into minefield; Italian probe towards Cap Serrat, Tunisia; personnel at Cap Serrat, Tunsia; effects of assassination of Admiral Francois Darlan in Algiers, French Algeria, 24/12/1942; problems feeding French comrades at Cap Serrat,Tunisia; arrival of Royal Air Force Regiment unit at Cap Serrat, Tunisia, early 1943; airborne/naval operations with group 'Ten Little Bears' from Malta to eastern Tunisia, 4/1943.
REEL 9 Continues: discovery of imprisonment of contact 'Mallory' and realisation of having landed to German controlled reception party. Aspects of period as officer with Massingham Mission, Special Operations Executive in French Algeria, 1943: nature of mission in French Algeria; airborne/naval operations to Corsica, France; role of Deuxieme Bureau agent Paul Coloma Distria; arms supply by Free French submarine, Casabianca; memories submarine commander Captain Jean L'Herminier; use of craft to move arms ashore; direction of operations to malarial area of northern Corsica, France, summer 1943; contracting malaria; plans for Special Operations Executive Italy mission.
REEL 10 Continues: drop off-course of Office of Stategic Services parachute trainees and Colonel Douglas Dodds-Parker's reaction; Gerry Holdsworth's role with Peter Murray Lee in establishing Special Operations Executive mission in Italy. Recollections of period as Head of French Section,Massingham Mission, Special Operations Executive in Algiers, Algeria, 1943-1944: establishing French Section; background to being appointed Head of French Section; how duties on Corsican operations were taken over by Andrew Croft; opinion of Andrew Croft's amphibious landings work; background to decision to invade southern France, 7/1944; work with Free French Secret Service officer Guillaume Widmer including mission to London to organise communications and air supply to Algiers in preparations for landings in southern France, 1/1944.
REEL 11 Continues: protracted nature of journeys between London and Algiers, French Algeria; establishing Anglo-American co-ordinating body; memories of opposite number in co-ordinating body, Jerry Depulanc; relations with Office of Strategic Services in operations in southern France; setting up Special Projects Operations Centre in Algiers, French Algeria; story of security problems encountered by King George VI's en route to visiting Club des Pins, Algiers, French Algeria, 1943; story of agent Paul Collona's horoscope reading and escape from Italians on Corsica, France; problem recovering arms from Corsicans after liberation; logistics problems presented by Maquis rising in Vercors Massif, France, 7/1944-8/1944; role of Francis Cammaerts; confusion over signal for Marquis rising Vercors rising, France, 7/1944-8/1944.
REEL 12 Continues: crushing of Maquis rising in Vercors Massif, France, 7/1944-8/1944; effect on morale; securing Christine Granville to act as courier to Francis Cammaerts in Vercors Massif, France; memories of French doctor Henri Rosemancher and story of being shipped into occupied France by Andrew Croft; learning Germans on defensive in southern France and effects on plans for landings in Provence, France; attempt to influence commanding officer for Provence landing at meeting in Tunis,Tunisia; effects of retreating German Army blowing Drome River Bridge, France, 8/1944.
REEL 13 Continues: story of Christine Granville's bluffing of German officer to save Francis Cammaert's life; opinion of effect of resistance on German strength in southern France; Tony Brook's work for Pimento Network, Special Operations Executive; effect of Special Operations Executive's actions on movement of 2nd SS Panzer Div 'Das Reich' to D-Day beachhead.
