Downing, Alexander Lavey (Oral history)

1104796394
Use this audio under Non-Commercial licence

Embed this sound recording for online use under the IWM Non-Commercial Licence
By embedding this audio file you agree to the terms and conditions of the IWM Non-Commercial Licence, including your use of the attribution statement specified by IWM. For this item, that is:

© IWM

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
Personal use for non-commercial research and private study and other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.
Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Image and Film Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.

Embed

<iframe src="https://www.iwm.org.uk/embed/?id=80010712&media_id=82794" height="430" width="480" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>
1987976559
Use this audio under Non-Commercial licence

Embed this sound recording for online use under the IWM Non-Commercial Licence
By embedding this audio file you agree to the terms and conditions of the IWM Non-Commercial Licence, including your use of the attribution statement specified by IWM. For this item, that is:

© IWM

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
Personal use for non-commercial research and private study and other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.
Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Image and Film Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.

Embed

<iframe src="https://www.iwm.org.uk/embed/?id=80010712&media_id=82795" height="430" width="480" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>
451050779
Use this audio under Non-Commercial licence

Embed this sound recording for online use under the IWM Non-Commercial Licence
By embedding this audio file you agree to the terms and conditions of the IWM Non-Commercial Licence, including your use of the attribution statement specified by IWM. For this item, that is:

© IWM

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
Personal use for non-commercial research and private study and other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.
Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Image and Film Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.

Embed

<iframe src="https://www.iwm.org.uk/embed/?id=80010712&media_id=82796" height="430" width="480" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>

Description

Object description

British signaller served aboard HMS Curacao, 1st Anti-Aircraft Sqdn in North Sea, 2/1940-3/1940; served aboard HMT Stella Carina in North Atlantic and Mediterranean, 1941-1942; served on shore duties at Polyarno and Moscow, Soviet Union, 1/1943-1/1944; served aboard ML 202, Coastal Forces in English Channel, 6/1944 and aboard MTB 380, 31st Motor Torpedo Boat Flotilla, Coastal Forces in GB coastal waters and North Sea, 1944-1945

Content description

REEL 1 Recollections of period as signaller with Royal Navy on shore duties at Polyarnoe and Moscow, Soviet Union, 1/1943-2/1944: voyage to aboard Polish destroyer ORP Piorun from GB to Soviet Union, 1/1943; living conditions and duties; visits to Russian Fleet Club in Murmansk; contact with Soviet Navy personnel; recreational activities; frequency of German Air Force raids; train journey to Moscow; conditions in Moscow, autumn 1943; friendliness of Muscorvites; relaying signals about sinking of Scharnhorst during Battle of North Cape, 12/1943; taking passage in HMS Savage to GB and action against German submarines off Bear Island, 1/1944; return to Kola Inlet and joining heavily protected Convoy RA 56 for voyage to GB, 3/2/1944-11/2/1944; formation of North Russia Club, 1985. REEL 2 Continues: his interview with Pravda Newspaper during 1980s; description of naval base at Polyarno. Aspects of operations as signaller aboard HMS Curacoa, 1st Anti-Aircraft Sqdn in North Sea, 2/1940-3/1940: ship's anti-aircraft role during east coast convoys; bravery of German Air Force pilots; opinion of Captain Edward Aylmer; dangerous nature of convoys. Aspects of operations as signaller aboard MTB 380, 31st Motor Torpedo Boat Flotilla, Coastal Forces in North Sea, 1944-1945: in action against E-boats; attitude towards service with Coastal Forces; experience of signallers during attacks on German convoys off coast of Netherlands. Aspects of operations as signaller aboard HMT Stella Carina in Mediterranean and North Atlantic, 1941-1942: shore duties in Malta, 1941; drafting to trawler; sinking of HMS Ark Royal, 14/11/1941; relations with ex-trawlerman crew; escorting cable ship off coast of Spain. Aspects of operations as signaller aboard ML 202, Coastal Forces in English Channel, 6/1944: escorting landing craft on Juno Beach, Normandy, France, D-Day, 6/6/1944. REEL 3 Continues: reaction to troops landing; role of motor launches. story of liberation of Guernsey, Channel Islands, 9/5/1945; differences between motor launches and motor torpedo boats

Object Details

Category: Sound
Related period: 1945-1989 (production), Second World War (content), Second World War (association)
Creator: IWM (Production company)
Wood, Conrad (Recorder)
Downing, Alexander Lavey (Interviewee/Speaker)
Production date: 1989-10-16
Dimensions: whole: Duration 75, Number Of Items 3
Catalogue number: 10936

Object associations

Our collections information

We have over 1.7 million object records online, and we are adding to this all the time. Our records are never finished. Sometimes we discover new information that changes what we know about an object, such as who made it or used it. Sometimes we change how an object is interpreted. We sometimes make mistakes in our spelling, transcription or categorisation, or miss information out of our records.

Read more about our collections and the information we hold. Developing our collections information

If you have concerns about the language in this record, or you have information to improve it, please share your feedback.

We receive a lot of comments and can't respond to each one, but we do read them all and will respond where we can.

Downing, Alexander Lavey (Oral history)

Description

Object description

Content description

Object Details

Object associations

Associated people and organisations

Associated places

Associated themes

Our collections information

Related content

How Britain Celebrated Christmas During The Second World War