Brown, Leo Edward (Oral history)

British boy seaman trained at HMS Ganges, Shotley, GB, 1917; served aboard HMS Lion, Grand Fleet in GB coastal waters, 1918-1920; seaman served aboard HMS Hood in GB coastal waters, 1920-1921 and HMS Titania on China Station, 1921-1924; served with Naval Brigade and aboard HMS Cleopatra in GB, 1924-1926; petty officer served aboard HMS Kent on China Station, 1931-1934; served aboard HMS Ajax during Battle of River Plate, 12/1939; served aboard HMS Ajax, 7th Cruiser Sqdn in Mediterranean, 9/1940-1/1942

REEL 1 Background in Newbury, GB, 1902-1917: family; education. Aspects of period as boy seaman at HMS Ganges, Shotley, GB, 1917: recruitment to Royal Navy; daily routine; becoming bugler; authority of boy seaman; corporal punishment and '8 day' punishments. Recollections of period as seaman aboard HMS Lion, Grand Fleet in GB coastal waters, 1918-1920: drafting to battlecruiser at Scapa Flow, 1918; initial experience of seasickness on route to join ship; opinion of quality of Royal Navy captains; ship's rate of coal consumption; his work coaling ship; competition with HMS Canada in speed of coaling ship; cleaning up after coaling. Aspects of period as seaman aboard HMS Hood in GB coastal waters, 1920-1921: drafting to battlecruiser, 1920; messing facilities. REEL 2 Continues: description of forms of 'messing'; introduction of fried fish and chips. Aspects of period as seaman aboard HMS Titania on China Station, 1921-1924: nature of service; pirates raiding Chinese ships; social contact with United States Navy; return to GB. Aspects of period as seaman with naval brigade and HMS Cleopatra during industrial disputes in GB, 1924-1926: guarding arsenal near Nottingham during coal strike, 1924; relations between miners and seamen; role of HMS Cleopatra at Cardiff during General Strike, 5/1926; memories of Lieutenant Commander Harold 'Hookey' Walker. Aspects of period as petty officer aboard HMS Kent on China Station, 1931-1934: captain's address to crew at time of Invergordon Mutiny, 15/9/1931-16/5/1931; reduction in pay at Hong Kong; making extra money from photography; crew casualties caused by Japanese at Woosung, 1932. REEL 3 Continues: amusing story of noise disturbance from pianist aboard. Aspects of period as petty officer aboard HMS Ajax, West Indies Sqdn America and West Indies Station and South American Division, 1937-1939: background to drafting to ship; story of relations with commander after clash over leave; relief work in Chile after earthquake, 1939. Aspects of operations as petty officer aboard HMS Ajax during Battle of River Plate, 12/1939: start of action against Admiral Graf Spee, 13/12/1939; confusion between fall of shot of HMS Ajax and HMS Achilles; damage to ship; reaction to waiting for Admiral Graf Spee to leave Montevideo, Uruguay, 16/12/1939-17/12/1939. Recollections of operations as petty officer aboard HMS Ajax, 7th Cruiser Sqdn in Mediterranean, 9/1940-12/1941: role with beach party during Dunkirk Evacuation whilst ship refitting, 5/1940-6/1940; move to Mediterranean, 8/1940-9/1940; employing radar on behalf of HMS Eagle. REEL 4 Continues: running supplies to Malta, 11/1940; role of ship during Battle of Cape Matapan, 27/3/1941-29/3/1941; bombardment of Bardia, Libya, 26/9/1941; destruction of Italian vessel MV Capitano A Cecchi off Benghazi, Libya, 8/5/1941; ship's joining K Force at Malta, 11/1941; death of shipmate aboard HMS Neptune, 1941; acting as decoy to allow HMS Illustrious to escape from Malta, 1/1941; evacuation of New Zealand troops from Greece, 4/1941; interception of caiques carrying German Army troops invading Crete, Greece, 21/5/1941; damage incurred in evacuation of Crete, Greece, 5/1941; ramming German lighter off Crete, 5/1941; bombardment of coast of Lebanon, 7/1941; return to GB, 1/1942. Aspects of period on shore duties at Eastbourne, GB, 1943-1945: German Air Force attacks on town; anti-aircraft defences employed; dead German pilots washed ashore; camouflaging of armoured units under trees, pre-Normandy Landings.