Dillingham, Ernest Edward (Oral history)

British boy seaman trained at HMS Ganges, Shotley, GB, 1925-1926; served aboard HMS Iron Duke, 1926-1927; seaman served aboard HMS Coventry in Mediterranean, 1927-1928; served aboard HMS Active in Mediterranean and GB coastal waters, 1930-1931; served aboard HMS Wishart on China Station, 1931-1933; served aboard HMS Esk in Mediterranean, 1935-1936; served aboard HMS London in Mediterranean during Spanish Civil War, 1938; petty officer served aboard HMS Kingston in GB coastal waters, North Sea, Red Sea and Mediterranean, 1939-1942; served on shore duties on Malta, 1942; served aboard HMS Brissenden in Atlantic, English Channel, during Normandy landings and Mediterranean, 1943-1945

REEL 1 Background in India and GB, 1909-1925: family; education; employment. Aspects of enlistment and training as boy seaman at HMS Ganges, Shotley, GB, 1925-1926: enlistment in Royal Navy, 7/1925; how he became an instructor boy; pay; strictness of training. Aspects of period as boy seaman aboard HMS Iron Duke in GB coastal waters, 1926-1927: summer and winter cruises; striking topmast to get under Forth Bridge; coaling ship. Aspects of period as seaman aboard HMS Coventry in Mediterranean, 1927-1928: drafting to ship in Malta, 1/1927; attending regettas; differences in pay for seamen and lack of discontent; opinion of Invergordon Mutiny, 1931 and his application for free discharge; comradeship in Royal Navy; popularity of Mediterranean Station; benevolent fund on aboard. REEL 2 Continues: Aspects of period as seaman aboard HMS Active in Mediterranean and GB coastal waters, 1930-1931: drafting to ship, 4/1930; handling of destroyer at speed during trials; contrast between life on board destroyer and on bigger ships; repairs to ship in Portsmouth. Recollections of period as seaman aboard HMS Wishart on China Station, 1931- 1933: transferring to ship, 11/1931; voyage to China, 1931; alterations to steering gear in Bombay, India; piracy problem in Chinese waters, 1932; arrival in Hong Kong; sight of Japanese-Chinese hostilities in Shanghai; ashore in Shanghai, 1932; duties on River Yangtse; nature of Chinese piracy; anti-piracy patrols; ashore at Wei Hai Wei; attachment of Chinese boy to each mess. REEL 3 Continues: relations with Chinese workers. Aspects of period as seaman aboard HMS Esk in Mediterranean, 1935-1936: monitoring Italian convoys during Abyssinian Crisis. Aspects of period as seaman aboard HMS London in Mediterranean during Spanish Civil War, 3/1938-10/1938: voyage from GB to Malta aboard troopship Neuralia; duties during Spanish Civil War; state of refugees; his taking letter from refugee from Barcelona to his brother in Palma; impressions of Spanish Civil War. Aspects of operations as petty officer aboard HMS Kingston in GB coastal waters, Atlantic and North Sea, 1939-1940: patrol work in northern waters; problems of moving around destroyer in rough weather. REEL 4 Continues: depth charging in co-operation with HMS Kipling to depth charge U-35 in North Sea; rescue of survivors from U-35; his action station; alert at the time of the loss of the Rawalpindi; discovery of remains of tanker Imperial Transport off Greenland, 2/1940; need for attending to destroyers boilers every three weeks. Recollections of operations as petty officer aboard HMS Kingston in Red Sea and Mediterranean, 1940-1942: move to Red Sea; receiving news of fate of family in Guernsey, Channel Islands; convoy escort duties in Red Sea; encounter with Italian submarine in Red Sea; danger of circling torpedo in Red Sea; capture of Italian submarine by trawler in Red Sea. REEL 5 Continues: taking French women and children to Djibouti, 1940; internment of German ships in port of Assab; torpedo accident aboard HMS Khartoum near Perim, 1940; move to Mediterranean; supply runs to Tobruk, 1941; participation in Greek and Crete evacuations, 5/1941; effect on morale of hits on battleships off Crete, 5/1941; under German Air Force attack off Crete; rescue of survivors from HMS Fiji, HMS Juno and HMS Greyhound, 5/1941; refuelling from HMS Warspite; state of fleet after Crete, 5/1941; escorting convoy to Malta, 6/1941. REEL 6 Continues: encounter with Italian Fleet, 6/1941; shell hit on HMS Kingston during torpedo attack on Italian Fleet; failure of Italians to attack damaged ship; burial of crew members at sea; success of ship in reaching Malta; fate of British warships in Mediterranean, 1941-1942; mining of Haifa harbour by Vichy French, 6/1941; encounter with Vichy French ships, 6/1941; sight of Vichy French troops being evacuated from Beirut; prior recollection of disarming of French ships in Alexandria; prior recollection of encounter with Italian destroyers in Red Sea. REEL 7 Continues: damage to ship in action against Italian Fleet; Axis air attacks on ship in Valletta, Malta. Aspects of period on shore duties as petty officer with Royal Navy on Malta, 1942: duties with garrison artillery troops at fort; work clearing harbour of water logged barges; supply of Malta by submarine; air raid siren system in Malta; unloading HMS Breconshire. REEL 8 Continues: story of receiving supplies of cigarettes from submarine HMS Porpoise; flight from Malta to Gibraltar in Vickers Wellington, 7/1942; return voyage aboard Llanstefan Castle from Gibraltar to GB. Recollections of operations as petty officer aboard HMS Brissenden in Atlantic, English Channel, during Normandy landings and Mediterranean, 1943-1945: drafting to destroyer, 1/1943; duties in North Atlantic; attitude to prolonged periods on service on board destroyer; story of effects of alcohol on petty officer who went berserk with bayonet, Loch Ewe, 1943; duties in Atlantic; attempt of ship's doctor to commit suicide. REEL 9 Continues: start of duties in English Channel, early 1944; abortive attempt to deliver oil to French Resistance, 1944; sinking of armed German trawler in English Channel; story of torpedoing of HMS Charybdis and HMS Limbourne during attack on German convoy and burial of dead on Guernsey; participation in D-Day landings, 6/6/1944; protection of Allied ships from E-boat attack off Normandy; rescue of US aircrew in English Channel; refitting in Chatham after Normandy landings; leave in Guernsey, 5/1945; starved condition of people in Guernsey, 5/1945; attitude of civilians towards Germans on Guernsey; volunteering to stay on ship for service to Far East, 8/1945; duties preventing Jewish migration in eastern Mediterranean, 1945. REEL 10 Continues: his treatment of rescued Jewish migrant who fell overboard from migrant ship; lack of hostility from Jewish civilians towards Royal Navy personnel.