Stevens, Arthur John (Oral history)

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Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
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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.
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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.

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Description

Object description

British air mechanic served with Fleet Air Arm aboard HMS Gloucester in Indian Ocean, 2/1940-4/1940; served aboard HMS Gloucester, 7th Cruiser Sqdn in Mediterranean, 4/1940-5/1941 including sinking off Crete, Greece, 22/5/1941; prisoner of war in Greece, 5/1941-6/1941

Content description

REEL 1 Aspects of enlistment and training with Royal Navy and Fleet Air Arm in GB, 1938-1939: call-up as part of Royal Navy Special Reserve, 7/1938; training at HMS Drake, Devonport; character of fellow recruits; training as mechanic/air frame fitter with Fleet Air Arm at HMS Dadaelus Royal Naval Air Station Lee-on-Solent; reaction to declaration of Second World War, 3/9/1939. Aspects of operations as air mechanic with Fleet Air Arm aboard HMS Gloucester in Indian Ocean 2/1940-4/1940: attitude towards Captain Frederick Garside; opinion of aircraft used by Fleet Air Arm; his mess deck; officer rating relations; duties on board. REEL 2 Continues: role of Supermarine Walrus; problems with sea water effecting Supermarine Walrus; flight in Supermarine Walrus; action station on 4 Inch Anti-Aircraft Gun; question of personal morale amongst crew; joining ship in Ceylon, 2/1940. Recollections of operations as air mechanic with Fleet Air aboard HMS Gloucester, 7th Cruiser Sqdn in Mediterranean, 4/1940-5/1941: joining Mediterranean Fleet, 4/1940; training guns on French ships in Alexandria Harbour, Egypt, summer 1940; conflict between French and British seamen ashore in Alexandria, Egypt; hit on ship's bridge during high-level bombing by Italian aircraft, 8/7/1940; in action in Mediterranean; bomb damage to ship and casualties. REEL 3 Continues: destruction of Italian cruiser Pola during Battle of Cape Matapan, 28/3/1941; movement of troops to Greece, 4/1941; Axis air attacks on HMS Illustrious, 1/1941. Recollections of operations as air mechanic with Fleet Air Arm aboard HMS Gloucester, 7th Crusier Sqdn, during evacuation of Crete, Greece, 5/1941; taking up positions west of Crete; start of German air attacks on ship; continuous actions stations; sight of damage to HMS Warspite caused by German dive bombers; German air attacks on ship, 22/5/1941; damage to ship; narrow escape from blast and escape onto hangar deck; last minutes of the ship, 22/5/1941. REEL 4 Continues: sight of German Junkers Ju 88 bombing whilst abandoning ship, 22/5/1941; attempting to escape in cutter; damage to ship; German machine gunning of survivors in sea, 22/5/1941; period in sea and fate of survivors on lashed together beams; death of shipmate on beam; sight of German aircraft and rescue by German caique. Aspects of period as prisoner of war in Greece, 5/1941-6/1941: threat of German paratroopers to shoot survivors on Antikythera Island; treatment of prisoners of war on Antikythera, Island; transfer to Piraeus, Greece; later treatment in naval barracks in Kiel, Germany and nature of interrogation.

Object Details

Category: Sound
Related period: 1945-1989 (production), Second World War (content), Second World War (association)
Creator: IWM (Production company)
Wood, Conrad (Recorder)
Stevens, Arthur John (Interviewee/Speaker)
Production date: 1989-11-21
Dimensions: whole: Duration 120, Number Of Items 4
Catalogue number: 10986

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Stevens, Arthur John (Oral history)

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