description
Object description
British boy seaman trained at HMS Ganges, Shotley, GB, 1933-1934; served aboard HMS Renown in Mediterranean and North Atlantic, 1934-1936; seaman served aboard HMS Resolution during Spanish Civil War, 1936-1938; served aboard HMS Kent, 5th Cruiser Sqdn on China Station, 9/1938-11/1939; served aboard HMS Kent, 4th Cruiser Sqdn, East Indies Station, 11/1939-3/1940; served aboard HMS Kent, 3rd Cruiser Sqdn in Mediterranean, 3/1940-12/1940; served aboard HMS Suffolk in GB coastal waters and North Atlantic, 1/1941-7/1941; served aboard HMS Wolsey, Rosyth Escort Force in GB coastal waters and North Sea, 9/1941-5/1945
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Cromer, GB, 1917-1933: family; education. Aspects of enlistment and training as boy seaman at HMS Ganges, Shotley, GB, 1933-1934: enlistment, 1933; reasons for receiving seven day punishment; punishment of whole class for boy seaman caught smoking; memories of his first cigarette during later service aboard HMS Renown; nature of his punishment; swimming lessons. Aspects of period as boy seaman aboard HMS Renown in Mediterranean and Atlantic, 1934-1936: joining ship at Sheerness, 4/1934; living conditions on board; duties during Abyssinian War and in Egypt; collision with HMS Hood in Bay of Biscay, 23/1/1935; outcome of Captain Henry Sawbridge's court martial after collision with HMS Hood. Aspects of period as seaman aboard HMS Resolution during Spanish Civil War, 1936-1938: patrol duties off northern Spain; bombing of ship by Nationalists at Gibraltar.
REEL 2 Continues: escorting Captain David 'Potato' Jones of SS Marie Llewellyn into Bilbao; attitude to indiscriminate bombing by German aircrews; living conditions on board ship. Aspect of period as seaman aboard HMS Kent, 5th Cruiser Sqdn on China Station, 9/1938-11/1939: joining ship at Chatham, 6/1938; arrival in Hong Kong, 9/1938; recreation in Hong Kong; memories of his girl friend Kwoklin Ho and her fate during Second World War; incidents of venereal disease aboard ship; behaviour of Imperial Japanese Navy sailors; patrols off Japan, 10/1939. Aspects of operations as seaman aboard HMS Kent, 4th Cruiser Sqdn, East Indies Station, 11/1939-3/1940: transporting Australian troops from Australia to Middle East, 1/1940; memories of Prince Philip.
REEL 3 Continues: Aspects of operations as seaman aboard HMS Kent, 3rd Cruiser Sqdn in Mediterranean, 3/1940-12/1940: bombardment work on coast of Libya; torpedoing of ship off Libya, 17/9/1940; prize money for capture of French ship in Red Sea; preference for service in smaller ships; return to GB, 12/1940. Recollections of operations as seaman aboard HMS Suffolk, 1st Cruiser Sqdn in GB coastal waters and North Atlantic, 1/1941-5/1941: joining ship, 1/1941; patrols with HMS Norfolk in Denmark Strait, 7/1941; discovery of battleship Bismarck, 23/5/1941; shadowing of Bismarck; sight of loss of HMS Hood, 24/5/1941; attempt of Consolidated Catalina pilot to divert ship to look for HMS Hood survivors, 24/5/1941; appearance of Bismarck; lack of sight of HMS Norfolk. Recollections of operations as seaman aboard HMS Wolsey, Rosyth Escort Force in GB coastal waters and North Sea, 9/1941-5/1945: joining destroyer, 9/1941.
REEL 4 Continues: living conditions on board; dangers of East Coast convoy escort; pattern of East Coast convoys; story of sinking of HMS Vortigern in North Sea, 15/3/1942; post-war discovery of relatives of casualty of HMS Vortigern; escorting the Norwegian Royal Family back to Norway, 5/1945; reception at Stavanger, Norway, 5/1945; searching German headquarters in Stavanger, Norway, 5/1945.
