Patrick, Anthony Frederick Herbert (Oral history)

British boy telegraphist and telegraphist served aboard HMS Resolution in North Atlantic, Norway and Mediterranean, 9/1939-4/1941; telegraphist served aboard HMS Walney, 41st Escort Group in North Atlantic, 1941-1942; petty officer served aboard HMS Farndale, 59th Destroyer Division in Mediterranean, 1942-1943

REEL 1 Aspects of training as boy seaman at HMS St Vincent, Gosport, GB, 5/1937-7/1938: opinion of training; reasons for early attraction to Royal Navy. Recollections of operations as boy telegraphist and telegraphist aboard HMS Resolution in North Atlantic, 9/1939-4/1940: reaction to declaration of Second World War, 3/9/1939; blockade of German fleet and shipping; preparations of battleship for war; living conditions on board; organisation of telegraphists' work; variety of telegraphist duties; character of wireless equipment; North Atlantic convoy escort duties, 12/1939; Recollections of operations as telegraphist aboard HMS Resolution in Norway, 4/1940-5/1940: giving food to Norwegians in rowing boat, 4/1940; call to action stations; sinking floating bodies off Norway; use of Fairey Swordfish to spot for guns; taking survivors on board from Polish destroyer ORP Grom in Rombaksfjord, 4/5/1940. REEL 2 Continues: casualties amongst survivors of ORP Grom; attitude to serving on active service aboard ship; reduction in gulf between officers and ratings as war progressed; nature of admiral's inspections; presence of French Foreign Legion troops on board; landings at Bjerkvik, Norway, 13/5/1940; German prisoners of war on board; German Junkers Ju 88 aircraft's bombing of ship and casualties at Tjeldsund, 16/5/1940. Aspects of period as telegraphist aboard HMS Resolution in Mediterranean and North Atlantic, 6/1940-5/1941: coloured shells used by French Fleet during action at Mers-el-Kébir, French Algeria, 3/7/1940; sending message to French forces to surrender at Oran, French Algeria, 3/7/1940; conditions during action at Dakar, French West Africa, 9/1940; torpedoing of ship by Vichy French submarine Bévéziers off Dakar, French West Africa, 25/9/1940. REEL 3 Continues: transfer to Freetown, Sierra Leone after torpedoing, 28/9/1940; repairs at Freetown, Sierra Leone, 10/1940-12/1940; having to take on signalman duties at Gibraltar, 12/1940-2/1941; move of ship for repairs to naval dockyard at Philadelphia, United States of America, 4/1941. Aspects of operations as telegraphist aboard HMS Walney, 41st Escort Group in North Atlantic, 1941-1942: character of ex-United States Coast Guard cutters; transmitting equipment on board; sleeping arrangements; low percentage of losses in convoys escorted; convoy routes; question of ship being a lucky ship; problems of opening fire on German aircraft off Lowestoft, GB. Aspects of operations as petty officer telegraphist aboard HMS Farndale, 59th Destroyer Division in Mediterranean, 1942-1943: character of Hunt Class destroyer; duties off North Africa; Axis air attacks off Bône, French Algeria, late 1942