Goldsworthy, Frank Edward (Oral history)

British seaman served as writer aboard HMS Prince of Wales during signing of Atlantic Charter, 8/1941; watch keeping officer with Naval Intelligence in Gibraltar monitoring Axis operations in Mediterranean and Italy, 1942-1945. Civilian naval correspondent with Daily Express reported Royal Navy Arctic trials, 1949, the escape of HMS Amethyst from China, 1949, the loss of submarines HMS Truculent and HMS Affray, 1950-1951, the Korean War, 1950, Suez 1956, the 'Buster' Crabb incident, 1956, the Iraqi coup, 1958 and the Icelandic Cod War, 1958-1960

REEL 1 Period as journalist in GB, 1930s. Call up for Royal Navy, 1941. Recollections of Operation Zebra the signing of Atlantic Charter in USA, 8/1941: voyage across Atlantic aboard Prince of Wales; memories of Churchill and Roosevelt; clerical work for head of Cabinet office, Sir Alexander Cadogan; presence of British journalists; sense of historic occasion; return voyage to GB. Recollections of period as watch keeping officer with Naval Intelligence in Gibraltar, 1942-1944: role monitoring shipping movements; Italian successes with human torpedoes in Mediterranean; Italian methods of attack; handling Italian frogmen who blew up British battleships in Alexandria, late 1941. REEL 2 Continues: work of Italian frogmen for Allies after Italian surrender, 1943; nature of work in Gibraltar; Italian human torpedo attacks in Gibraltar harbour; planned attacks on British battleship HMS Nelson and aircraft carriers, 9/1942; retrospective knowledge of Italian human torpedo operations; memories of Commander Lionel 'Buster' Crabb including theory of what happened to Crabb during the Russian warship incident in Portsmouth harbour, 1956. REEL 3 Continues: near breach of security regarding Operation Torch, 11/1942. Recollections of period as Naval Intelligence watch keeping officer in Italy, 1944-1945: re-opening of port of Leghorn; setting off of large German booby-trap; capture of Italian limpeteers at Leghorn, early 1945; identification of limpeteers; booby-trap device on limpet mine; apprehension of further Italian sabotage frogmen; operation with Royal Navy Party Jig to reopen Genoa port, 4/1945; reception from villagers near Genoa; discovery of civic amenities still working in Genoa; belief Germans would use Italian warship, Aquila to block Genoa harbour; Operation Toast, a plan to sink Aquila before it could be used as blockship. REEL 4 Continues: partial failure of plan; German garrison's wish to surrender to British rather than Italian partisans, 4/1945; German surrender in Genoa; encounter with Italians who had been POWs of British; meeting with Italian who volunteered to fight Japanese and 'Spaniard' who worked for Germans breaking British codes. Recollections of period as Daily Express naval correspondent during Royal Navy cold weather trials in Arctic, 2/1949; experience of jack-stay riding; clothing issued in Arctic; sight of loss of pilot who ditched in Arctic Ocean; testing of survival suits in sea. REEL 5 Continues: Recollections of escape of HMS Amethyst from River Yangtse, China, 1949: background to incident; HMS Amethyst escape from river; how Reuters got scoop about escape; his coverage of story in Hong Kong; problems of getting pictures back to GB; reception of ship in Hong Kong; getting pictures back to GB and how he got a photo scoop. REEL 6 Continues: reading crew member's diary of incident and limited reproduction of diary. Role reporting loss of submarine HMS Truculent near Margate after collision, 1950. Recollections of period as Daily Express naval correspondent in Korea, 1950: casualties amongst newsmen; life of ratings; Royal Navy's censorship of material; methods employed in evading censorship; insurance cover supplied to US troops; US Army's efforts to maintain morale; covering Inchon landings from HMS Jamaica, 1950. REEL 7 Continues: North Koreans releasing mines into Inchon harbour; witnessing aftermath of Communist air attack; witnessing HMS Jamaica's bombardment of Inchon; view of effects of bombardment ashore in Inchon; signal exchange between USS Missouri and HMS Jamaica; activities of British raiding forces behind North Korean lines, 1950; sight of North Korean atrocity at Seoul, 1950; meeting with US captives who praised North Korean guards in Seoul, 1950; visit to hospital and sight of amputation of frost bitten gangrenous fingers; Wonsan landings on east coast; 1950. REEL 8 Continues: Role reporting loss of submarine HMS Affray in English Channel, 4/1951: discovery of lost submarine and breaking of story. Recollection of stories covered as Daily Express naval correspondent, 1951-1955: Operation Sealance for testing naval radar techniques; story illustrating problems of getting clearance for publication of naval intelligence; change in naval officers' sleeve insignia; reporting arrest of Lieutenant Commander A Mars for refusing to obey naval orders, 5/1952; HMS Triumph's visit to Leningrad, Russia, 1955. Reporting on disappearance of Commander Lionel 'Buster' Crabb in Portsmouth Harbour, 4/1956: breaking of story; background to Crabb's espionage mission diving against Russian cruiser Ordzhonikidze; effect of breaking of story. REEL 9 Continues: question of Crabb's suitability for mission; abortive project for him to write book on the affair; opinion of Crabb's security consciousness; conclusions drawn from incident. Reporting on Suez operation, 1956 including frustration of trying to cover operation. Recollections of covering Iceland Cod War, 1958-1960: coverage of Royal Navy protection of British trawlers; witnessing the taking on board of HMS Eastbourne of Icelandic party who had boarded a British trawler. REEL 10 Continues: relations with Icelanders on board ship; applying 'Queensberry rules' to dealing with Icelanders; results of Cod War by 1960; question of why Iceland held initiative. Witnessing Britain's last battleship HMS Vanguard's voyage to breakers yard, GB, 1960. Voyage on nuclear submarine, HMS Revenge, 1972. Reporting on Iraqi coup, 1958 including how he got story of Nanny Hazeldine, nanny to one of King Feisal's relations.