description
Object description
British seaman served aboard HMS Ambuscade in English Channel and Atlantic, 1940-1941; served aboard HMS Pozarica in GB coastal waters, Arctic and Mediterranean, 1941-1943
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Islington, London, GB, 1921-1939: family; employment; attempt to join Royal Artillery, 1938; training with Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve aboard HMS President. Aspects of training with Royal Navy at HMS St Vincent, Gosport, GB, 1939-1940: start of training; his petition against 9pm return to barracks for seamen, late 1939; reasons for not passing signals course; Royal Navy system for having trained barbers; drafting to minesweeper HMS Plover and testing of de-gaussing gear in Solent. Recollections of operations as seaman aboard HMS Ambuscade in English Channel and Atlantic, 1940-1941: joining ship in Portsmouth; fraternisation with civilians in Glasgow; canteen messing; mess deck life; his action station; abortive plan to land landing party at Le Harve, 6/1940; ambush of ship by Germans on shore at Fecamp.
REEL 2 Continues: his rescue of ship's officer during action at Fecamp; rescue of sinking British destroyer, 6/1940; start of Atlantic escort duties; handling of survivors who had been in lifeboat for two weeks; nature of escort duties; receiving popular music recordings from US ships; aiding motor torpedo boats after actions against German E-boats; near accident with depth charge. Recollections of operations as seaman aboard HMS Pozarica in GB coastal waters, Arctic and Mediterranean, 1941-1943: joining ship in River Clyde, 3/1941; characteristics of ship; preference for regular officers; towing floating dock through English Channel to Scapa Flow and how the incident was reported by Godfrey Winn; ashore in Bangor and Belfast, Northern Ireland.
REEL 3 Continues: fraternising with civilians in Belfast; initiating wartime romance between shipmate and Belfast girl Carmen; provisioning of ship for Convoy PQ17 in Arctic; composition of convoy escort; reaction to loss of pilot during German Air Force attack on convoy; scattering of Convoy PQ17; observation of convoy by German Air Force reconnaissance aircraft; steadiness of ship's officers under German Air Force attack; sight of ammunition ship exploding; arrival at Matochkin Strait, Novaya Zemlya; camouflaging ships; losses on route to Archangel; conditions in Archangel; penalties against Russian civilians for fraternising with Royal Navy; playing football in Archangel; rations in Archangel.
REEL 4 Continues: memories on Godrey Wynn during period in Russia; Russian reaction to losses during Convoy PQ17; question of Russian decorations for survivors; return convoy to GB; his reaction to scatter order during Convoy PQ17; story of how he was criticised for describing conditions in Russia by officer in Portsmouth Barracks; ship's role during Operation Torch at Philippeville, Algeria, 11/1942; problems with Newcastle accent of seaman in transmitting station; torpedoing of ship at Bougie, Algeria, 1943; casualties; captain's attitude towards Germans; refusing to abandon ship and towing of ship into Bougie, Algeria, 1943; opinion of US troops held by Guards Bde personnel in North Africa.
